If you are thinking about travelling or living somewhere abroad, it can be a good idea to learn a few keywords and phrases in the foreign language. Whether you are planning on moving to the sunshine of Spain forever or just on a sabbatical in Peru, picking up a few words in the local language can make such a difference. Here are our top tips with German as an example:
1. Start with the basics – yes (ja), no (nein), please (bitte), thank you (danke)
2. Make a list of the main places you will be going and start learning sentences around them – Nach Berlin Flughafen, bitte (to Berlin airport please), zum Sportzentrum (to the sports centre)
3. Before you go, start looking in the foreign language at things you would do in English – so when booking a holiday search for a flug nach Bangkok, (flight to Bangkok) or Wohnungen in Frankfurt (apartments in Frankfurt)
4. Make a list of the keywords and phrases that you think you will use or need to learn (a ticket to Pottsdamer Platz please/eine Fahrkarte nach Pottsdamerplatz bitte)
5. Write these down on cards (English on one side and the German translation on the other) and keep a few with you each day. Whenever you take a coffee break or stop for a few minutes, have a look at the cards and try to remember the key phrases.
6. Take a look at a detailed map of the city or town that you will be living in. Once you get there, it will all fall into place but it’s good to get your bearings before you go so that if you get on the U-bahn, you can make sure you are heading in the right direction.
7. Keep looking at those cards and try to remember the key phrases
8. Watch YouTube videos to learn the correction pronunciation for each word and phrase
Wann man seinen Flug nach Deutschland bucht, könnte er für es auch auf Deutsch suchen.
