Guides to learning German
Straight answers on how to actually learn German: which tools are worth your time, what the exams require, and how the grammar fits together.
GrammarPerfekt: haben or sein? The Rule and the ListMost German verbs take haben. The sein list is short, closed and learnable - plus the verbs that switch meaning depending on which one you pick.
GrammarTwo-Way Prepositions: Akkusativ or Dativ?Nine prepositions, one question, and the traps nobody warns you about: the wohin/wo test, stellen vs. stehen, and the phrases that ignore the rule.
ExamsGoethe-Zertifikat B1: what the exam actually requiresThe structure, the pass mark, what it costs, how it differs from the DTZ, and what B1 is legally good for in Germany - including one rule that changed in late 2025.
GrammarGerman adjective endings: stop needing the tableForty-eight cells, three patterns, one rule that replaces most of them: the ending only works when the article does not. Plus twelve sentences to test it.
GrammarGerman Cases Explained: Nominative to GenitiveFour cases, sixteen article forms, and one decision order that tells you which case a sentence needs. Plus the honest truth about genitive in speech.
ExamsHow long does it take to learn German?The two figures everyone quotes come from different institutions measuring different things in different units. Here is what each actually says, and why one number you have probably seen is wrong.
ComparisonAnki vs merke.me for German: Which One Should You UseAnki is an engine, merke.me is a course. The honest split: build your own German decks with FSRS, or follow a fixed A1-C2 path with audio.