Should I learn German?

Question

I like Germans, want to go someday to Germany, I like German polka, bier, food, and its history, heritage, and past. I'm also part German.

Is the language not practical and easy to forget? 

I tried learning from books and a cassette, but gave up.

I only know some phrases like whie ghet's, guten abend.
Aschlak, das gute, das boot, das bier, danke, einstein prosit.

Wo ist mein heir?
Halo frulein.

Answer 1

From WHERE did you get the screwball idea that there's "no free speech" in Germany?  Of course there is.  There are reasonable limits, just as there are in EVERY other country on Earth.  

Where do you live in "America"?  America is a continent.  There never was, isn't & never will be any country of that name.  

Why are you interested in German "girls"?  Are you a pedophile?  That's a crime there too.  Seek interest in German WOMEN.  

My wife is from Germany & spent most of her 20 years of working in Canada speaking German every day.  She also worked as a court translator.  

Answer 2

Well, you definitely should not remain monolingual.



For native speakers of English, German is easier than most non-germanic/non-romanic languages



If you want easy, learn Esperanto



If you want ridiculously easy, take Toki Pona (it has like 125 words...)

Answer 3

Of course you should.....any additional language learned will be a plus in your life forever.

Answer 4

Sure, a lot of foreigners find it an honor when they meet someone who is learning their language, and they become impressed if (say) they find your German to be better than their English. Note: not every German knows English, and even more don't know it well, so if you want a better chance on making a German friend, it's best you'd know the German language to a decent level.



Now I don't know much about the German language, but I'm pretty sure with every language, you would have to know its alphabet at least sometime in the beginning. This is to recognize the extent of that language's pronunciations. You wouldn't want to see a "ch" and pronounce it "ch" every time when really its pronounced "sh" or "cuh".



Also, I suggest not learning through a book unless you reeeally want to become a German expert. For casualness, I suggest learning how little kids learn, like through learning-based songs, learning-based games, shows for toddlers, and watching a movie in German (you can probably start off with subtitles, but try to gear away from it asap so you're not so focused on converting the German to English rather than studying the German itself).



You could also try Duolingo! It's a free! This is just a website that provides interesting ways to challenge and test yourself in the language that you're learning.



There's also MyLanguageExchange! With this website, you can find a penpal that's German wanting to learn English. The two of you can exchange e-mails and from there do Zoom, Skype, or meet in person even. If you're lucky, you don't have to pay for this site. Someone else who has already paid can message you first (which isn't uncommon). Otherwise, you would have to pay to message them first. 

Answer 5

What is this nonsense about "no free speech in Germany"?

If you mean the fact that it's illegal to deny that the Holocaust happened, the Germans have more excuse than most to deny people that privilege, as they KNOW it happened, and many people are still alive who saw it, survived it, or even perpetrated the atrocities.

Note that it's not illegal to DISCUSS the Holocaust, and to debate precise numbers, places, dates etc.



Other than that, speech in Germany is no less "free" than in any other western democracy.



If you want to learn Germany, go on and learn it. It's entirely your own choice. But if you ever do go to Germany, let's hope that you manage to pick up a lot more than the pathetically small number of poorly-spelt words that you posted in your question.

Answer 6

German is easy to learn. The vocabulary is a bit of a strain (they like long compound words) but once you get over them wanting to put capital letters in the middle of sentences it is quite straightforward.  English has a lot in common (owing to Anglo-Saxon origins). Italian is more logical for pronunciation, but it is nowhere as perverse as French.

Answer 7

If you're learning German just to go to Germany don't worry about it. The Germans are taught English from the third grade on. Their English is probably better than yours.

Answer 8

  It has same alphabet as all European languages that don't use Cyrillic. Letters pronounced differently than English, of course.

   A few firm rules, but they do not vary like in French or English. Rolling your tongue around some polysyllabic place name might seem difficult at first but, because pronunciation  does not vary; in that respect, easier. Gender like Spanish or French or Italian; the noun before the adjective, similarly.



EDIT: I had some Vets in my class,  they all said German women don't care for fair-skinned guys. See too much of them, they guess. Go for blacks, Hispanics, anyone with some color.

  Germans, like most Europeans, must   learn 2 languages in school . Their home language and an elective. Most go for  English as it's almost a universal language.  

Answer 9

The language is a bit tricky to learn. It took me about 3 years to learn it, but it is actually interesting - the language has a lot of nuances, and words can be built in combination with other words.

Is it practical? I learned the language for reading technical documentation, so it is useful for me.

I have been to Germany several times per year (up until the current pandemic), and it does not impress anyone. In fact, the German girls at the bar where I usually go in Stuttgart speak English mush better than most Americans.

Since you have not been able to learn more than a couple of basic words from a phrasebook, you will not have much success.

Answer 10

If it compliments your dreams, I say go for it.

Answer 11

Jawohl mein Herr! 



Update: 

No free speech?  I disagree. 



Alphabet is mostly familiar. 

You'll learn some extras. 



There are some pronunciation differences. 



Grammar - In learning German, there will be gender and number (singular/plural) confusion for the English speaker.  English is simpler.

Answer 12

Germany is doomed. I am living in Germany and prepare to flee and rescue my family. Don't come to any EU country to stay!