How to Learn German Speaking at Home

Would you like to speak German fluently?

If the answer to the above question is, Yes, I would like to speak German fluently, then I am happy and will gladly share my knowledge with you.

To help others learn German is my specialty.

In this article I want to I introduce you to a great learning technique (farther below).

With the help of this technique I will teach you how to learn German on your own. Well, more precisely, I’ll show you the best way to learn to speak German on your own.

If you like this learning technique, feel free to subscribe to my free German course and download one of my audio stories to test the technique yourself.

What you do not need:

• You don’t need to attend an expensive language school
• You don’t need to pay a tutor
• You don’t need a conversation partner

You can practice at home or on your way to work/school – whenever and wherever you want. Before I introduce you to the actual learning technique, I would like to show you the three basic prerequisites for self-study.

Three Basic Rules Before You Learn German Speaking at Home

Rule 1: Practice in small portions every day!

Continuous practice is very important.

Have you ever heard the phrase Skill comes with practice?

No matter what you want to learn, you have to practice a lot to make progress. It doesn’t matter if you want to learn a musical instrument, do a sport or learn to knit.

If you don’t practice, you cannot improve.

Well, if you want to learn German, that’s the same. The more you practice, the better you will become!

This is clear to everyone, but…

Many don’t know that it is much more effective to learn in small portions every day, instead of just for several hours at the weekend.

If you study twice a day for 30 minutes, that’s 7 hours a week.

If you only study one day per week, 7 hours in a row, that’s the same amount of time, but you won’t learn nearly as much as if you had split the study material over several days.

Rule 2: Have fun speaking German

Many think that learning always involves effort, stress and oftentimes anxiety.

Why do you think that?

Well, most have had negative experiences at school, especially if they had German as a subject and had to speak German in front of the whole class. This is always an unpleasant feeling. One is afraid to make mistakes and to embarrass oneself.

In addition, you have to learn a lot at school if you want to get good grades. Often you don’t feel like it and would much rather be together with friends or pursue your hobby.

So, learning is often associated with negative feelings. That doesn’t have to be that way. When you find a way to learn and have fun, you often don’t even realize that you are learning. This is the most effective form of learning.

If you have fun, you like to learn regularly.

Rule 3: Never give up!

If you study at home without a teacher, it can quickly happen that you lose track and you feel like you aren’t progressing anymore. This is a dangerous time and many just give up at that point. They don’t see any sense in continuing.

They feel that no matter what they are doing or how much time they are investing, they are not progressing any more.

However, the feeling is deceptive!

If you study German every day, then you will improve as well – this is a fact! So don’t let that feeling affect you and just keep going. This feeling will go away.

If you follow the three rules above, you have already made it half way.

Learning technique to improve your German speaking

Let’s move on to the learning technique, after all I have promised you to tell you how to speak German easily, right?

There are some basic concepts for learning foreign languages:

If you want to improve your reading comprehension,
=> then you have to read a lot

If you want to improve your listening comprehension,
=> then you have to listen a lot

If you want to improve your German speaking,
=> then you have to speak a lot

This sounds so logical and easy, but only a few people stick to it.

If I ask why they don’t speak much, then I get the answers:

I don’t have anyone to talk to. 

Or: I only speak German when I have to. I’m afraid to make mistakes, so I don’t dare to speak in front of others. 

Of course I understand that! And I am pleased to tell you that there is a solution!

There is a learning technique that you can easily apply.

It will help you learn to speak German and you don’t need a teacher or a conversation partner.

You can practice for yourself and at home, where no one hears you.

So you don’t have to worry about making mistakes.

This technique is called the Question and Answer Technique.

How to speak German with the Question and Answer Technique

This technique was developed to simulate entertaining and practice speaking in a foreign language! This technique consists of 4 steps. The first three steps create the conditions. Step 4 will then specifically improve your speaking skills.

Step 1: Reading

First you read a text in German. This text is also available with a translation to help you understand what it means. You read this text a few times and look at the translation until you understand about 80% of the text.

Step 2: Reading and listening at the same time

This text is also recorded. If you understand the text up to 80% when you read it (step 1), then start listening to it at the same time. By reading and listening at the same time, you deepen what you have already learned in the first step. Read and listen to the text a few times. Repetition is very important in the learning process!

Step 3: Only listening

After a few repetitions (reading and listening to the text at the same time), it is time to put the text away. Now just try to listen to the audio without reading the text at the same time. If you don’t understand 80% of the audio, go back to step 2.

Step 4: Speaking (Answering out lout)

Steps 1-3 prepared you for step 4. You are now able to understand most of the recording. Now it’s time to apply the special Question and Answer Technique. You will be asked specific questions about the text. Of course you have these questions also as text and audio. You can read and listen to them. Try to answer the questions in the provided pauses.

Please answer always out loud! This is very important!

By answering the questions loudly, this exercise is like a simulated conversation. The ingenious thing about this technique is that you can learn to speak German without a conversation partner.

• You can practice from home
• You can practice at any time of the day or night whenever you have a few minutes to spare
• You don’t have to worry about making mistakes because no one hears you.

And best of all, even if you answer the questions incorrectly or you have mistakes in your answer, it doesn’t matter. Shortly after your answer you hear the correct answer of the recording. If you repeat the question and answer part a few times, you will respond correctly, and only this correct answer will be stored in your long-term memory.

Isn’t this great? Now you know how to learn German speaking at home.

Now it is up to you

Enroll in my free email German. I will show you how to speak German easily.

Have fun!

Lucas Kern