S1E1: Learning German

What does it take to learn German? What are some of the tricky parts, and what might be easier, especially for English speakers?  Is accuracy important when it comes to learning German? 

In this first episode, I talk to Katie Bray, a learner of German, and Lisa Hlawaty, a secondary school teacher and native speaker of German. We talk about the challenges of learning this notoriously difficult language, what might be holding people back, and what could be done to improve.

Read the transcript here.

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About this episode's guests

Katie Bray is a graduate of English literature from the University of Buckingham. She has been learning German by speaking with German-speaking friends, using language learning apps, watching YouTube videos and attending German courses. She speaks about her experiences learning German in different settings, and gives her views on how languages are taught in UK schools.

Lisa Hlawaty is a teacher of English and French at a secondary school in Vienna, Austria. Her first language is German, and she speaks about her experiences interacting with learners of German. She talks about how learner mistakes are perceived by native speakers, in terms of lexicon, grammar and pronunciation.

Other links and resources

 

This episode was first released on 09.02.2021.

YOTE theme music by Vincent Tone (PremiumBeat.com)

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