[Diskussion] Best Way to Learn German

[KatorzeLe]

I have a question for you English speakers who learnt German:

What's the best way for a complete beginner to learn the language. I'm the type of guy that learns best from starting with the basics. Even then, I wan't to know how you learned to read/understand German and where can I get me some of these resources.

 

[Neverman]

I'd recommend Babbel.
https://www.babbel.com/?locale=en

It's for sure the most convenient way of learning a new language. You could also use some of the usual suspects, Memrise, Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, buusu, etc.

However, and this is very important, these tools are limited in its efficiency due to their focus on "tourists language". After you've completed these courses you will be able to spend a few weeks in a foreign country without being completely lost but you probably won't be able to participate in a discussion with locals.
Therefore it's important to make up your mind what exactly is the goal of your efforts.
As I said before, I'd recommend Babbel, because they have an interesting concept of integrating grammar in small portions in each lesson. So you won't be overwhelmed by the complexity of german grammar but will be fed step by step with parts of it as you'll need it to continue your pursuit! For complete beginners I think that's the best way to get a "feeling" for german language. If you liked it, you will have to deepen your knowledge by yourself, but with the basics it should be no problem to go on.

 

[KatorzeLe]

My main goal is to be able to at least read and write German, but for that, I guess I'm going to have to learn the fundamentals first, such as grammar and basic sentence structure. Should I also be learning new vocabulary simultaneously or should I just focus on learning the the fundamentals first and learn new words as they pop up in example sentences?

 

[Neverman]

Do whatever suits you. Just go ahead and have fun with it.^^
From time to time you will have to reevaluate what you've learned, so you can't actually do something "wrong". Babbel's approach is very thoughtfully designed and you won't have to pay for it when you're smart.
I guess when you rely on different courses it won't do any harm. You'll realize it soon enough while learning what's useful and what isn't. When I start learning a new language the first thing I do is to collect as much material as I can get. Usually after one week or two most of the stuff has been deleted and I have found something I really can work with.
And as soon as possible I try to read and to watch movies in the language I want to learn.