Frequently Asked Questions

Isn't German hard ?

As someone who has studied a number of foreign languages I can say without reservation that German is no harder than any other foreign language you will learn.

In fact, speakers of English have an advantage over other learners of German as a second language because English is a Germanic language. Because English and German are derived from a common root, the two languages share many words in common (called "cognates"). For example:

Think you're pretty good at this? Want to have some fun? Use the following link to find how many German words you are able to recognize! Take the Quiz!

Of course, not all German words are cognates with English. However, the very large number of cognates one discovers - particularly at the beginning levels of German - makes it that much easier to learn and retain your German vocabulary. Other aspects of German that facilitate learning include:

a) Unlike some non-European languages, German shares the same alphabet, adding only the following 4 letters: ä, ö, ü, and ß.

b) German spelling is quite simple once you learn the basic rules. It is a largely phonetic language (meaning that words are spelled as they are pronounced), with very few unnecessary or silent letters.

c) Like English, German adjectives are placed before the nouns they modify (e.g. ein alter Mann = an old man).

d) German pronunciation is, for the most part, not difficult at all, and those particular sounds which English speakers do find challenging (like the German "r") generally do not hinder the listener's understanding. The same is true for Germans speaking English: if a German pronounces "we" as / vee /, he or she can still be understood by an English-speaking listener.

So what is hard about German?

For Americans, the most challenging aspect of the language, in the beginning, is the fact that all German nouns are masculine, feminine, or neuter. For example:

der Wagen = the car
die Blume = the flower
das Gras = the grass

I say "in the beginning," because as time goes on, learners of German come to recognize patterns that dictate or strongly suggest the gender of a noun. Your German professor or student instructor (SI) will provide you with hints that will help you learn the gender of nouns much more easily.

So what does German sound like? Someone told me it's really guttural.

In my view, this is a common misperception. But don't take my word for it. See/listen to the following excerpt from one of our language learning CD-ROMs and judge for yourself.

I enjoy learning German, and in fact would really like to major in German. Can I do that?

I hear this question more and more frequently, which is encouraging. At present, we do not offer a major in German at UTM. However, any student can minor in German. Particularly strong major/minor combinations include: International Studies/German, Philosophy/German, Psychology/German and Music/German. The link between international studies and German is clear. As for philosophy, psychology and music: the German contribution to these fields as well as the amount of literature published in German on these subjects is so enormous that a basic knowledge of the language becomes invaluable. Indeed, many graduate programs in these disciplines require their students to demonstrate at least a reading knowledge of German.

See your UTM Catalog for more details on requirements for the German minor (p. 269 of your 2005-2006 Catalog).

In which countries is German spoken (other than Germany)?

For answers to this and other related questions, see Why Learn German?

What kind of opportunities are available to students who would like to visit or study in Germany?

In a word: many. UTM is fortunate to count among its official partners the Technical University of Braunschweig (Technische Universität Braunschweig , or "TU-B" for short) where students can participate in the 3-week or 6-week summer intensive German program offered by the Language Center (Sprachenzentrum) at TU-B. Because TU-B is our official partner, students participating in these programs receive full UTM academic credit and pay no tuition fees . In addition, students can spend an entire semester at TU-B. See Professor Hammond for details. Finally, see the travel study page for more information on our 10-day travel study to Braunschweig!