Everyone wants to learn a new language, right? If you’ve ever tried to learn another language, you’ll know just how difficult it can be. Some people want to learn a new language to move abroad, get into university, interact with locals while holidaying abroad or simply to impress that special someone with your foreign language skills. Don’t worry if you don’t know the lingo – ExamTime is here to help you get the girl/guy!
Presenting the ExamTime study guide for learning new languages online. It will help you conquer a new language much easier. If you apply yourself and use the techniques and study tools outlined below, your German dictionary will expand and soon you will be finding it easier to move from English to German in conversation.
ExamTime’s study tools offer a unique combination to help you study. Using our Mind Maps, Flashcards, Quizzes, Notes and Study Groups, you can cover all bases of learning a new language, whether it’s German, Spanish, French or another language you want to tackle. ExamTime’s tools can help master vocabulary, incorporate video or German audio resources, test your friend’s knowledge or work on a presentation.
Below we go more in-depth into each tool and give some handy sample German translations to get you started:
How Flashcards Can Help You Learn German
Did you know that the most common 100 words in any language account for 50% of all spoken communication? Similarly, the most common 1,000 words account for 80% and the most common 3,000 words account for 99% of communication!
This means even having a very small number of words can go a long way. Flashcards are perfect for learning vocabulary. Our Flashcards allow both text and images to help those who are visual learners.
These 3 decks below contain the top 500 German words. Getting started with these German Flashcards will help build your German dictionary and give you the confidence for your first German conversation!
How Mind Maps Can Help You Learn German
Once you have a good grasp of the basic vocabulary of a language, you can use Mind Maps to connect the dots and bring ideas together. Creating Mind Maps online can help you explore themes in-depth by collecting the words and terms associated with a particular topic.
So if you know the basic food items, start off with these, then expand on each aspect until you have a whole bunch of fruits, meat and vegetables that you didn’t know before. Providing a context for these new words will make it easier to recall during a German conversation.
How Quizzes Can Help You Learn German
Quizzes can help in a simple but crucial way. They can test what you’ve learned to ensure you have retained the new information in a more comprehensive manner than Mind Maps and Flashcards.
Using quizzes to learn a new language will improve your confidence as you can easily test what you know and don’t know. It will also point out any words you are having difficulty remembering. This will enable you to re-assess and re-organise the topics you cover in your Flashcards and Mind Maps ensuring you get the most out of them.
How Notes Can Help You Learn German
The use of video and audio resources when studying German can be invaluable. Since our Notes software allows you to insert videos and audio and more, they become the perfect tool for taking notes as you watch/listen to foreign language content.
How Study Groups Can Help You Learn German
Learning a new language on your own can hinder your progress. However, if you use an ExamTime group to aid your study then you are engaging with others and gaining the experience of everyone in that group, benefiting all study group members, from the most advanced all the way down to least experienced. You can simply create a Group with ExamTime and invite anyone you want. Click here to learn how.
Use ExamTime to Prepare for Your German Test
Below are the most commonly recognised exams for learning German. When you’re just starting out and your German dictionary is attached to your right hand, you shouldn’t worry about these too much. However, the more you progress you may want to know which exams you should be working toward. Some exams are used for gaining access to German higher education while others serve as courses for professionals.
Check out the top German language exams below:
- Deutsches Sprachdiplom Stufe I and II – German as a foreign language: This can be obtained by high school students abroad as a certificate proving German language proficiency
- DSH – Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang: This is a language proficiency test required to study at German higher education institutions. If you plan on going to college/university in Germany, this will be of interest to you
- TELC – The European Language Certificates: This is a general and internationally recognised standardised test for German proficiency
- TestDaF – Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache: This is a shortened word for Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache: “Test of German as a foreign language”, and is aimed at people who would like to study at German universities, academics and scientists
- ZOP – Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung: This German test is a Goethe Institute certificate proving high-level German language ability
- ZD – Zertifikat Deutsch: This is an internationally recognised exam of German language ability. It tests for a level of ability equivalent to level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale
- ZDfB – Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf: This is an internationally recognised examination which tests the level of German language ability for business and professional purposes. The ZDfB is a CEFR B2 level exam and thus builds on the Zertifikat Deutsch examination (CEFR level B1)
Hopefully this guide has pointed you in the right direction for your German study. To get the most out of ExamTime’s free online study tools make sure and sign up now! Your next trip to Berlin, Munich or Düsseldorf will thank you for it!
No matter which German test you are studying for or if you just want to learn a number of English to German translations to impress that special someone, ExamTime is here to help!
About the GoConqr Blog
Our blog is part of GoConqr, a Free Learning Platform for Creating, Sharing & Discovering Learning Resources that help students and teachers achieve their learning objectives. Click here to start creating Mind Maps, Flashcards, Notes, Quizzes, Slides Flowcharts & Courses now!
