Learning German

Woman sitting on a grey sofa taking to her friend sitting opposite her

Learning German: Making sure you’ve understood

When learning a language, our understanding of what’s being said normally comes before our ability to be able to speak the language and become confident enough to contribute to the conversation. The use of gestures and visual clues often allow us to get the gist of a sentence. That said,… Read More
Tut mir leid! written on a wooden board

Apologizing and attracting someone’s attention in German

Most of us know when we have to say sorry, but when we’re not speaking our own language, it’s important to know how to do it. In German, different circumstances call for different words and expressions for apologizing. The most common way of saying I’m sorry is Es tut… Read More
DANKE written on small blackboard

Learning German: Common courtesies

If you’re visiting a German-speaking country, you’ll want to be able to chat to people and get to know them better. The nuts and bolts of conversations revolve around common courtesies, such as asking people how they are, and saying please and thank you. As in English, in German there… Read More
arms of a man and a woman shaking hands

Hallo! Meeting and greeting in German

Conversational German Creating a good first impression is important, so you’ll want to say hello to people properly. It’s not just about what you say, though, it’s making sure you know the correct etiquette when meeting people. German people are quite formal when initially introduced, shaking hands upon meeting and… Read More
GERMAN written on a white background with black German text and pictures on it

Understanding German verb tenses

One of the most challenging parts of learning a foreign language is getting to grips with all the different verb tenses. Verb tenses explain when events happen, whether in the past, present or future. In this short article we will explain and provide some examples of the most common tenses… Read More
open book with DEUTSCH written above it, and black letters and symbols on a yellow background

Verb Tables for the 50 Most Common German Verbs

CollinsDictionary.com now has full verb conjugation tables for over 5,000 German verbs. There are links below to Verb conjugation tables for 50 of the most common German verbs, or you can search all German verb tables here: Enter the root form of the verb, for example arbeiten… Read More
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