Guide
www.teachyourself.com/languagehacking
www.italki.com/languagehacking
TABLE OF CONTENTS k iii
your missions
Youll learn Hallo for greetings, Ich bin , Und du? for introducing yourself
Youll learn Ich (nicht) gern ... Mein Lieblings- ist for saying what you like (or dont like)
Youll learn Warum? Weil ... na ja for telling why
Youll learn Wie findest du ? Sprichst du ? Noch nicht. for asking and answering questions
Youll learn Seit wann ? for asking since when, Seit ... for saying since ... / for .
Youll learn Ich finde das ..., Ich lieber , Ich denke, for expressing your opinion
Youll learn Vielen Dank, dass du mir hilfst for talking to someone new
Youll learn Es tut mir leid. Ich verstehe nicht ... for getting clarification
Youll learn Hrst du jetzt besser? Ich muss neu starten. for talking online
iv l TABLE OF CONTENTS
Youll learn Strt es, wenn ? Knnen wir uns duzen? for striking up new conversations
Youll learn Reist du viel? Du solltest ... besuchen. for talking about travel plans
Youll learn Ich werde + verb and zuerst dann danach for describing what youll do
Youll learn Ich unternehme etwas mit , Ich kenne sie von , Sie kommt aus
for saying who you spend time with
Youll learn Ich kenne , seit , Wir sind schon lange zusammen for talking about
people you know
Youll learn Wir haben Ihre Namen , Sie sind oft ... for describing your family
Youll learn Ich nehme ..., Fr mich ... for ordering in restaurants
Youll learn Meiner Meinung nach , Das stimmt nicht. for explaining your point of view
Youll learn Sag mal, ..., Was kannst du mir empfehlen? for asking for a recommendation
Youll learn Was hast du gemacht? Gestern haben wir for saying what you did
Youll learn Letzten Sommer habe ich ..., Ich habe vergessen for speaking about the past
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Youll learn Ich habe geglaubt, dass meine Aussprache schrecklich war for describing
your progress in German
Youll learn Es ist lange her! Erzhl mal, ..., Letzes Mal for catching up with someone
Youll learn Morgens , Mittags , Ab und zu , manchmal for describing your daily life
Youll learn Ich wrde schon gerne auf jeden Fall ..., Was sollte ich mitbringen? for
making plans
Youll learn das Meer, den Strand und die Wlder , Heute scheint die Sonne ... for
describing your surroundings
Youll learn Meine Schwester ist abenteuerlustig ..., fr ihn wre for describing people
you know
Youll learn Passt der hier? Der grne wre am besten for describing different items
vi l LANGUAGE HACKING GERMAN
A Note from Benny
Its true that some people spend years studying German before they finally get
around to speaking the language.
But I have a better idea.
Lets skip the years of studying and jump right to the speaking part.
Sound crazy? No, its language hacking.
#LanguageHacking is a completely different approach to learning a new language.
Its not magic. Its not something only other people can do. Its simply about being
smart with how you learn: learning whats indispensable, skipping whats not, and
using what youve learned to have real conversations in German right away.
As a language hacker, I find shortcuts to learning new languages tricks and
techniques to crack the language code and make learning simple so I can get fluent
faster. When it comes to learning new languages, I focus on getting the biggest
bang for my buck.
Theres no need to learn every word and grammar rule before you start using the
language. You just need to know the most common and the most versatile phrases
youll need in most situations, and how to speak around the problem when theres
something you dont understand or know how to say yet.
#LanguageHacking isnt just a course. Its a new way of thinking about language
learning. It shows you how to learn a language as well as gives you all the language
you need and none of what you dont. You can use it on your own or with any
other book to start speaking languages faster.
Id like to show you how its done. See you on the inside.
Benny Lewis, Language Hacker
LANGUAGE HACKING GERMAN k vii
The most common complaint I hear from learners of German is:
I studied German for years in school. I can understand a few words
when I see them, and even sometimes when I hear them, but I still cant
speak the language.
#LanguageHacking isnt like traditional grammar-based courses. Its a conversation course,
which means you will focus on building the language skills you need to have meaningful,
real-life conversations with other people in German right away.
By the end of this course, youll be able to introduce yourself and ask and answer hundreds
of typical questions in German. Youll know how to find and connect with other German
speakers no matter where you live. And youll gain the skills and strategies to have countless
conversations entirely in German as well as the confidence to keep them going.
#LanguageHacking can be used either on its own or alongside any other language course,
whether written, online, or in the classroom. Just grab your notebook and get started!
How to use this course
This course will challenge you to speak from day one by completing ten missions, which will