You Go to a German Class, but You Don't Practise Enough

Your class is important. It just can't do everything.

A good class gives you structure, explanations and a teacher who corrects you. What it can't give you is time. A rough calculation: in a 90-minute lesson with 15 learners, if half the time is the teacher explaining, there are about 45 minutes left for everyone. That is about three minutes of speaking per person.

Remembering also happens between lessons, not only during them. Each time you go back to something you learned, a little later, it becomes easier to recall. If nothing happens between Monday and Thursday, you start again almost from the beginning.

The gap is between classes

You don't need a second course. You need a few short, regular moments with German on the days without class. They work best when they repeat the same topic your class is working on right now, not something new.

A simple routine for the days between classes

• After class (5 minutes): write three sentences with what you learned today. If the topic was the family: „Ich habe zwei Brüder. Meine Mutter wohnt in Mombasa. Mein Vater arbeitet als Lehrer.“
• The next day (5–10 minutes): one short exercise on the same topic.
• Before the next class (5 minutes): say five sentences on the topic out loud. Write down one thing you wanted to say but couldn't.

That last point turns into a good question for your teacher: „Wie sagt man … auf Deutsch?“ (How do you say … in German?)

Match your practice to your class topic

A1 courses cover very similar everyday topics. Find the one your class is on and practise it with a free DeutschWeg A1 topic:

• Introducing yourself → Über mich
• Family and friends → Familie und Freunde
• Time, days, daily routine → Mein Tag und meine Zeit
• Food and shopping → Essen und Einkaufen
• Home and furniture → Wohnen
• Getting around town → Unterwegs
• Work and training → Arbeit und Lernen
• Doctor and health → Gesundheit und Probleme
• Talking about the past (Perfekt) → Erlebnisse und Pläne

Get more speaking time

Speaking is what a big class gives you least of, so add it at home:

• Record yourself saying your five sentences, then listen once. It feels strange at first and helps a lot.
• Practise the A1 speaking tasks: introducing yourself, asking questions, asking for something. You can prepare your answers in writing first.
• Find one classmate and agree on ten minutes of German on the phone once a week. Use only what you learned in class.

Notice what changes

Keep your three sentences from each class in one place. After a month, read the first ones again. Most learners are surprised how simple they now feel, and that is real progress.

Your first step after your next class

• Write three sentences with today's topic.
• Tomorrow, do one short exercise on the same topic.
• Before the next class, say five sentences out loud and bring one question.

Fifteen minutes spread over three days, and your next lesson starts where the last one ended.