Have you ever thought about learning German? Reaching a level of fluency will take time and dedication, but it will pay off in the end.
German is one of the most useful languages to learn – and that’s because it is the most common native language in the European Union. There are more than 100 million native German speakers in the EU and German is an official language in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium – that’s 7 countries! Plus, a few other countries speak German in certain provinces.
Globally, German is the 11th most-spoken language in the world and it is the third most commonly taught foreign language in the US, following Spanish and French.
It’s no doubt that learning German is useful, but is it difficult? Well, German is famous for its long and extensive use of compound words and its case system may not be the easiest to remember. However, English and German share a large percentage of their vocabulary. In fact, one survey found the origin of English words is 25% derived from Germanic languages.
If you’re in the process of learning German, be sure to check out our quirky, weird and unusual Word of the Weeks!
By Nicole Glass, German Embassy
