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Friday, August 12th
In the comfort of your own home, and at a time that's convenient for you, you can learn German from a real person. Having a real person teach you German knowing how English speakers process languages is much more personal and relatable than learning language from matching sounds to photos or images, or learning from a written textbook-like page of instructions. We like that the pricing is straightforward, you don't pay for levels of language you don't want, and you buy what you buy with no time-limit subscriptions.
Pay only for what you want, and there's a money-back guarantee
Other language learning programs may offer ongoing monthly subscriptions, so you pay the same amount for the months you use the program regularly as well as those months you didn't get to use it. With Fluenz, you always have access, even if you have to take a break. And Fluenz has you only pay for the levels you want to learn. If you only want to stick to the beginning levels, pay only for that. If you already know German and want to use the more advanced levels, pay only for that. And once you decide your package, you have a 30-day money-back option if the program isn't what you were looking for. We suggest you use the program sufficiently within the 30 days, as this is your only "free trial."
A real person teaches you
Sometimes it's nice to learn a language from a real person. This person is on a prerecorded video, but that's not bad, as you can watch whenever you want, you can pause as much as you want, and skip to new information if you're reviewing material. The classes are taught from the perspective of an English speaker - someone who already knows how one language works, and applies that to learning German. This is helpful for learning how German works, and also for vocabulary and German phrases. A huge benefit to having the video is for pronunciation. Not only can you hear a native German's pronunciation, you can see their mouth move. Both hearing and seeing for better pronunciation is a really nice feature.
Practice activities are called Workouts
The exercises after the lessons are called Workouts. They give you dialogs that you listen to with or without English subtitles. Best to start out with subtitles when the material is newer to you, and with practice, gradually eliminate using them. They create the dialogs focusing on certain words and phrases that later you will practice using your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. In between each activity, a video will pop up to explain these phrases. They will be used again and again so you can commit them to long-term memory.
You might need a hint
The technology for grading your written work is a bit antiquated. When writing a sentence, you will find out that your work is either perfect or wrong. If you have a letter out of place or any small error, your answer is just wrong. You don't know if you have one mistake or several mistakes, and there's no hint as to where that error or many errors might be. You just know you are wrong. This is really frustrating. It would be great if Fluenz would update their software here.
Workouts require repetition
One of the complaints about Fluenz is that there is a lot of repetition with their Workouts. They repeat their vocabulary several times and some people find it a turn off or insulting. We disagree. Research says that a person needs 17 exposures to a word or phrase to remember it. The more you hear, see, speak, and write the word, the more likely you will remember it.
How are you doing?
There's a section called My Data where you can see how well you're doing: how much time you have spent on each lesson, how many tries per answer, and more. It might help to know if you needed many tries to get to the correct answer, so you might decide to repeat either the video, the Workout, or both.
Costs
Great for beginners
Beginning German students know where to start - the beginning - and they know to purchase Level 1 lessons. On the other hand, if you know some German already, there's no placement test. You will need to look at the curriculum for each level, decide where to start, and pay for that level. You should decide if this is the right program and level for you within 30 days so you can get your money back if needed.
Fluenz has the right idea
Fluenz is unique in that you learn from a real person on video. You choose your class time - and your instructor is right there, waiting for you, so to say. You can skip, pause, repeat as much as you like. The lessons are straightforward and have clear explanations of grammar and vocabulary. They know you already know English, so their instructions use that to your advantage. Some critics complain that the repetition of new material is boring, but research would say that it's necessary for language acquisition regardless of level of excitement. Our suggestions would be the improved technology on assessing written work, a creative way to make necessary repetition a little less boring, and a placement test so you know for sure which level to start at if you already know some German. Still, all shortcomings aside, Fluenz provides a solid choice for German lessons, especially if you feel more comfortable leaning on what you already know in English throughout the process.
Did you know that German is the second-most spoken language in Europe? Or that around 95 million people worldwide speak German as their primary language and that it is an official language in six countries? Perhaps you have German roots in your family and want to get in touch with your heritage by learning German?
If you study sciences, you may know that German is the most commonly used scientific language. Learning German can provide you with an insight into the German people's way of life and also broaden your horizons. Whatever your personal reason for wanting to learn German, the next step is to find your best way to study the language.
So much of our life now is digital, so it's natural to consider learning German online. There are many programs to learn languages: live, one-to-one tutoring; a real person teaching you through recorded video lessons; video-game-like lessons and practice; recording your voice and getting computer-generated specific feedback; getting feedback on written work by real people; or playing games and letting the time fly by while earning prizes and getting on a leaderboard. With so many different methods of learning and practice, we can help you narrow down what is best for you and your learning style.
The first thing to consider is how much German you may know. Have you had German classes in high school and want to brush up and continue to proficiency? Or is Gesundheit! when someone sneezes the extent of your German? If you are a beginner, choosing an online program will be easier, as most focus at least on the beginning German student. If you already know some German, some programs offer a placement test and others have you look at their curriculum and you select your own placement. If you are pretty advanced or your goal is to get there, only a few online German programs can help you get to advanced proficiency, while others fall short past the beginning German level.
How would you like to learn German? Would you like live one-on-one lessons with a tutor or in a small-class setting? Would you like to learn from a person, but via video so you can pause or review? Would you like to learn interactively with a computer program where you match phrases you heard with images, then record your voice speaking, and then have game-like practice exercises with awards and a leaderboard with a little healthy competition? It's all out there, and you get to decide which is for you!
Once you know your current level of German and how you might want to learn it, there are a few more aspects to consider:
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed, evaluated, rated, and recommended the best choices for learning German online or via an app. We're sure that with the information we have for you, you'll be able to make your best decision for learning German and becoming more proficient and fluent in this common and popular language!
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