Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey everyone,
I'm trying to learn German again. I've wanted to learn for years but have always had really bad memory problems. Hence trying to learn it at school didn't go too well, rote learning is tricky, just couldn't retain it, I know that was like a gazillion years ago, but I'm having another go. But puzzling over how the heck to get it to stick in my head?
Any tips?
I store hundreds of number plates in my head of all the cars in the neighbourhood in a wide radius (but only on sight if that makes sense) if you ask me to recite such-and-such's licence plate I haven't got a clue, I have a massive database of groceries & their prices in my head (nightmare when it all keeps going up week on week!) but this language thing just keeps confounding me!
It seems like some information is just sucked in by default, I mean not by choice, where some information you actually want to retain, is like trying to shin up a greased pole???
I'm like that too, people have complimented me on my memory but I tend to remember things randomly not when I specifically want to. I think it might be to do with PDA (pathological demand avoidance) i.e if I authentically am interested I remember it, if it's more like 'forced action', I do not. I think I would get on better learning another language if I was immersed in it e.g. lived in an area of that language for a while and liked it there (if I didn't like it I wouldn't learn so much i.e. forced action. I've experienced that when I lived+worked in Munich for 1 year 1993/4). I'd be interested to practise a bit sometimes if you want (I'm around about basic+ level), Prost! #Oktoberfest Funnily enough a particular (long) German word I do remember from that time is Umweltbewusstsein. I'm glad I remember it and think I did/do as it is genuinely of interest+ meaningful to me (then+now). I've learnt a German/Yiddish word too in my short time here Luftmentsch
Have you tried lessons on YouTube?
When I want to try and learn something I use YouTube you can learn lots of interesting things ^-^
I really struggle to retain things it's so annoying
It's like all the bad rubbish stuff I remember but the good stuff is whisked away
I find learning by rote difficult. The way I learn best is by doing something over and over again and seeing things. I wonder if there are any video type learning schemes and if that would help.
I used the app Duolingo to learn Portuguese and it worked quite well for me. It works on a simple process of levels for each category where it becomes progressively more challenging but has lots of repetition through interactive questions and speach recognition to get you better at it.
I found the repetition and way they build up the tasks layer on layer gave it time to sink in and then the practive options helped boost any areas you have a weakness in.
I notice you chose German - that is probably one of the hardest of the European languages to learn due to its complex grammar.
Is there a specific reason to chose German and not one of the easier languages?
Cheers Ben, haven't heard of it but will check in to it, I just have the Collins Complete Course at the moment and it seems hard-going!
Have you used the Michel Thomas discs? He helped me to brush up my French, and I also used his German course. I would suggest you try to find the originals recorded by him, as opposed to the later 'Michel Thomas Method' discs recorded by others after his sad death. Michel really was the master, in my opinion.
Ben