I learned to speak, read, and write German while I was stationed in West Germany in the late 1980s. This, of course, gave me a tremendous advantage: immersion in the language. Thanks to the Internet, one of my favorite techniques is now available to you if you have a web connection: radio! I listed to Deutsche Welle, various local stations, and all the German talk radio I could find. I listened to German pop music, too (Die Artze!). I found that listening to spoken German over the radio gave me an opportunity to learn to hear the language, expanded my vocabulary, and made my spoken German less grating on the ears of the natives.
Focus on vocabulary first. Grammar will come with time and, to be honest, German grammar is a challenge for native English speakers like myself. First, you must be able to understand and be understood. Fluency comes after large amounts of listening, speaking, and reading. My secret weapon for acquiring vocabulary was recommended to me by a German friend. “Grund- und Aufbauwortschatz Deutsch-Englisch” was my constant companion. The book was small enough to fit in the side pocket of my BDU pants, so it was with me all the time. It contains the 2,000 most common words in modern German, and 3,000 somewhat-less-common words grouped by topic. Learn all 5,000 and you’ll have a nice foundation for gaining fluency. Sadly, I can’t find this book online. I’m sure comparable book exist: check Amazon and so forth for current vocabulary books.
I read a lot of German newspapers and magazines, too. Again, this is easier to do know thanks to the Internet.
After about 12 months in West Germany, I was comfortable enough with the language to travel alone, speaking only in German. I spent days at a time away from the Kaserne out “on the economy”, visiting German friends, travelling around, having a grand old time. At this point, I did find that I was framing my thoughts in German when speaking the language.
I’ve lost fluency since returning to the States: I haven’t had cause to speak or read German here. I do miss it, and the Germans I knew back then.
The short version:
1. Vocabulary first, grammar second.
2. Listen to the language. Radio is good for this.
3. Read the language. Ain’t the Internet grand?
