Get to Grips with Those Adjectival Endings Once And for All!
German is no easy language to master. Yet the ability to speak it will enrich any expat’s experience in Munich. But how to get beyond a mumbled “ein Bier bitte”? There are various sources of help available for those who want to get to grips with their adjectival endings and verb declensions, once and for all.
One option is to join a language school. The Sprachen & Dolmetscher Institut, for example, offers six course levels, each lasting 12 weeks and entailing around 24 hours of class per week. The institute holds lectures in German on politics, literature, history and geography and also offers lessons on German for engineering and industry. A four-week program costs € 360. Call Tel. 288 10 20 or e-mail kontakt@sdi-muenchen.de.
The emphasis at the Tandem München language school is on learning German in a fun environment. There are courses for all levels and in various sized groups. All intensive, semi-intensive and summer courses cost € 200. For further information, call Tel. 28 03 70 or e-mail: info@tandem-muenchen.de.
Meeting Point claims to be a meeting point for newcomers to Munich, and offers cultural integration and language training for adults and children. Courses are taught in small groups and on a one-to-one basis, and range from intensive courses to long-term classes and lessons in business German. Meeting Point also has the benefit of offering childcare. Call Tel. 20 900 500 for further details and prices.
The Goethe Institut offers German courses at every level, including business German classes, intensive courses and classes on communication skills for the workplace. For details, call Tel. 55 19 03 26 or browse www.goethe.de/muenchen. A two-week intensive course costs € 1,780.
The Münchner Volkshochschule, www.mvhs.de, meanwhile, offers various courses for learning German, such as reading and writing German, basic grammar and orientation in Germany. These run only at specific times of the year and should be booked in advance. The spring program starts on March 6.
Other German learners may prefer the private tutor route. Sigrid Hansmann believes that this is often the best option for shy pupils. “People who feel very tense in a class find it much easier to ask questions during a private lesson,” says Hansmann. “Also, some people feel a course goes too slowly or too quickly for them. I can tailor lessons to an individual’s learning pace and needs.” A private lesson with Hansmann costs from € 23 per hour. Tel. 39 38 42.
Maxin Demmel also offers private tuition and will tailor classes according to whether students want to practice their written or spoken language. A 90-minute lesson costs € 35. Contact her at Tel. 13 47 08. Or try Margit Michel, whose company, Deutsch Individuell, promises to offer “interesting insights into the German way of life” as well as language practice. Contact her at Tel. 929 55 76.
There are various language CD-Roms and books for those who prefer to learn German at home. Linguaphone, the pioneers of the home language-study course, sell a number of packages, starting from around € 60. See www.linguaphone.co.uk. Digital Publishing offers similar packages. Another useful resource is the language magazine Deutsch perfekt. Launched last year, this contains articles in German on a variety of topics, rated according to levels of difficulty. There are also vocabulary and grammatical tips to help you along. See www.deutsch-perfekt.com.
Further help is at hand under www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german, which has tips on German slang and German at work. Meanwhile, Deutsche Welle, www.dw-world.de, offers slowly spoken German news reports for German learners at 10 am each day.
Don’t forget that one of the best ways to learn, however, is simply by reading German newspapers and magazines and watching German TV and films. Pluck up the courage and practice with German friends or in shops and bars.
