Practice your German

Regardless of your current grammar level, you have the same goals as everyone else: to speak German and be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas. Right? In this article, I will show how to do just that. It doesn't matter where you live, whether or not you have German friends, or if you are a bit nervous and scared when it comes to trusting yourself to speak German.

When learning a foreign language, there are two important principles to keep in mind:

1. Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen (No one is born a master)
2. Übung macht den Meister (Practice Makes Perfect)

In terms of speaking a foreign language, these two principles tell us that the only way to improve is to practice, practice, and then practice some more. 

Won't it be totally embarrassing when I use the wrong word or mispronounce the right word? Of course! But it's normal, and making mistakes is the best way to learn. Plus, if everyone laughs at a mistake you made, I'm sure that you won't make the same mistake a second time! ​Don't be afraid to make mistakes!

Where can I Speak German? Professional Options

1. Professional Option: Conversation Courses

If you want to practice your speaking under professional guidance, then a conversation course is the perfect solution for you. There aren't many conversation courses available, and the only one that I can confidently recommend is Dilyana's new course: "EINFACH MEHR SPRECHEN" ("Just Speak More")

Four times a month, Dilyana meets you and a small group of other students in an online classroom. There, she works with you to improve your speaking skills.

Dilyana has many years of experience teaching German and can definitely help you conquer your fear of speaking. The conversation course has just recently started, and if you sign up now, you will also receive, for free, her new e-book "Einfach besser Deutsch sprechen" ("Speak Better German Simply").

Want more information about the conversation course? Simply click on the link, enter your email, and Dilyana will send you all of the information that you need!

2. Professional Option: Private German Teacher

If you want to see the most progress in the least amount of time, then you should get the 1-on-1 support of a private German teacher. With a private German teacher, you can practice whenever you want and don't need to be worried that someone will laugh at you when you make a mistake. Instead, your teacher will simply correct you and show you the right way to say whatever you want to communicate. Additionally, you will get personalized tips on how you can improve your German even more!

Online German teachers are not as expensive as you might think! Here is a link to an overview of teachers that I can personally recommend - German Teacher Databank.​

Free Opportunities to Practice Speaking

If you don't want to pay money for a professional course or don't have enough money for a private German teacher, there are a couple of ways to practice for free (though they are not as effective).  

The first tip is especially useful for people who are too scared to speak with others in public.​

Three Ways to improve your German speaking skills for free!​

1. Talk to yourself! You can prepare for speaking in the real world by writing down a few bullet points regarding the possible situation and practicing alone. Stand in front of the mirror and have a conversation with yourself. This simple preparation will give you confidence and help you keep your nerves during the actual conversation, which will keep you from switching back to English.​
2. In additional to talking to yourself, you can of course talk to your friends in German. If they are patient and obliging, it will definitely work. But you probably already know the problem: quite often you switch back into a different language because it's easier and you're not really in a learning environment. 
3. Look for a tandem partner! In a language tandem, you help each other. You help someone who wants to learn your native language, and they help you learn German. A language tandem isn't really an alternative to a professional teacher, since most people don't understand grammar enough to teach it, but it is a way to practice speaking for free. And that's the exactly the point of a language tandem: having someone to chat with! This only works for people who are level B1 or higher, since you can't have a real conversation before that point.

How to find a tandem partner:

Two free websites where you can find a tandem partners are www.tandempartners.org and www.tandempartner.net. You can also find tandem partners on Facebook in special groups that were made for this very purpose. Simply search for "Sprachtandem" on Facebook.

Do you have any questions or tips of your own you'd like to share? Then write a comment below and share your opinions with me and other German learners. I'd really appreciate it!

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Wishing you success and happy learning,

Jan