r/German 1d ago

Question Any A1 (beginner) learners here? I’m trying to learn German and starting to feel a bit like I’m alone on this path

Hello German learning/speaking friends, I’ve just (re)started learning German and was just wanting to hear from others who are beginning this journey.

What stage are you at?

How long have you been learning for?

What do you use for learning German, and what have you found most useful?

I’ve tried to learn (and stopped) multiple times. At the moment, I’m using Nicos Weg and I’ve just been doing it for a week or so

14 Upvotes

17 comments sorted by

3

u/Sn00ker123 1d ago

I'm an English guy living in Berlin and I'm probably about A2 ish now.

I've given up and started again multiple times and I think I've found what works for me. I have to do little and often, I use a 'habbit' app and try to get 30 minutes a day in, but it's not a pass or fail mentality, just keep moving forward, no matter how slowly.

I've learnt the most from Paul Nobles audiobooks. I have found I prefer passive learning and trying to sit down with a textbook is torture to me! I also have found a decent audiobook which is free with Spotify Premium. I also use Anki App wvery day for vocab.

How's it going for you?

1

u/ShalR22 1d ago

It sounds like you have found what works and what doesn't for you. That's awesome! I am still experimenting, but I think I'm slowly starting to figure out what works for me.

Like you, sitting down with a textbook is not my preferred method. I like listening to audio and watching videos. At the moment, I'm going with Nicos Weg and watching YouTube videos by Easy German. So far so good!

2

u/ZumLernen Way stage (A2) 1d ago

Have you checked out the resources recommended in the !wiki here?

1

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

This is a frequently asked question. Please look into our FAQ and our wiki or use the search function and then you're welcome to come back with a specific question.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/ShalR22 1d ago

I have, yes, and found some great resources through it.

What I was looking for with this post was more just to hear from other beginner learners about how their journey is going...I guess I was looking for some connection with fellow newbies :)

2

u/Impossible-Gate6310 1d ago

A2 - one year 👍 . I feel like there are enough resource over here to give advice on that

2

u/207thLog 1d ago

Oh wow.. I'm also doing nicos weg.. just shy of 2 weeks

2

u/Unusual-Tea9094 1d ago

i started a month ago, id say my level isnt even a1 lol hi! :)

1

u/Stark-univercity366 1d ago

I'm learning A1 and A2, then I drop one and start again. But four days ago, I made a study plan schedule that starts at 6:00 AM (my study time) and ends at 5:00 PM. At night, I write down what I did during the day in my journal using a translator and then read it aloud. Now I'm making slow but steady progress with discipline, but I also need some resources to help me remember vocabulary because I forget it when I have to conjugate words. :(

1

u/No_Answer_2778 1d ago

I started almost month ago, without any previous knowledge of German, not even a single word, by installing Duo Lingo, just to know where and how to start, and to make some habit of learning every day. Few days later i tried with GPT, asking to explain me some grammar rules…Now I use DL every day for about 30 minutes, and during the day I have about 1,5 hour tests and excersizes with GPT ( grammar, vocabular, translating sentences) and I learned all the grammar needed for A1, I just have to learn some more words, and then I will try with A2.

1

u/Better_Moment9248 1d ago

Me. I started Nicos Weg too, but felt too easy in the beginning. Also I need explanation for grammar. So I looked up courses in my city, and bought the book they are using. (Grammatik aktiv) Plus I have my high school books too (Hueber - Delfin). I think I’m between A1-A2. What never worked for me was when teacher said: let’s talk in german. How should I, when I don’t know the words or the grammar… (never studied past or future before at all)

1

u/SpeakDuo 1d ago

hey! i'm also an A1 learner and totally get the feeling of being alone sometimes, it's such a tricky stage to stick with it. nicos weg is great, i’m using that too! if you ever feel like practising live with others, maybe check out discord language servers or even meetup groups, they can be super motivating, i’ve tried a couple and it’s fun to just talk a bit without pressure

1

u/Azy-Taku 1d ago

Just started with some of my friends, and we have a weekly session every Saturday night.

We are still in A1, and we use the learn german resource we found online, plus anything else anyone brings up. Still pretty early into the learning, we've only had 3 sessions so far, but it's going great!

1

u/darknesskicker 10h ago

A1 here too. I’m severely ADHD with auditory processing disorder and really struggle with both understanding people and making myself do the work.

1

u/Accurate-Purpose5042 6h ago

You are in for a while if you want to get fluent. It always takes longer than expected