Right when I think I can listen to German TV or radio I get a reality check....Why is it that German speakers seem to not take breaks between words? Really, when I listen all I hear is one very long word broken up by an occasional UND. I know some spanish too but I do not seem to have the same problem with Spanish speakers. How am I ever going to get a little grasp on the German language when it sounds like....Ichfuhltsichbesseralsvorher...UND....Voistmeintagesfahrkarten? Do I need to learn to speak without breathing? Or should I just get used to ..Können Sie langsamer sprechen?

Hi, try the slowly spoken news on the DW website __http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,2142,2469,00.html__. As you probably know the international news, you can get the drift of each item without understanding every word.

I would say just stay convicted, keep trying and it all comes with time. The first time I heard a sample of the second edition of Rocket German, I thought I would never understand it. Even after trying the first few repeatedly, it was still seemingly hard and especially in Germany hearing people talk it seemed near impossible to understand; but now I have just listed to the "All Conversations" mp3 from "More Rocket German" and I understood everything from beginning to end. To add to that, I wish people talked as slow and clear as they do in Rocket German. Just keep your chin up and both ears open and it will come. Most of all speak out loud so your brain will program the reflexes to let you build more on your foundation. All the things you hear/learn from Rocket German is really the way people speak in the present; so when you can understand your Rocket German lessons, for sure you will be able to understand German movies and T.V. and radio. Good Luck -Cooper

On my mobile phone their is Internet Radio (SHOUTCast!). You can look up dozens of radio stations in German. Like you say, many speak really quick and slur/blend words together. But i found a couple that talk and a medium pace and you can understand 99% of the words. Its difficult, or maybe impossible to write down every word and translate it piece by piece. I just listen and try and get the topic of whats going on. Then try and recognise most of the german words. After practicing this it becomes easier. I will always remember my friends mum when i was younger saying that she learnt English (being from Bosnia) by watching our TV channels for 3 months. And she had no language training courses. She can speak very good english, apart from a few common grammar mistakes.

Hiya, I'm new to this, only purchased today. I have just come back from 10 days in Germany and my partner (who is German and lives there - hence wanting to learn) taught me a greeting but not how to spell it. It sounds something like: Gries Dich, or Gries dir? Can anyone help me with the correct spelling please? and the exact english translation? Cheers, Jo

am new in this and my boyfriend is a german and i want to learn the language.\

Grüß Gott (literally 'Greet God', see explanation below) is a greeting, less often a farewell, in the Upper German Sprachraum especially in Switzerland, Bavaria, Franconia, Swabia and Austria. The greeting was publicized in the 19th century by the Catholic clergy and along with its variants has long been the most common greeting form in Southern Germany and Austria. Grüß Gott is the shortened form of both (Es) Grüße dich Gott and its plural (Es) Grüße euch Gott ('may God greet you'). The essential meaning of grüß (dich) Gott is therefore 'God bless you'. Such a religious expression in a greeting only exists in a few countries. I GOT IT FROM WIKIPEDIA, actually , another person from the forum had this same exact question, how to spell this greeting, and thats why i knew it!!!! bis bald!

ich denke dass es ist gut zu deustch lernen.es hilft mir gut und ich mochte ihnen danke sagen. sie machen ein wunderbar arbeit. Danke schon.

Hallo Francko, Es freut mich dass du spaß am Lernen hast. Dein Deutsch ist schon ganz gut. Wenn du Fragen hast beantworte ich sie dir gerne. Weiterhin viel Glück! Bis bald! Paul

Paul or someone, I just returned from Berlin and I did communicate in German. It really helped out that I have been studying. Although, what to say and how to say it escapes me a little. I visited a great little restaurant in Köpenick and was able to speak on some level to the owner, but when I said "Ich bin fertig", he seemed slightly irritated. Did I use this incorrectly? Should I have said "I am done" differently? Is there a more polite way to tell someone that I am done with my meal? Also, is it "bezahlen bitte" or "zahlen bitte"? thanks Jason

Hey Jason, I am happy to hear you spoke a lot German and that our courses helped you with it. I hope you could use my advise for nice locations in Berlin I gave you. "Ich bin fertig" means "I am done" or "I am exhausted" depending on the situation. It can mean that you are done talking. If you have been asked if you have finished your meal you can use" ja, ich bin fertig". But it is not as common in German to say "Ich bin fertig" after a meal. You would just say "Thank you, that was delicious "Danke das war sehr lecker." The Owner might have thought you indirectly asked him to take your plate away. Cheers Alles Gute Paul

I would like to have some German friends who will help me to learn well the language

Hi Gaspar, You might want to check out this website for language meet up groups: http://german.meetup.com/ There are a lot of groups for Germans and people who want to practice their German. I hope you find one in your area. Viel Glück Paul

Thanks Paul. There is a group in my area. After a few more lessons (I want to complete my Premium Plus review) I will check them out. regards, Byron

I don't know what you are talking about,but thanks for the webpage Paul!

Hello everyone, I know this is an old thread but I wanted to comment about meeting new German friends. I finished the entire Rocket German course and then found a website to make some friends. First off, let me say Rocket German prepared me very well. Basic conversation was difficult at the beginning but within a few weeks I could somewhat easily speak with my new German friends. Secondly, I wish I had found my language partners sooner. Once you have the basics down, get out there and start talking. There is no shortage of native German speakers that are learning English. In March 2013 I began speaking German on Skype with language partners 2 or 3 times a week. It is now October and today, for instance, I had an hour long conversation completely in German with a friend of mine in Germany. It's wonderful. My advice to everyone is find some friends that want to learn your native language, and keep up with your Rocket German. It will suddenly become easy and you will have a great time. By the way, I used italki.com to find my partners, I think it's a good site (and it's free ; ) ) but there are many sites out there.