German Language Learning

 This autumn I have embarked on a course offered through The Great Courses:  "Learning German - A Journey through Language and Culture." The professor, James Pfrehm, is well-versed in the German language. He has studied in Germany and is a professor at Ithaca College who writes German textbooks. There are 30 Lessons in all, offered with a textbook (with explanations and exercises) and DVD discs. The lessons are also viewable online.

I am half-way through. I just finished Lesson 15 which concludes the use of the past participle forms in German. The professor is very entertaining and the texts offered of like-real conversations and stories are very enjoyable. He includes facts about present day Germany such as how garbage is sorted. It seems that Germans take recycling very seriously!

In high school, I studied German for two years but that was a long time ago. I followed up with one semester of German I at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. That was also a while back. In both instances of studying German, I got "A"s but over the years have forgotten most of what I had learned. I find myself remembering a stray word, here and there!

I want to learn German so that I can better understand written materials like the book I have about Redwork embroidery that was printed in German. Also, I have brochures from Germany, sent by a friend, as well as her autobiography which, before now, I have been unable to read. So, I am looking forward to putting my newfound skills to use, eventually.

We are never too old to learn and I find it very satisfying to study German for an hour or so each day. It is a building blocks process. The professor is making it very easy to learn and I look forward to each new online lesson. I would highly recommend this class!

Bis gleich und Auf Wiedersehen!

Patricia