There are a whole host of reasons for learning German, however when I asked my readers, they responded with new and different reasons.

Here are 5 different reasons people learn German (out of the many reasons featured in this episode), in no particular order:

• Ich liebe deutsche Musik. (I love German music.)

• Die Deutschen sind praktisch und das finde ich gut. (Germans are practical and I think that's good.)

• Sprache ist für mich eine große Herausforderung. (German is a big challenge for me.)

• I work with German customers and suppliers.

• I love having a hobby.

Listen here for all the reasons people told me they're learning German:

N.B. While the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast no longer exists, you can still hear all of the audios here on the blog. The audios are available on the blog posts published between August 1, 2021 and October 1, 2024. Viel Spaß beim Hören!

Here are many reasons why people learn German, including responses from people who read the E-Post, the weekly emails from GermanWithNicole.com. I asked them why they learn German, and wow did they respond! Some folks wrote one sentence, others wrote entire paragraphs in German. It was really impressive, sehr beeindruckend, und ich sage danke!

Perhaps you want to learn German

because it's in your genetics, like mine with my German ancestry (although the Bavarians can claim me, and Bavarians are not German, they are Bavarian, and that's another episode).

because you want to create a better life for yourself, 

Zahra wrote: “Hallo, ich habe ein hartes Leben und für meine Kinder muss ich Deutsch lernen und nach Deutschland auswandern.” Annie: “Ich lerne Deutsch weil ich mochte im Deutschland arbeite.” The other day I saw the statistics on how many Syrian refugees are still in Germany, and it's somewhere around 800,000 people, and it increased from 2020 to 2021. That's no small amount of people, and it's only one group of people who've immigrated to Germany in recent years and recent decades. That's a lot of people who need to learn German to create a better life.

because you simply love Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein (smaller than my city proper!), Luxembourg, that corner of the Netherlands where they speak German, and the culture and the people

Including music, like Rafael: “ I love Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, as directors I admire Wilhelm Furtwangler, also Herbert von Karajan.” maybe you're a singer like me and you need German for the diction, grammar, and interpreting the actual pieces you'll sing, everything from Clara Schumann to Johann Sebastian Bach and from Fanny Mendelssohn-Hänsel (and her brother, of course) to Gustav Mahler.

because you want to study in Germany

one of my clients is attending a seminar in Germany and he will learn to read theological texts in the original German. Or perhaps after you've studied in Germany at a University, you'd like to return to your home country and work with German tourists, teach German, or perhaps interpret.

You might have an affinity for quality free time, practicality, rules and order, precision, good manners, and quiet Sundays

Just yesterday one of my youngest clients, who is still in school, said, “I really like it when we visit Europe. I don't feel so rushed.” And just last week one of my friends and I talked about how we both miss living in Europe, in particular Germany, because no one is allowed to mow the lawn on a Sunday. It's quiet. With the exception of some bakeries with special permits, cafés and restaurants, it's quiet. Ich vermisse Sonntage in Deutschland. I miss Sundays in Germany. Some people simply have an affinity for social niceties, good manners, and not oversharing. One reader from Uganda wrote in and said “Viele Deutsche sind praktisch und ich finde das sehr wichtig für unser Leben.” – Many Germans are practical and I find that very import for our life.

because you like a bit of a challenge (it might be fair to say that German is a good challenge, and it is one that I like to make achievable for people)

Jooooooseph: "Ich wollte Detusch lernen weil ich mein Gehirn verbessern kann. Ich hoffe dass ich nie zu stagnierend werden und kann immer neugierig bleiben. Sprache ist fur mich eine grosse Herausforderung."  Which pays off along the way, as Joooooseph continued: "Es ist aus zufriedenstellend. Letzte Woche war is bei Von Triers und traf eine Deutsche Familie. Ich war begeistert dass wir auf Deutsch reden konnten. Sie waren auch!"

Because you used to work, you want to work, or you currently work in a German-speaking country and you need to learn German to do so.

One gentleman wrote that he used to be stationed in Germany in the army and he never got to learn as much German as he wanted, and that's why he's learning it now. Even if you speak English at work in a German-speaking country, you will need German in your daily life. It's one of the best ways to show respect for the place and the people who live there. Perhaps you have German customers and suppliers and you could build that working relationship by learning to speak their language. You might be quite surprised at how your communication can improve when you learn a bit of someone else's native language.

because you love to learn

and you want to learn something useful and exciting. Maybe you enjoy the process of learning and it fuels the way that you think. I know I'd stagnate and my brain would collapse if I didn't continually learn new things. OK that's overly dramatic and it's not German to be overly dramatic, however I think you get the idea.

because you SIMPLY WANT A REAL HOBBY that includes other people doing the same thing

There's this really sick idea in the U.S. That if you have any activity you engage in seriously outside of work, that it has to become your “side hustle” or you have to monetize it somehow, that you have to become an expert at it. That's really toxic perfectionistic thinking, and you can say “Auf Wiedersehen” to it, because it's OK to learn German BECAUSE IT'S THERE. If you think hearing permission to learn German and not monetize it, here it is: It's OK to learn German and to simply enjoy it, and never monetize it

because you are in a relationship with a German-speaking person

If you have a German-speaking partner or spouse and know that your spouse should not be your German teacher, then I salute you for your honesty, because I do not recommend that your romantic partner should be your German teacher. A resource, definitely, however not your teacher. Or perhaps you would like to be in a relationship with a German-speaking person (Das ist ja romantisch.) In response to my email request, two men wrote, “Ich möchte eine deutsche Frau heiraten.”

because you love to travel in German-speaking countries

Doug: “I am going to Öberammergau in September to see the Passion Play.” Paul “I want to learn German so I can be more self-sufficient on my next trip to Austria. I want to go to the less touristy places and still be able to book a room or get a meal or figure out the gas station payments by myself.”

because you want to take a sabbatical in a Germanic country

If you are aware of the FI/RE movement in the US, (Financial Independence/Retire Early movement), you might be aware that a lot more people 'have their retirement while they're still working,' so to speak, and a sabbatical is one way to do this. I understand in Australia there are short and long service leaves, so people who've had one job for a long time automatically receive paid leave to explore something else and come back to work refreshed. WOW. Now that's what I call an opportunity.

because you are German Jewish and you'd like to learn some German

I've worked with more than a few people with German Jewish heritage and we've made meaningful discoveries together. One of my students asked me last year how to find out if her murdered family members had Stolpersteine (brass memorial stones installed in the sidewalk or street in front of the house of someone murdered in World War II – link in the show notes). I found the directory and sent it to her. https://www.projekt-stolpersteine.de/aktuell.html If you like I can provide you with information on historical and modern Jewish organizations in Germany, too.

because you want to read German authors in the original German

James: “I would like to one day read German authors in Philosophy, Theology, and literature.”

because you have a German-speaking parent, grandparent, possibly including German citizenship through your lineage

Melanie: “I keep trying to learn German so I can talk to my mother in German more.” One of my students is so excited to learn Swiss German, because his aunts and uncles spoke it. It connects him to his heritage and whenever he can go to Switzerland, he'll have a richer experience.

or... simply because once upon a time you heard something in German, a word or a poem or a song, and it spoke to your heart and made it dance.

Maybe you're like one of my readers, who wrote, “Ich habe viel Liebe für die deutsche Sprache.” I have a lot of love for the German language.

Ich lieeeeebe die deutsche Sprache (x2) is a common sentiment.

Links:

Foreign Nationals (including Syrian Refugees) in Germany: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1221/umfrage/anzahl-der-auslaender-in-deutschland-nach-herkunftsland/

Die Bräutigamseiche (the "Bridegroom's Oak" or "Marriage Agent"; not mentioned in the podcast but related to it and very interesting): https://www.baumkunde.de/baumregister/614-braeutigamseiche_in_dodau/

Das Passionsspiel (The Passion Play): https://www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/de/startseite - Use the floating menu on the right to switch to English

The Artist for Stolpersteine: http://www.gunterdemnig.de/

Das Kunstprojekt Stolpersteine: https://www.stolpersteine-berlin.de/de/projekt/kunstprojekt

Das Projekt aktuell: https://www.projekt-stolpersteine.de/aktuell.html