Today I’ve started the 30 day goal of learning German. I’m going to use this blog to hold myself accountable, to track my progress and to help others who may take on a similar project in the future. I don’t expect to be fluent after 30 days, but I do expect to have a basic level of conversation.
How I’m Going to Learn German:
The only way to learn how to speak a language is to start speaking that language. I like Pimsleur because it is pure conversation and it gets you speaking the language on Day 1. I think traditional classrooms are ineffective for learning a language because they focus too much on the teacher and don’t force the student to speak enough.
After I’ve grown comfortable with the language I will start using other resources to augment the Pimsleur lessons. I will look for German songs, websites in German and Youtube videos in German to increase my exposure to the language. Speaking with others is important, so I will talk to my German speaking friends in person and on Skype to get extra practice. When I get back to California I will attend a German meetup group.
Why Learn German?
My goal is to be fluent in 10 languages by the age of 30, and German is on that list. German is probably the most commonly spoken language in South America after Spanish, Portuguese and English, and I’ve met a ton of German speakers. They’ve all spoken English and Spanish, but I feel inadequate when I cant talk to them in German. German speakers are everywhere so it only makes sense to be able to communicate with them.
I want to learn German because it will be a challenge to learn a language that is not part of the Romance family. I feel like I cheated when I learned Italian and Portuguese because the grammar, verb conjugations and vocabulary are so similar to Spanish. It will be a challenge for me to learn a language that outside of the Romance family.
In August I plan on visiting the home of Ludwig von Mises in Vienna, so it will be helpful to speak some German. I don’t like speaking English in a foreign country so I always learn some of the language before I go to a new place. When you only speak English you’re limited in what you will experience and by who you can communicate with. What if you were sitting next to an Albert Einstein on the bus and he didn’t speak any English? What a shame that would be.
How I Will Define Success
I will consider this mission a success if by July 12 I have completed all 30 lessons. By that time I should have competency in the German language and I will be ready to move on to Pimsleur German II.
Pimsleur German Day 1
Pimsleur German Day 2
Pimsleur German Day 3
Pimsleur German Day 4
Pimsleur German Day 5
Pimsleur German Day 6
Pimsleur German Day 7
Pimsleur German Day 8
Pimsleur German Day 9
Pimsleur German Day 10
Pimsleur German Day 11
Pimsleur German Day 12
Pimsleur German Day 13
Pimsleur German Day 14
Pimsleur German Day 15
Pimsleur German Day 16
Pimsleur German Day 17
Pimsleur German Day 18
Pimsleur German Day 19
Pimsleur German Day 20
Pimsleur German Day 21
Pimsleur German Day 22
Pimsleur German Day 23
Pimsleur German Day 24
Pimsleur German Day 25
Pimsleur German Day 26
Pimsleur German Day 27
Pimsleur German Day 28
Pimsleur German Day 29
Pimsleur German Day 30
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Josh,
Having the German conversation written out is extremely helpful to me. Would you please complete your German journey so I can have more of the transcript?
I know the theory behind why they don’t provide it, but they’re wrong because sometimes one cannot discern the exact word by just hearing it and it’s so annoying. For example, the way he pronounces “dort” or “opern” or “druben”.
Thanks so much for what you did write out. If you will do the rest it will be good for you and the rest of us on Pimsleur. I go to bed listening to Pimsleur, I love it.
Thanks in advance and good luck with your whole journey. Try God too (christian) you will not be sorry, I promise you. Jeanette
Hey Jeanette, thanks for reading.
I’ve been thinking about starting it up again recently. I spend a lot of time on the bus here in Brazil, so I might as well put that time to use. Though I can only imagine the looks people are going to give me when they see me talking to myself in German.
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