FAQ

What does A1, A2, B1 etc. mean?

A1, A2, B1 etc. are levels on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It’s a framework used to describe the language proficiency of learners who are learning European languages. The CEFR levels are divided into 3 groups, and each group has 2 levels: Basic User (A1 and A2), Independent User (B1 and B2), and Proficient User (C1 and C2).

For more information about the CEFR, check out the self-assessment grid provided by the Council of Europe’s website.

Is German hard to learn?

The difficulty of a language is subjective. How difficult it is to learn a language depends on your native language – if your native language is closely related to the language you are learning, you would probably find it easier to learn that language compared to a language that is distant from your native language. For instance, if your native language is English, you would have an easier time learning languages that are closely related to English. The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has a Language Difficulty Ranking list, where they categorize languages into tiers based on how difficult it would be for a native English speaker to learn them. According to the list, the languages that are closely related to English include Romance languages such as French, Italian, and Spanish, and Scandinavian languages such as Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.

In this list, German falls under Category II. It’s considered similar to English, but it takes slightly longer to master German compared to Category I languages mentioned earlier.

Some factors that make it difficult to learn German for native English speakers include:

Grammar – German uses the case system, which means words change their form based on their function in a sentence.
Pronunciation – There are some sounds in German that many native English speakers find it difficult to pronounce, such as the uvular R and the -ch sound.

How long does it take to learn German?

According to the US FSI’s Language Difficulty Ranking list, it takes a native English speaker around 36 weeks, with 900 class hours, to reach General Professional Proficiency in the language (a score of Speaking-3 / Reading-3 in the Interagency Language Roundtable scale), which roughly corresponds to the B2/C1 level on the CEFR.

How to learn German fast?

To make progress quickly when learning German, spend as much time as possible with the language. The more you interact with the language, the faster your German skills improve.

What is the best way to learn German?

There isn’t a best method to learn German, as everyone learns differently and therefore might find different methods useful. We recommend taking German courses at UBC, as well as immersing yourself in the language as much as possible outside of class, for example reading German news and listening to German podcasts. Taking courses provides you with structure in the language learning process, as well as feedback from instructors and the opportunity to practice your speaking skills with your fellow classmates, and immersing yourself in the language outside of class by consuming media in the language allows you to apply what you have learned in class in real life and how the language is used in everyday contexts.

How to determine the gender of a word in German?

For the most part, you simply have to learn the gender of a word together with the word itself whenever you learn a new word. However, there are some indicators that tell you which gender some words are. For instance:

Words that end with -ion, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, and -tät are feminine.
Words that end with -chen and -lein are neuter. Most words that start with Ge- are neuter (e.g. Das Gemüse, Das Gesicht), with some exceptions (e.g. Die Geschichte).

How to improve my pronunciation in German?

Listen to spoken German as much as possible and practice! Listen closely to the way native speakers pronounce words, and try to imitate them. Also, having someone who you can practice speaking German with and can give you feedback on your pronunciation is very helpful, such as an instructor or a German native speaker.

How many German courses at UBC will it take for me to be conversational in German?

Everyone learns at different paces, so it’s hard to give a definite answer. Apart from study time in class, it depends on how much time and effort you put into learning German outside of class. At UBC, the completion of GERN 202 is approximately equivalent to having B1 level proficiency on the CEFR, which is the level where language learners are considered to be conversational. According to the CEFR self-assessment grid, language learners at the B1 level can:

Deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
Enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel, and current events).
Connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, their dreams, hopes, and ambitions.
Briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe their reactions.