8 reasons to learn German in the summer

Why is summer the perfect time to learn a foreign language? What to do if there is not enough motivation? How to combine learning a foreign language with other summer activities? In this article, we will explain why it is very important to spend summer time with benefit.

So summer has come: it’s time for the sun, picnics with friends, long evening walks, beautiful sunsets, fresh fruits and berries, holidays, vacations, trips and much, much more. And do you know what this time is perfect for? To start learning German! Why? We’ve put together eight reasons for you.

The first reason is obvious.

Summer, for most people, is the time for holidays and vacations, when the amount of
free time increases dramatically. You could feel for yourself that sadness and excitement sometimes attack from this: what if I spend this time lying on the couch and I don’t remember it in any way, there will be no progress and personal growth? This is where study helps, and not mandatory and through “I don’t want to”, but coming from pure interest, curiosity and the desire to learn something new and useful! In addition, attention will not be scattered between some core activity and language learning, and total focus, as we all know, is the key to success. And thus, you will come out of the summer “break” with an amazing new competency .

The second reason, following from the first

As we said, vacations and vacations. And the most desired and long-awaited plan for the summer is travel . Traveling to a country of a different language culture is both an impetus to start learning the language of this country, and an excellent practice. Borders are gradually opening up, so you can travel to German-speaking countries and fall in love with the language in a completely new way: you will hear it live, from the mouths of native speakers, spreading through the streets of old or ultra-modern city centers, written on signs and announcements. Isn’t such romance the best reason to learn a language? But even if you don’t manage to leave this summer, then in a year your German will already grow to a decent level for talking with locals, making new acquaintances, and maybe plans to radically change your life or change your country of residence.

Reason three

Summer almost always means good weather. And this, in turn, opens up opportunities to learn everywhere! It is not necessary to sit at the table at home or in the classroom with the sound of raindrops pounding on the windows (the picture is sad). You can take a blanket, go out into nature and have a real language picnic. You can go to the sea if you are lucky enough to live nearby and take your textbook to the beach.

Reason four

What almost everyone suffers from in winter is the lack of sunlight. Efficiency falls, and the desire to engage in active mental activity, too. With the onset of spring and summer, the amount of sun increases markedly, and this cannot but affect a person, his immune system and hormonal levels. In combination with a larger amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet than in winter, the body receives a powerful charge of living vitamins and energy and begins to work more productively.

Scientists have found that the season directly affects memory and attention : a person is more attentive just in the summer (and memory works better in the fall. Just at the beginning of the school year!).

Reason five

In addition to the amount of sun, the length of the daylight hours also increases: it’s easier to wake up, the day is longer, and it’s also time for vacations and vacations – this is definitely an excuse in the style of “I don’t have time to study” will not work. Besides, who said that studying is necessarily cramming grammar or vocabulary? You can learn new words and constructions, literally without noticing it, you can translate your life into German:

• change language on phone
• listen to music,
• podcasts,
• interview,
• watch all your favorite movies and series,
• read books and blogs, all in German.

At first it will be difficult, but then this habit will be well fixed in your daily life. For more good habits for learning German, see our article “How to learn German“.

Reason six

Do not forget that summer vacations are also in Germany. And this means that finding a native speaker is much easier: everyone has more time, everyone wants to make new acquaintances. Dating sites will help you find such people (you just mark in your profile that you are looking for a German-speaking interlocutor to improve your language). 

Choose for yourself the competence in which you want to advance most seriously: speaking and listening, then video and audio calls will help you, or reading and writing, then chats and e-mail. Everyone knows that the best practice is to communicate with the native.

Reason seven

If not now, then when? Summer is a long time, you can’t abandon your language if you have already started, because in three months it’s very, very easy to lose your vocabulary. And in general, the knowledge that is not actively used is forgotten over time. But standing still will not work (remember that image of a person who either rolls a ball uphill or rolls down with it?), so the only way out is to move forward.