Start auf Deutsch - More Beginner's References

For those who are visiting the first time. Please check the previous Post which has the introduction and good links for German Learning. This post is a continuation of the Previous Post. And this can be helpful for A2 Level Learners also.

Learn German

BBC Offers free online Language Learning Program. The program is very good with interactive sessions and one can learn Cultural information and good Grammar. Find here the Entrance for BBC German Learning Program, register for E-mail tips.

If you want to do an online course: Try this Babbel.com. Very effective and superb! You can give a free try and then Register for a paid German Training Program. The speech recognition software is too good. Literally it will check your German pronunciation :) So, you need a Mic.

More Exercises

For further exercises for any Level one may try the Aufgaben (Excercises / Tasks) in Schulbert Verlag.

This may be not for only Beginners. The exercise in Langenscheidt has some mixed Grammatical Exercises. Try the ones only you want for your Level and knowledge.

And an interesting Learning. This is actually for Germans to Learn English, but I find it can be other-way also. Try this Link Langenscheidt Special Online Course. You will hear conversation in both German and English. You can download the Transcript i.e. Lektion. Try this for fun!

Find the list of Irregular Verbs, their Verb Conjunction and Partizip II and other tense Conjunctions in Duden_Die_Grammatik...(PDF).

If you have Cornelsen  Books from Goyal Saab Publisher, then get your Answers Key (Lösungen Schlüssel) for Exercises in Book and Sprachtraining Book from this Link. Lösungen Studio D.

Some Videos
Watch the shortfilms to improve Language in an interesting way.

Kleingeld (Teil 1) Unfortunately no Sub-titles. :(

Kleingeld (Teil 2)

Dufte (With Subtitles)

So, wie finden Sie die Informationen? Gut oder?

Do leave your comments. 

Good German Learning!!

Start auf Deutsch - Beginners References

Liebe Studenten und Studentinen!

Learning a foreign language is always fun. Be it for any purpose, as Hobby or for Professional advantage. It is a precious Objective Knowledge that we will add to our skill-set. This section is for the New-bi's who have enthusiastically enrolled for a German Language A1 Course.

I think most of you would be reading this blog only when you have really taken the German Language as a serious pursuit. Yes, that is when you start Googling for resources. I have done that too, and it is that precious links and information I want to share with you all. I wish you come across this blog first so that your efforts of digging the Net is reduced to bare minimum. :)

German Dictionary - Deutsch Wörterbuch

Pons online dictionary is an ideal one for all. German is difficult in the beginning for one obvious reason. Yes, German Articles : Der, Die, Das. It gives the article at the end as highlighted in the below example.

PONS Spra·che <-, -n> [ˈʃpra:xə] NOUN f

One also visit Leo-online dictionary.

German Verb Conjugation

This is a very important part of Grammar as you must have already known by now.

Try this Verbix German Verb Conjugator site. Just type the infinite form of verb in the search box and go. You get the Verb Konjugation also the Partizip II.

Practice German

The first steps we take in learning a language is to build Vocabulary and then Grammar. For this we need to practice and work-out more for us to grasp the language faster and better. Try some of the following websites:

German Learning with Cards (Verbs, Vocabulary, Nouns and Articles etc.)

One can learn interactive German and do some extra exercises in Deutsche Welle Interactive Learning

Just Enter as Guest first-time and Select your level and continue. If you really find it good for you then Sign-Up and start your learning. By signing up you can save your learning when you log-off and continue from there the next time.

Deutsche Welle has a lot of German Learning Stuff. Stories, Radio, Slow News (Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten) and Videos. Start with Stories - Warum Nicht, Mission Berlin & Radio D. Strengthen your vocabulary with Audio-Tutor. These exercises will strengthen your listening skills. Try listening to German News everyday.

Cornelsen Publishers also give interactive Learning Pages. If you are using Cornelsen Book for your German Learning then the Interactive Learning A1 Pages offered by Cornelsen is surely a valuable add-on. You can dig a lot of free information here. You need a lot of patience also :)

Hueber Publishers also offers some interesting online exercises for Deutsch Learning.


Goethe Institute  gives some valuable sources on internet. Try these External Links offered by Goethe site.


All work and no play makes Learning boring. Make your self learning interesting and more informative by watching Deutsch Videos in Youtube. I can suggest Cartoon, because they make you understand the Language better in a humorous way. I like to watch Werner Beinhart Cartoon, they are hilarious.


Preparation for the A1 Examination
Try Sample A1 Prüfung Tests in Goethe website. Also try Model Tests in the Website.


Some Tips and Ideas:

• Make Excel sheet of articles and Verb Conjugations. This will help you for your German Learning also will help for your references and revisions during Exam.
• Try Speaking German to your German-Classmates. [Important, make it a Rule]
• Allocate an hour everyday and practice. Read, Watch Video or try Online exercises.
• Take German Dictionary into the Toilet. Its the best place to learn new Words when you sit and relax for your nature's call. ;) Sorry! I find it good, it works for me.
• Try writing to your German Classmates Email in Deutsch. Get a Brieffreundin (Pen-pal). You will really improve on German Emailing :D

I will Keep adding to the List. This is not all.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

 I have to give credit to the source from where I picked this Title for my “Pursuit of Happiness”. It is borrowed from one of my favorite movie and a movie you must all watch for inspiration in Life. Starring Will Smith and his Son Jaden Smith, the film goes about how a struggling salesman who is not making enough for his living by selling his Bone Density Scanner; takes to Stock-broking.

Moving on to the Topic. Let me ask first.

What are our Pursuits in daily Life?

Education – School, Diploma, Degree, Masters, Doctorate
Job / Business – To earn for our Living
Health – Keep us fit, staying in Good shape or in Good Health
Friends & Family – Friendship, Love, Family bonding, Social Networking, Tweeting, Facebook.
All these pursuits lead to one Destination. That is Happiness.
Oh! Well, add entertainment – Our interests, Hobbys, Fun, Comedy to this list! And everything is a Pursuit for Happiness.

Beginning with Campus Life.

Enjoying the best days of our Life. Campus Life is a sweet memory for every individual to cherish. Obvious and no doubt. Leaving the toppers and sincere students, they always knew what they were doing. But the clueless, back-benchers, class bunker, last-minute assignment submitters, fun gatheringings in the Students Union, for few the first puffs of smoke, first cheers of Beer Glass. All shall be our memoirs of that beautiful College Life. School Life is playful, whereas College-life is thoughtful. We are curios, excited, fresh blooded, enthused, ready for our final touches to land in the Societyand take up responsibility. Hitting the Road, the highway of our Life and career. We will follow the same flow what every senior has done. Some eagerly waited for Placements, Some of us were sure of finding a Job ourselves, thinking of our Education Loan repayment, some yearned for higher studies MBA or MS in US or Europe, Some of us waiting to take Family Business or Entrepreneurship.

What is in there after you have taken the plunge?

Think of our work-life. The job goers. 

Ok, initial days in company is always a Honeymoon. More relaxed with Induction Programs, Trainings and Less Work. But that’s just a short time. Just the tip of the Ice-berg. Soon we get to start our work in the given domain. Earning our first bugs shall not be a sweat-out if we are an IT Employee. New Cubicle, New Comp, New Friends, May be few even bought a new Bike. Then weekend Party, Facebook Meet-up, Conference Call, Texting, all in the Pursuit of Happiness!

But passing time shall add more things to our work and life than that what we expect.

Prime thing Work! – Responsibility, Seniority, delivery, Meeting Deadlines, Project review Meetings, Documentation, Training. Then slowly Team Lead, Client Coordination, Project management, Work related travel. Fun is till the Pressure is bearable by us. It is then, the actual phase starts. Enlightenment in Work!

Welcome to the Rat race!
We realize that we have less time for self, we are mechanical now. We are owned by the company we are working for. We can’t pull ourself out as we are committed now. We may be supporting our Family, Some may have started a Family, have a Kid also. Have a house loan to Pay, Car loan to Pay, Insurance, blah, blah. Also enjoying a comfortable life-style, everything Branded from Outer-garments to the inner ones.

Some of us face our first Stress Related Problems. We make an oath of Excercise and Yoga now. Some run on the mill or Start Yoga. But again it shall be discontinued after few weeks. All available and usual excuses!

Wait, all these are not for all… Here I would like to tell, for the Person for whom working is Passion, Researching is Passion, Coding is Passion, Technology is Passion, … This shall be the Sweetest Job on the earth. But I think majority don’t have this passion. Because we still don’t know what is our passion.

Now the Dead End comes!

Recession? How will it be job-less, fired from the company where you have worked dedicatedly adding up to the Company’s Profit? Imagine them. Or your company is acquired by another big company. The new management starts Head Cutting, as a point of Cost cutting. No matter what position, how much experience, Corporates are straight with their procedures.

Why company, whole Government can Fail! Thanks to the Globalization, the ripples shall be felt all across the world. The world is really uncertain. And through Globalization today the World has become Flat. This means all economies are interdependent such that a Tsunami or Earthquake in Japan can trouble your Job Security.

That’s why, we should always prepare for the Worst!

Best is always good when it comes, even unprepared you can take the goodies Happily. But it is the Bad that we Humans can’t take. Humiliation and Failure are tough emotions to Handle. Groom your mental Health to tolerate for the worst out-comes. Job or Business, think of failure as much as Success. It will always help you sail through your life. The preparedness shall defend the impact of the Worst.

Have Passion! People with Passion have the persistence and courage of enduring Failures and eventually meeting Success! You must know it for the Pursuit of your Happiness. If you don’t know yourself, then you cannot master anything else. Be your master! Discover your Potentials. How?

You have to try. Give time to Yourself. Listen to your inner voices. Try new things, read books, meet new people, Travel and Contemplate. Have a hobby in mind, go do it, join for a short-term course, Guitar, Yoga, Acting, Directing, Talking, Cooking, Modeling, Interior Decoration, Foreign Languge, Trekking, Trading… there are so many things. This trys and trails shall help you discover your potential. Your Passion, Your Vision for Life. I am sure it will add some philosophical component to your Life also.

Discovering the Passion shall allow you to discover the most liked work you would like to do everyday. You dream of it in sleep or when awake. And if have started to think of improvement, upliftment, betterment: A new method, A new technology, A new Business Idea! That’s when the Entrepreneur in you is born! You start seeing Opportunities! Enterpreneurship is different journey. It is for the Free and Fearless Spirits who are ready to take the Risk. Entrepreneurs are everywhere, and there are a lot today! Please, don’t think of it as a Fancy world!  It is only if it is your Cup of Tea, it is really not everyone’s cup! You should really know what you are going to do. It is like Bull-Fighting, be ready to get wounded or bruised in the field. Only strong hearts can Try, fail, Try, fail, Try, fail and Try again. And No defeat is final until you stop trying, so finally you shall succeed. Entrepreneurship generates Jobs. It uplifts the society. Entrepreneurship is sometimes serendipity or for some it is the dream and ambition right from the beginning. Entrepreneurship is not only for men! Women can be good entrepreneurs. There are lot of opportunity for Women. A Women entrepreneur has a special respect in our society. Try to grab that spot. Try and it shall be really thrilling, exciting, enthralling experience.

Finally!
The pursuit of Happiness is in-complete without Moral Fibers. Yes, Moral Fibers, That is Moral science! I don’t know why our Education lacks this Value-Education or Life Science. We can groom to be very good Engineers but we shall miss to have the important attribute, Humanity or Righteousness if we don’t learn the Morality of Living. A basic education which we lack in our syllabus. Human to human understanding is an important leadership character. Its really like that, with Software knowledge you can write a piece of code for a Life Saving equipment or a program to Hack. Good and Intelligence should go together, not the Evil and intelligence, the later shall only lead to destruction and chaos. When you know morally what is right, you live and let live others peacefully. Thus it is in the Pursuit of Happiness that you also allow others to Pursue. Moral science is the foundation of Human being. A person who knows the Right way will not take the wrong way, at the least will not tend to.

Well… You will come through different scenarios in Life. Different situations when you have to decide for yourself. And everything shall be an experience, pass over that and move on in Life. Pursuit of Happiness is a never ending endeavor. World is full of opportunities. Take a chance with Life. Live everyday as if it were your Last!

Have a dream, chase it. Have passion. Evolve everyday. Be humble.

Make the best of yourself! Live, Laugh and Love!