Some people say that if you just listen to a language long enough, then you'll catch on. Maybe that is so for some, but not for me. I took Spanish all through high school, and I KNOW that I have to know at least the basics (alphabet, vocabulary, how to put a sentence together) in order to be able to speak a language.
German seems to very hard to me, lots of throaty type sounds. Any ideas on a good way to learn from those who haven't taken classes? My classes won't begin 'til January. How about someone who can send me a phrase a day?

Thanks!

Here is a free "LEARN GERMAN ONLINE" course. I clicked through it and it is legitimate, there are beginner and advanced, with phrases, etc. to get you started.

Learn German online - free Internet course

Good luck.

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The best way is to surround yourself in the language. German is difficult. I have spoken it all my life. The best way I found to improve was to be in Germany and using the language and hearing it every day!! A fun way might be to watch a movie in German.

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I agree with the above post. The best way to learn German is to immerse yourself in it. I learned more German being in Germany for a month than I think I learned in the whole 4 yrs of German class in high school. I know that always can't be done though. There are so many different dialects in German as well. One way to build vocabulary is to write the word on a recipe card and tape it to the real thing. It takes the abstractness out of learning the words. . .more of a whole language approach. Don't forget to add the der, die, order das. Good luck.

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

Ja, ich spreche Duetsche, aber ich spreche es sehr langsam und oft nicht richtig.

(Yes, I speak German, but I speak it very slowly and often not correctly.)

Let me know if I can help.

Yes, but I lived there for many years and was the only American on a German swim team, so I was immersed in it.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

Check the online site for your local library. Most of them offer the Rosetta Stone language courses free online. I live in the middle of nowhere with a small library system and even they offer the courses.
Hope this helps.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Go to WWW leo.org and there's a great german translator.

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Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

If Vegetarians eat Vegetables. Do Humanitarians eat Humans?

'Vegetarian' is an old Native American word for bad hunter.

Ich spreche ein bissen Deutsche (I speak a little German)

If you like heavy metal at all you can find some Rammstein albums and listen to them with the lyrics sheets. I feel compelled however to warn you inadvance that the subject matter is pretty adult - not necessarily in a XXX way, but definately in a NC-17 sort of way. Still - since Til speaks a lot of the lyrics and doesn't just sing, good way to hear some spoken.

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Meddle ye not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crispy, and taste good with Ketchup!

I can speak it enough to get by, but don't ask me to spell it!

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"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

I know a few things, but my latest favorite is

g'now


I am phoenetically spelling it..

It stands for "That's right" or "I know"

Oh - that's funny ... it took me a couple of seconds to figure this out! You are talking about "genau" which means "exactly".