I could just as easily have titled this post: “Five reasons to torture yourself”, “Five reasons to put yourself through the mill” or “Five reasons to subject yourself to untold suffering”.
In reality, of course, I love the German language. All the same, I must admit that this passion involves long periods of struggle and frustration as well as brief moments of pleasure.
Here are my first five reasons for learning German.
1 Learning German shows courage.
German is a grammatical minefield. Through learning it and refusing to give up, you prove your courage, your stamina and, above all, your readiness to make a fool of yourself. You really have to be tough to see it through.
2 German makes you modest.
Anyone who tends to be conceited or over-confident will become more modest through learning German.
3 Every correct sentence brings unexpected pleasure.
The grammatical rules of German are so complex that every error-free sentence you produce is a genuine achievement. Your self-esteem grows every time you say something without making a mistake. This will occur so rarely, however, that your modesty will remain intact.
4 The words are guessable.
Once you have learned your first thousand words of German, you’ll be able to guess many of the others. The reason is that the German way of putting words together allows you to deconstruct new words with relative ease.
5 The compound words of German are unforgettable.
The many-barrelled words of the German language show how inventive and imaginative its speakers are. These words make for creativity and fantasy.
Question: And what about you? Can you give at least one reason for learning German? What do you like about the German language? Please write a comment to express your personal opinion or to explain your love for German.
Frage: Und du? Kannst du mindestens einen Grund nennen, Deutsch zu lernen? Was gefällt dir an der deutschen Sprache? Schreib bitte einen Kommentar, um deine persönliche Meinung zu äußern und deine Liebe für Deutsch zu erklären.
Some Extra Links for Learners: