Sound Like a Native Speaker

If you want to get fluent fast, you have to take advantage of some language hacks.

It's important you learn the right survival terms. You don't need to memorize the entire dictionary to be fluent.

Knowing the little tips and tricks will help you get fluent in another language fast. 

When you start learning another language, you usually begin with learning how to speak in the present tense.

The issue that you'll quickly notice if you're trying to speak the language is that you'll want to say something in the past tense but you're not sure how to start.

You can't answer what you did yesterday if you don't know how to form the past tense. 

By learning the most often used words in YOUR vocabulary, and memorizing the forms of the verb as soon as you learn that new word, you will sound like a native speaker in no time.

Das Perfekt 

In German, there are two different forms of the past tense (just like in English). Das Perfekt is the form used most often in spoken German. 

Das Perfekt is made up of a helping verb and the past participle of the verb. The two potential helping verbs that use are:

Sein - to be

Haben - to have 

It can be a little confusing figuring out which helping verb to use with which verb and it's definitely something you need to memorize.

I highly recommend when you learn a new verb, to learn how to conjugate the verb in both the present and past tense as well as confirm which helping verb it takes.

Verbs of Movement Take Sein

As a general tip to remember, haben is used more often than sein but the sein verbs are of course, also very important.

Knowing which verbs take sein really make you sound more like a native speaker.

For the most part, verbs relating to movement take the verb "sein." 

It's important to note that when it comes to becoming fluent in another language:​

- Janice Young (Aka Frau Young, my high school German teacher who made learning German so much fun!)
​

Here are the 15 most used "Sein" verbs in German:
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Learn German Fast
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For more practice, create flash cards for yourself and remember to learn the past participle of the verb as well as the helping verb it takes.

Say it to out loud to yourself, 'bleiben - ist geblieben, bleiben ist geblieben." 

Read it, write it, say it out loud, and repeat!

A printable version of the 15 most used Sein Verben auf Deutsch (Sein Verbs in German) as well as an Arbeitsblatt (worksheet) are available for you language learners and teachers out there!

1. The future is here. These wireless earbuds interpret words being spoken to you in another language in real-time. International travelers will be thrilled to hear that the Pilot will be kicking off it's campaign on IndieGoGo on May 25th. Initial languages available will be English, Spanish, French and Italian with plans to expand to other languages soon. I would LOVE to try this out - this is definitely one thing to watch! 


2. Which part of the world do you think has more languages than anywhere else? 

​The semester is coming to an end across the world and students are about to begin their summer vacations.

Do you have a plan to keep up with your language studies over your break?

Do you have any trips planned or will you be staycationing?

The best thing you can do over the break is take the free time you have and learn another language. Even if you're not a student, take the change in seasons to start your language learning journey.

The cognitive benefits of learning another language alone should make you want to start learning.  

Recently, it's been found that people who learn a second language, even in adulthood, can better avoid cognitive decline in old age. 

​The best news is that the "dementia-delaying effects of learning a second language are not contingent on becoming fluent; it just matters that a person tries to learn it." - Cody C. Delistraty ​

​Get that money, honey!

If that doesn't interest you, how about making more money? Being bilinguial, trilingual, or a polyglot can earn you more money, land you the job, or give you that perfect side hustle to earn extra cash when you need it.

Being able to communicate across cultures in different languages is invaluable.

Having a skill such as fluency in a second language will always come in handy.

​You can freelance, translate, and even teach online. 

Here are the 7 best ways you can keep up with your German studies this summer:

1.) Take a free German Language Placement Test to figure out your proficiency level at the beginning of the summer. You can take this again at the end of the summer and will be able to see how you've improved. It's a great way to see your progress!

2.) Download DuoLingo & Memrise, play games, and learn new vocab. on your phone in your downtime.

3.) Watch Netflix shows and movies in German! You know you're gonna want to chill and watch something at some point, why not watch it in German? Put the English subtitles on in case you need it.

Here's how to find shows in German on Netflix:

• Log in to your Netflix account.
• Click on Browse > Subtitles and Captions.
• Select the “German” option under the Subtitles.
  
  

This reveals all of the movies and shows offered with German subtitles or voice overs. Keep in mind that some of these offerings are made for German speakers, while others use German voice overs for the English dialogue. I personally love hearing the German actors do voice over on shows like the O.C. and Friends. 

4.) Listen to German podcasts to practice your listening skills. There are podcasts available on iTunes about every single topic. Search for a topic that you're interested in auf Deutsch in iTunes and choose one of the podcasts to listen. See how much you can understand. You can always try something like Coffee Break German or Slow German if you'd like to hear something more structured.  

5.) Make a weekly date to Skype a German speaking friend once per week, every week. If you don't have a friend who speaks German yet, go to a meetup in your city! There are meetups happening all over the world where you can connect with other language learners.

6.) Instagram auf Deutsch once per week. Interact with people in German by commenting on their photos and Insta stories, strike up a conversation, and practice your language skills while you're at it. If you don't know who to write to, schreib mit mir! 

7.) If you really want to get fluent fast, sign up for one-on-one lessons over Skype with Nikki. We'll work together to develop the skills you need,

What language do you want to master this summer?

Say Yes to Everything

One of the best pieces of advice I got as a 15 year old exchange student about to embark on a year long exchange program to Germany was to say yes to everything. 

I was about to go through a roller coaster of experiences that would change my life profoundly and the program I was on was extremely well equipped to prepare teenagers for all of the feelings that we'd be feeling.

It was exactly what I needed to know before going on my exchange year.

This year abroad helped me uncover my greatest passion, made me fluent in German, and left a massive impression on me.

I knew I wanted to live in Europe again.

I knew I loved learning about (and being immersed in) another culture.

And I knew I felt proud of myself for going on so many adventures, never resisting the unfamiliar, and learning both German and Bavarian (and so much more).

I frequently remember this advice of saying yes to everything and have passed it along to many students. I always advise young people to go for it and take the class, start the club, go to the meet up - if you're invited to something, go, and have a good time!

Practice What You Preach

This week, I totally practiced what I preach because I was invited to be a guest on Azren the Language Nerd's YouTube Channel for a 5 Minute Language Chat!

We scheduled it super quickly and somehow (even after watching a few of his videos), I didn't catch that it was going to be done live. I didn't realize it would be live until about 30 minutes before we were set to meet.

I had never done a YouTube Live before. Needless to say, I learned a lot about how to be a guest on YouTube Live.

Namely:

1. Instagram is an amazing way to connect with people who have the same interests as you! Being able to connect with and follow along other polyglots is so much fun. Before the Internet, we didn't know that other people existed who loved languages as much as we do. Connect with people in your industry & say yes to being on YouTube :)
   
   
2. YouTube Live is best accessed via Google Hangout on Google Chrome on a laptop/computer. 
   
   
3. If you have technical difficulties - persevere. Have plenty of devices on hand and try multiple devices, if necessary.
   
   
4. Nerves are normal! Your first time is NOT going to be perfect. Everyone's first time at anything is NOT good. But it's so much better to take the opportunity and do something, rather than do nothing at all!
   
   
5. It's really fun and also nerve wracking to go live. Tell your friends/fam that you're going on Live so they can try to watch. It's so amazing to get the support, especially when you feel like you're being super awkward.

Live Language Exchange

Next week, Azren and I are going to do a live language exchange! It's incredible that between the dozen languages we both speak, the only one that overlaps is English.

We're going to do a live YouTube stream next week where we teach each other a different language (in just a few minutes).

I'm sure more of my language nerdiness will come out :)

​​Have you ever done YouTube/Facebook/Instagram Live before? 

Do you get nervous speaking in public?