Is German Really Hard to Learn? Jein… My Journey

5 min readJul 9, 2024

During my time learning German, I didn’t find it particularly challenging.

Living in Frankfurt and studying at Goethe University, I was immersed in the language and culture from morning till night.

Additionally, I already spoke four languages (my native Russian and Ukrainian, English, and some Italian), which certainly helped.

However, everyone’s experience is different.

While I found German manageable, it might be more difficult for you, and that’s perfectly okay. Learning a new language is a unique journey for everyone.

Your Perspective on Learning German

I do believe that a huge contribution to whether you find a language challenging or easy to learn comes from your own biases.

Do YOU think German is an easy language to learn?

Or did someone tell you how difficult a language it is or how much you’ll struggle to master German?

Having a positive outlook on language learning benefits you.

It makes you more motivated to learn and to keep on going when it gets tough (because there are aspects of any language that don’t always come naturally).

But let’s have a look at what makes German easy to learn and what may be some of the challenges you’ll need to deal with.

What Should You Read Next?

What Makes German an Easy Language to Learn?

Here are a few elements that make German an easy language to master:

If you speak English or another Germanic language (such as Dutch, Afrikaans, Icelandic, Swedish, or Danish), then you’re in luck. German belongs to the Germanic family of languages, so there are plenty of words that sound similar, making vocabulary acquisition relatively easy. For example, roughly 40% of German words are similar to English words.
As a phonetic language, you can learn how to pronounce German words from its written form. So start learning the alphabet and letter sounds, and you’re on the right path.
There are loads of learning resources to help you learn German. Choose to learn German on an app (Duolingo, Babbel, Pimsleur, and Mondly) or via YouTube videos, Netflix, Hulu, and Prime, podcasts, and textbooks.
If you’re familiar with the Latin alphabet, that’s great because German uses Latin letters. German shares the same 26 letters of the alphabet as English, and it has 4 additional ones: a ligature (ß) and 3 umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü).
There are only 6 tenses in German (compared to the 12 in English).

What Makes German Difficult?

German may be a tough nut to crack, and here’s why:

German has extremely long words, like the famous 79 letter one (Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz). Talk about a tongue-twister! However, on average, German words are 6–7 letters long while English words are 5–6 letters.
Grammar can be complicated, especially with the 4 cases, how verbs conjugate, and noun declination. For example, it can be difficult to make a long sentence that is grammatically perfect, and learning the correct noun genders isn’t always easy but essential.
Pronouncing German words isn’t easy for everyone. The language is famous for its guttural sounds (like the “r”).
Verbs are sometimes placed at the end of a sentence, especially in the case of subordinate clauses. That can definitely get tricky!
False cognates can also trip you up if you’re not careful. For example, thinking that “gift” is the same thing in English as it is in German is a huge mistake. In English, a “gift” is a nice thing to give someone, but in German, it means “poison.”
There are some differences between written German and spoken German that makes it difficult to learn the language. For example, the presence of filler words in spoken German to add emphasis and the swallowing of the first-person singular verb’s vowel “e” (written German’s “Ich sehe dich” vs spoken German’s “Ich seh dich”).

Learn more about the exciting journey of language learning in the articles below:

Tips to Master German

If you’re ready to start learning German or struggling with the language, follow my tips to make the learning process easier:

Note why you’re learning German. I’ve found that my reasons for wanting to learn a language helps ensure I stay motivated.
Create a learning plan with SMART goals and mini milestones.
Find the learning method that works best for you, and use resources that match.
Use a multi-learning approach with various resources. I like to use 3–5 apps (Babbel, Mondly, Duolingo, iTalki, and Pimsleur), YouTube videos, movies and shows on Netflix (with or without English or German subtitles), podcasts and music on Spotify, and books.
Engage with the language as much as you can and as often as possible.

My Last German Thoughts

Some languages came easily to me, while others I’ve struggled with.

I was lucky since German was one of the most logical languages I mastered (and I love logic and organization). And since I’m married to a German, retaining my fluency is easy.

If you find that learning German is easy, great! Keep going.

And if you’re struggling with the language, go back to your reasons for learning, find more motivation, and try other learning methods to overcome the difficulties.

Thank you for reading.