Learning German has been quite an adventure, to say the least. Back in early 2019, while still in the UAE, I was planning to find a job in Germany. Many schools required at least a B1 certification, so I looked into language courses. The timeline? Over a year just to reach B1. The cost? Let’s just say my wallet cried a little. I even attended a trial class, which seemed fine, but in the end, I didn’t go back.
Then came my plot twist – an invitation to work in Germany without needing to learn German. Dream come true! I packed my bags and arrived in Germany, confident that I’d just pick up the language naturally in a few months. I even told my husband (boyfriend back then), “Oh, I got this! How hard can it be?”
Fast forward five years… and let’s just say my confidence took a reality check harder than a beginner skier on an icy slope. My husband loves to remind me that my overconfidence followed the classic Dunning-Kruger effect – starting high, crashing into reality, and slowly, painfully climbing back up. Can I understand German? Yes – kind of. Maybe 50-60% on a good day. Can I speak German? Also yes – but in the “Tarzan meets Google Translate” way. Turns out, German is hard! Whenever I struggle, I just say, “Mein Deutsch ist kaputt!” – which always gets a laugh from whoever I’m talking to (or maybe they’re just being polite).
One of the reasons why my German is still not improving as much as I’d like? I’m simply not required to speak it. At work, I was hired as an English speaker, so English is the only language I have to use. Most of my colleagues speak English, too, so there’s no real push to switch. At home, it’s the same story – my husband and I naturally fell into speaking English, and over time, it just stuck. His family jokingly says that’s why my son and I aren’t fluent yet, but honestly, we’ve tried to make German our home language! Somehow, though, we always end up slipping back into English. At least my son’s German is better than mine – hopefully! We do have Deutsch Sonntag (German Sundays), and we actually stick to it… most of the time.
The migration office offered me language courses, but then… COVID happened. Meetings at work were in German, and I barely understood anything. So, once the pandemic settled, I finally enrolled in an A1-B1 course. Three days a week, after work, from 6-9 PM, for a whole year. And at the end? A big exam. Honestly, I was convinced I’d fail. I crammed vocabulary, practised speaking, and somehow, against all odds – I passed!
Feeling victorious, I told myself that was enough German for me. Some classmates continued to B2, but I confidently said, “Nope, I’ll just self-study.” Spoiler alert: I did not self-study.
Fast forward again – after realising that my career growth in Germany is basically tied to my German skills, I finally decided to tackle B2. So, fresh off finishing my Master’s degree, I enrolled in an intensive Deutsch für Berufsprachkurse (German for professional language courses). It’s a hybrid evening class: Mondays in person, Wednesdays and Thursdays online, from 6-9:15 PM. From December 2024 to September 2025. Nine whole months of brain gymnastics!
I love learning, but balancing a full-time job, family, and occasional laziness makes it tough. The key? Making time, staying consistent, and finding ways to keep it fun (or at least not soul-crushing). Some language-learning tips:
• Embrace mistakes – The more embarrassing, the better you’ll remember them! My husband always says that the difference between my son and me is that I don’t shy away – even when my German is completely kaputt. What he means is that I still try to engage in conversations, no matter how broken my grammar is.
• Expand your vocabulary – I haven’t mastered the habit of talking to myself in German, but I do know that the more words you learn, the better. I love discovering short and powerful German words like Egal (which means “it doesn’t matter”) and Doch (which doesn’t have a perfect English equivalent but is a great way to disagree or contradict someone politely—or not so politely, depending on the tone!).
• Watch German shows (with subtitles!) – This one is tricky. I tried watching German shows on Netflix, but the spoken words and subtitles didn’t always match – yes, the meaning was there, but it was still confusing! My husband even discouraged me from doing it. So, what we do instead is watch shows in English with German subtitles, which (let’s be honest) are also sometimes inaccurate, but at least it helps reinforce certain words.
• Make it fun – Find memes, jokes, or songs in German (trust me, German humor exists). Learning funny words can help, too – just be careful not to use them in formal settings unless you want some interesting reactions!
• Surround yourself with the language – Change your phone settings to German, label things around the house, and immerse yourself as much as possible. I did this, and somehow, only my Google Maps refused to cooperate – whenever we use my GPS, it tries to pronounce German words in an English way. It’s both hilarious and confusing! As for eavesdropping on German conversations? I’ve tried, but let’s be real – half the time, I have no idea what they’re saying anyway!
• Accept that progress is slow – And that’s okay! Every awkward conversation is a step forward.
I’ve also tried language – learning apps! I used both Duolingo and Busuu – and still have active subscriptions for both. I actually tried to cancel Busuu, but I was too late, so now I’m just paying for something I barely use (oops). The reason? When I reached B1, it switched entirely to German explanations, and I had no idea how to turn them back to English. On the other hand, Duolingo keeps me motivated with its weekly competitions – I get a little too competitive trying to move up the leagues! The only downside? It ranks all language learners together, so I’m competing against people learning Spanish or Italian – both of which seem way easier than German (or at least, that’s what I tell myself!).
Will I ever be fluent? Who knows! But at least I’m trying – one “Mein Deutsch ist kaputt!” at a time. My husband keeps telling me that while it’s technically grammatically correct, it’s not something Germans would actually say. But hey, if it makes people laugh and gets the message across, I’m calling that a win!