As a rule, it is a good idea to start learning foreign languages ​​from the very basics, i.e. with alphabet and reading rules. The German language is no exception. German alphabet, like English, is based on the Latin alphabet, but it also has some differences that you need to know.

So, German alphabet contains 26 letters. Umlauts (vowels with dots, for example: Ä-ä, Ü-ü, Ö-ö) and the ß ligature are considered a distinctive feature. It looks like this:

German alphabet pronunciation

Knowing just the alphabet is not enough, since in some combinations not all letters are read as they are written. Here are some hard and fast rules for reading German:

Well, we figured out the reading rules a little. I would also like to give advice on pronunciation in German. But this is in other articles on our site.

How difficult is German? How much can you learn it? How many words do you need to know in order to read gosets, for example? and got the best answer

Answer from Primavera [guru]
I agree with the opinion that German grammar is more difficult than English, but it is easier to read German 🙂 I learned a couple of rules and that's all, not that in English, where "Manchester" is written, but "Liverpool" is read.
Well, how quickly you learn German is up to you. Of course, the best way is language courses in Germany, although they tend to be more communicative in nature (that is, you will be taught speaking in the first place, and not reading and grammar). Well, of course, you can learn here too 🙂
As for the necessary vocabulary, you know, there is an opinion that in order to calmly communicate in a foreign language on, say, everyday topics, it is enough to know only 900 basic words and phrases 🙂

Answer from ELEN[guru]
I've been teaching it since grade 2 !! The grammar is, of course, more difficult than in English, but you can live! It seems to me not complicated at all, everything is easy to remember !!

Answer from Katya m[newbie]
The easiest way to live is in Germany, where you can learn in six months. There are now many student exchange programs and academic semesters. It will cost about the same as you would spend for a year of tutoring.

Answer from LOVEHUNTER[guru]
More difficult than English, there are exactly 4 cases, complex past and future tense, unlike Russian, the strict arrangement of parts of speech in a sentence, etc. I am already silent about the pronunciation of umlauts - vowels with two dots above ....)))

Answer from Anastasia lady[guru]
The German language is not as difficult as it seems, but it has its own peculiarities. Up to level A1 (simple spoken language) can be learned in a month of daily classes, up to level B1 can be learned in half a year or less. It all depends on the desire, abilities, opportunities, availability of free time. The grammar is similar in some respects to the Russian language. In order to read newspapers, level B1 and a dictionary at hand will be enough. Minimum vocabulary ... it's too relative.

Answer from Origami killer[guru]
I have been living in Germany for 2 years. During this time, I learned to understand German, but it is difficult to speak. It's all about grammar. If you put a verb in a sentence in the wrong place, a German person will already misunderstand you. It also depends on the pronunciation of the letters. The incident that happened to me: "I buy a payment card for the E-Plus network for a mobile phone, Well, I say [Ye Plus]. I see that the saleswoman is not catching up with something. I repeated several times until she guessed and said how to say: [E Plus] It seems to be a trifle, but it can get in the way.
P.S. I learned to understand the German language ABSOLUTELY without courses.

Answer from 3 answers[guru]

Hey! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: How difficult is German? How much can you learn it? How many words do you need to know in order to read gosets, for example?

Do you know the Pareto principle? It states that "20% of the effort gives 80% of the result, and the remaining 80% of the effort is only 20% of the result." In other words, by correctly choosing the minimum of the most important actions, you can quickly get a significant part of the planned full result.
How can we apply this to our German language learning? It's very simple!

To understand 70-80% of German texts you need to know ... only 500 words!

Where can you find these 500 words all at once? Just don't panic - we have everything prepared! Let's start with the first TOP 100 Most Used German Words, which we have collected directly in alphabetical order for your convenience. It would be great to start learning (or reviewing) them today.

So let's go! First hundred:

A

Read more about prepositions in German.

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

S

T

U

V

W

Z

We deliberately dropped most of the word forms and articles (eine, einem, einen, einer, etc.) from this list, leaving only the most important ones. Thus, we have tried to make this TOP 100 most useful.

Help yourself: write these words down, and then say them aloud several times, because visual and auditory memory in tandem gives excellent results. You can also make vocabulary cards and paste them in prominent places or on the corresponding objects. Be sure to repeat the words you have already learned.

It is important to note that nouns must always be taught with the article, without leaving this matter for later, and for verbs it is advisable to immediately find and memorize all three basic forms.

If you have read the section "What to learn?", Then you already know that language competencies (lexical, grammatical and phonetic) are auxiliary, these are only additional mechanisms that we need at the beginning of the journey and which are then gradually dismantled as unnecessary. But they are not thrown away. They need to be constantly looked after, periodically checking, lubricating and carrying out preventive maintenance.

A million, a million, a million new words ...

The basis of any foreign language language competence is KNOWLEDGE.

How many words are there in German? No answer. Large DUDEN contains 400,000 lexical units with independent meaning. But every year about 4,000 new words or meanings come to the German language.

How many words do you need to know to speak a foreign language well? And to read newspapers or texts in your specialty? And to understand native speakers?

Our average compatriot uses 3-4 thousand words in his native language in everyday life, and in general he speaks a vocabulary ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 words. It is curious in this regard to note that 1000 of the most common words, as a rule, is enough to express 90% of all that we want to say, the second thousand provides an additional 5% of our communication needs.

2500 words is almost a guarantee of a good conversational level, and 8000 words ensures the understanding of any non-specialized text. The average translator's vocabulary is 14,000 words (data from the International Center for Psychology and Linguistics, 2008)

A what vocabulary did the great masters of the word possess? Very different:

• I. Goethe - 80,000 words
• W. Churchill - 60,000 words
• A. Pushkin - 21,290 words
• W. Shakespeare - 20,000 words
• V. Hugo - 9,000 words
• U. Teckeray - 5.000 words
• (M. Müller)

What to do? Maybe sit down and learn the largest German-Russian dictionary? Then I’ll start talking! Firstly, it is an illusion, and secondly

Advice: Don't learn new words from the dictionary. Reading a dictionary, replenishing your vocabulary, is an exciting activity, but only at the stage of improvement. Do not learn ALL new words given to you by the teacher or the lesson of the textbook, in a row and "mechanically" - your memory may go on strike.

4.2. Want to know everything! Or how to master vocabulary, grammar, phonetics

A million, a million, a million new words ...
I guessed!
Dictionary or flashcards?
Mnemonics techniques
And if you try "multimedia"?
It's all about the system
You need to learn this text
How much grammar does a person need?
Why do you need a rule?
Deductive method
SOS method
"Search engine"
His pronunciation is like a German!
How do you get rid of the accent?

How difficult is German? How much can you learn it? How many words do you need to know in order to read gosets, for example? and got the best answer

Answer from Primavera [guru]
I agree with the opinion that German grammar is more difficult than English, but it is easier to read German 🙂 I learned a couple of rules and that's all, not that in English, where "Manchester" is written, but "Liverpool" is read.
Well, how quickly you learn German is up to you. Of course, the best way is language courses in Germany, although they tend to be more communicative in nature (that is, you will be taught speaking in the first place, and not reading and grammar). Well, of course, you can learn here too 🙂
As for the necessary vocabulary, you know, there is an opinion that in order to calmly communicate in a foreign language on, say, everyday topics, it is enough to know only 900 basic words and phrases 🙂

Answer from ELEN[guru]
I've been teaching it since grade 2 !! The grammar is, of course, more difficult than in English, but you can live! It seems to me not complicated at all, everything is easy to remember !!

Answer from Katya m[newbie]
The easiest way to live is in Germany, where you can learn in six months. There are now many student exchange programs and academic semesters. It will cost about the same as you would spend for a year of tutoring.

Answer from LOVEHUNTER[guru]
More difficult than English, there are exactly 4 cases, complex past and future tense, unlike Russian, the strict arrangement of parts of speech in a sentence, etc. I am already silent about the pronunciation of umlauts - vowels with two dots above ....)))

Answer from Anastasia lady[guru]
The German language is not as difficult as it seems, but it has its own peculiarities. Up to level A1 (simple spoken language) can be learned in a month of daily classes, up to level B1 can be learned in half a year or less. It all depends on the desire, abilities, opportunities, availability of free time. The grammar is similar in some respects to the Russian language. In order to read newspapers, level B1 and a dictionary at hand will be enough. Minimum vocabulary ... it's too relative.

Answer from Origami killer[guru]
I have been living in Germany for 2 years. During this time, I learned to understand German, but it is difficult to speak. It's all about grammar. If you put a verb in a sentence in the wrong place, a German person will already misunderstand you. It also depends on the pronunciation of the letters. The incident that happened to me: "I buy a payment card for the E-Plus network for a mobile phone, Well, I say [Ye Plus]. I see that the saleswoman is not catching up with something. I repeated several times until she guessed and said how to say: [E Plus] It seems to be a trifle, but it can get in the way.
P.S. I learned to understand the German language ABSOLUTELY without courses.

Answer from 3 answers[guru]

Hey! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: How difficult is German? How much can you learn it? How many words do you need to know in order to read gosets, for example?