Show Notes Episode 4
In this episode of Better German, Susi Blümel introduces her unique approach to teaching German. She emphasizes the importance of speaking and practicing the language, rather than solely focusing on grammar rules. Susi encourages learners to adopt a natural approach, similar to how they learned their native language. She explains the effectiveness of repetition and the use of sentence patterns to create meaningful and practical sentences. She also highlights the need for consistent practice in order to become comfortable and fluent in speaking German. Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into a different approach to learning German that focuses on practicality and real-life communication.
Bullet Points
Primary Topic: Introduction to Better German podcast and teaching approach
– Teaching German online in private lessons or live groups
– Emphasis on speaking, writing, reading, and understanding German
– Importance of practicing speaking to feel comfortable when speaking
– Different approach to learning German and avoiding common pitfalls
Primary Topic: Learning a language through natural patterns
– Comparison to learning native language successfully
– Starting with words and using repetition to learn and remember them
– Importance of practicing new words
– Native language learned without grammar initially
– Emphasizing natural learning methods for learning German
Primary Topic: Learning German through sentence patterns
– Sentence patterns as a way to build language fluency
– Using sentence patterns to create similar sentences
– Learning around 100 sentence patterns for everyday German
– Practice and repetition of sentence patterns for easy usage
Primary Topic: Importance of practice in language learning
– Need to practice every word and sentence pattern
– Comparison to practicing skills in other areas of life
– Theory alone is not enough, need to practice the language
– Pitfalls of focusing too much on theory and not enough on practice
Primary Topic: Challenges in traditional language learning methods
– Focus on theory and lack of practice in traditional language classes
– Difficulties in using the language after learning theory alone
– Frustration and belief that German is difficult when theory doesn’t translate to practical usage
– Importance of balancing theory and practice in language learning journey
Quotes
The Importance of Speaking in German Classes: “Enough speaking is very often left out in German classes, even though this is what most people want to learn.”
— Susi 00:01:26 – 00:01:33
Importance of Grammar in Language Learning: “So maybe grammar is not that important in the beginning. It depends on the point of view, but most importantly, it depends on what works.”— Susi 00:05:15 00:05:25
The Importance of Natural Language Learning: “So, I teach German in a more natural way, similar to how you learn your own native language.”— Susi 00:05:48 00:05:54
Language Learning: “Okay, now, we don’t have enough time to learn millions of sentences here, do we? So, we use sentence patterns.”— Susi 00:07:18 00:07:27
“The Importance of Practice: What you need to do in order to be able to really use [German sentence patterns] comfortably in real conversation is practicing.”— Susi 00:08:28 00:08:32
Learning a Language: “When you learn a language, Theory is only a really small part, and practice is the main part.” — Susi 00:10:03 00:10:11
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