The first few days of learning German (or any language, really) are very exciting. You’ve got a whole new world open to you, filled with rich cultures and boundless opportunity. But if you’re not careful, it can quickly become overwhelming. One day you’re happily flipping through flashcards and the next you’re sobbing in the bathroom because you feel like you’ll never get the hang of grammatical gender. Have no fear, however, because there are ways to avoid this fate. If you come in with a plan to avoid common German mistakes, you’ll be in a far better position for success.
The first thing you need to do is spot the problem areas. These are the places where German and English are so dissimilar you feel like you have to relearn how to think, or they’re places where the two languages are so similar that you have trouble keeping track of what’s right and what’s wrong. To highlight these areas, we made a quiz that covers the most troublesome spots.
The quiz doesn’t cover every single issue you might encounter, but it should hopefully point you in the right direction. We also have numerous other resources you can turn to once you’re finished. No matter how you do on the quiz, you’ll at least know what to do next!