How did I learn German?

Von Abdullah Elturkmani (Wohnheimtutor im Wohnheim Mollwitzstraße)

When I graduated from high school and after some internship experiences, I decided to study mechanical engineering in Germany. To achieve this goal, I first had to master the German language, because I knew that if I wanted to study in German, my German should be very good spoken and written.

Before I moved to Berlin, I had no language skills at all and I wanted to start learning German right away. One week after my arrival, my intensive language courses started. The first course was at the "A1" level, which is well known among language learners.

After about 9 months I finished the intensive courses and reached the B2 level. But that was absolutely not the only thing I did to actually speak at the B2 level in German. Along the way, I always found other opportunities to practice the knowledge I gained from my language school. Because finding these opportunities was easy in the pandemic-free capital city and they were a lot of fun.

Watching movies, listening to music or anything you do in order to relax. The only thing is that you do them in German. That is a very good and easy option. To dare and talk with native speakers, even if you think your language is not so good, is a very effective method. Most native speakers meet this with great joy and they are happy and surprised that you try to speak their native language. Practicing German can be done through many ways like language cafes, shared flats or just talking to friends on a daily basis.

I would mention my ex-roommate as an example, because through our WG living together and through our conversations in the kitchen, she helped me tremendously to pass my language tests in a very fast time.

After 7 years in Berlin, my language has become much better.

Finally, I would like to wish all German students good luck and lots of fun while learning!