It's a beautiful language. My wife is German, I do want to learn it but she laughs so hard at my efforts that I end up getting too embarrassed to learn anything!
That's a really mean thing actually although I am sure she doesn't intend it that way. When you're taking baby steps in a language you won't get anywhere if you get ridicule not encouragement.
Step one in learning a language: resign yourself to the fact that you will make mistakes every time you open your mouth. Learn to laugh at yourself. Others will laugh with you (not at you). Learn to listen and copy the pronunciations, stresses and inflections, exactly as they sound. Practise gargling the German "R".
My dad was stationed in Germany in the 50's. He wanted to get his picture taken with a cop there so he gave his buddy the camera and walked up to the cop with a cigarette and said, "Haben Sie ein light, bitte?". The cop just rolled his eyes. Dad did learn how to say 'asshole' in German, though.
He has been gone 20 years and I don't remember what he told me, I know it wasn't Ramstein, because I worked with a bunch who were stationed there. So I asked about that. He was very outgoing and while he was there, he looked up some of his cousins and was able to get to know them a little.
It's a beautiful language. My wife is German, I do want to learn it but she laughs so hard at my efforts that I end up getting too embarrassed to learn anything!
That's a really mean thing actually although I am sure she doesn't intend it that way. When you're taking baby steps in a language you won't get anywhere if you get ridicule not encouragement.
Step one in learning a language: resign yourself to the fact that you will make mistakes every time you open your mouth. Learn to laugh at yourself. Others will laugh with you (not at you). Learn to listen and copy the pronunciations, stresses and inflections, exactly as they sound. Practise gargling the German "R".
My dad was stationed in Germany in the 50's. He wanted to get his picture taken with a cop there so he gave his buddy the camera and walked up to the cop with a cigarette and said, "Haben Sie ein light, bitte?". The cop just rolled his eyes. Dad did learn how to say 'asshole' in German, though.
He has been gone 20 years and I don't remember what he told me, I know it wasn't Ramstein, because I worked with a bunch who were stationed there. So I asked about that. He was very outgoing and while he was there, he looked up some of his cousins and was able to get to know them a little.