You only learn to speak by speaking. Every week has questions, a role-play and an own speaking task. This page explains the methods.
Methods
1. Record and listen (every week) Use the recorder or your phone. Don't read aloud, use only key words. Then listen and rate yourself with the rubric. Keep your recordings: in week 12 you compare them with week 1.
2. Shadowing (repeating, 5 min) This week's dialogue (player or a person): hear a sentence → pause → repeat it exactly (melody, speed). Then speak together with the voice.
3. 3-2-1 Tell the same story three times: 3 minutes, then 2 minutes, then 1 minute. You become more fluent because you find the same sentences faster.
4. Talking to yourself While cooking or walking, describe aloud what you are doing: Jetzt schneide ich die Tomaten. Dann stelle ich den Topf auf den Herd.
Speaking rubric
| Criterion | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | everything said, suitable length | almost everything | only parts | nothing |
| Clarity / pronunciation | easy to understand | mostly understandable | listener often has to ask again | not understandable |
| Grammar / vocabulary | few mistakes, this week's grammar used | mistakes, meaning clear | many mistakes | no sentences |
Pronunciation: overview
| Week | Topic | In short |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | long and short vowels | Staat – Stadt, Miete – Mitte |
| 2 | ä, ö, ü | schon – schön, Mutter – Mütter |
| 3 | ich sound / ach sound | ich, Küche – Nacht, Buch |
| 4 | Word stress | AUFstehen, beSUchen |
| 5 | the r | rot – Ohr („Oa") |
| 6 | ü – i, ö – e | Tür – Tier, können – kennen |
| 7 | -er and -en | Lehrer („Lehra"), arbeiten („arbeitn") |
| 8 | b/p, d/t, g/k | gelb [p], Tag [k] |
| 9 | Sentence melody | Kommst du? ↗ – Wo wohnst du? ↘ |
| 10 | s, z, ts | Zug [ts], Straße [s] |
| 11 | long words | Wohnungs·geber·bestätigung |
| 12 | speaking freely | Checklist |
The goal is to be understood, not a "perfect" accent. Having an accent is normal.
Useful sentences for any conversation
Wie bitte? · Noch einmal, bitte. · Langsamer, bitte. · Was bedeutet …? · Wie sagt man … auf Deutsch? · Ich weiß das Wort nicht, aber es ist ein Ding für … · Habe ich das richtig verstanden: …? · Moment, ich überlege.