What is Basic German Grammar?

The A1 or beginner's level of German is frequently underestimated in its importance for learning German.

Starting at the beginning is not only the only place to start, but it's the most important place to start to understand German grammar.

If you're my client you'll hear this often:

You can't build a house on sand, so build a strong foundation.

One of the hardest times for my A2 clients (or B1 or B2 for that matter) is when we start a new topic involving some kind of grammar and they discover there is a big, giant, gaping hole in their German foundation.

One A2 level client didn't know much about trennbare Verben (separable verbs).

That's in the first half of most A1 course books.

Another A2 client had never really understood the helping verbs part of the Perfekt.

This makes me so angry I could spit.

Many of my clients have never seen the A1 level German grammar all on one page. (It all fits!)

Ouch.

It's really painful to hear so many stories of people who have been led astray. Beginning German learners think they have to tackle B2 (high intermediate) grammar topics in their second semester. I saw one project in a second semester college course that required students to use dozens and dozens of prepositions that they'd never even seen before.

What the...?!

Just: no.

Nie. Nie und nimmer!

The A1 level of German is the foundation for all of your German learning.

When you get the A1 grammar straight in your mind, all the rest of your German learning will be easier as a result.