Stichwörter (Keywords):
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- Category: German learning methods
If you've seen the combinations A1, B2 or C1 on your German books but you don't know or understand what they mean, this post is for you!
There are six total combinations of letters and numbers: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. These are simply guidelines for figuring out where you are in the German learning process.
The name for this straightforward scale is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or the CEFR.
Why the CEFR is so helpful
This scale is so clear, so helpful for German learners and teachers that it's the only framework I have or will use. I've looked at others and I find them to be unclear and even downright confusing.
What's clearer when you use the CEFR is that each stage is its own path, its own adventure, its own journey. It helps you break down the principles what you need to learn so you can learn German in a way that is achievable, makes sense, and gives you the greatest rewards for your efforts.
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Ask any new German learner and they will say German has a million parts and a gazillion words and then you can add the words together to makes new words and...
Stop!
There are only six parts to learning German.
No one part is more important than the other, either, as they are all part of the same machine, if you will.
Think of it like a car.
Does a car function well if part of it is missing or broken? Not usually!
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You could be at home, you could be in a park, you could be on your own balcony. Every place is a good place to learn a bit of German. Here are three new ways you can learn a bit of German in any of those places.
1. eine Wortsuche
A word search is a good way to engage with German over a bit of time, but it's not so much energy that you can't get started or keep focused.
In fact, that's exactly what one client said about the newest word search activity:
"The word search was so entertaining and educational. Finding the words made the time fly by. Perfect pastime..."
The theme of that particular word search is »die schönsten Sachen im Leben« and it has 38 words in it.
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- Category: 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.
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- Category: German culture and food
der Adventskranz = advent wreath
Do you know the difference between Advent and Christmas? Growing up, I never really understood the difference. I even got an Advent calendar from my grandmother every year, but nobody ever explained to me the difference very clearly. So you can imagine that it was a bit of a shock when I moved to Germany and found out: «Advent ist nicht Weihnachten!».
No, Advent is *not* Christmas. It is the time before Christmas.
Here's how I learned the difference. I used to conduct a small choir in Germany and they were very clear with me, because I didn't even understand this differentiation and I asked them to sing a Christmas song for an Advent concert.
Whoops. Wrong request, Frau Warner!
The response from the choir was clear: One may not sing Christmas songs during Advent. And one ceases singing Advent songs when Christmas arrives.
Fast forward a few years and many experiences later, and it is clear to me that Advent is a time of anticipation and of waiting. In Germany this time is approached specifically with a few wonderful traditions. One of these is the Adventskranz or Advent wreath. Here are three ideas for you to make your own.
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