Get Real German (Beginners)

The exciting new course for beginners in German (A1.1 foundation level)

Course has opened until end of Mon 8 Jan '24. Click green button and use code NEWYEAR24 at checkout for 20% off the shown price.

So, you want to learn German?

Fed up of fake fluency promises?

Suspicious of BS magic methods?

Don’t end up like so many bright-eyed beginners: soon giving up on your dreams of German fluency, overwhelmed, disillusioned.

Instead, let’s cut the cr*p and get stuck into some real German learning together.

Let’s keep it engaging, keep it clear and keep it coming.

Day by day.

Week by week.

The anticipation of the next instalment, the thrill of real progress.

Introducing Get Real German (Beginners) by Dr Gareth Popkins.

Your first, sure steps on the path to real fluency.

Everything in this new course is designed to ensure that you:

  • know exactly what to do, day-by-day
  • build your skills on firm foundations using tried and tested methods that really work
  • develop a great language learning habit: the key to real progress…
…instead of giving up on your dreams of German fluency, like so many once-keen beginners.

Overwhelmed.

Disillusioned by the latest flashy fluency fad.

Get Real German (Beginners) is a ten week course.

You’ll avoid “everything is thrown at you at once” overwhelm because you get one lesson a week, in five, daily instalments (then two days to consolidate or take a break)

You’ll have new content to look forward to each day and you’ll know exactly what to do with it.

There’s no one single “new”, fad method that’ll supposedly remove the struggle.

No!

With Get Real German, you’ll apply tried and tested methods.

You’ll experience the thrill of your first steps to fluency

…and be carried on through the frustration that's part and parcel of any REAL progress on your German journey.

You’ll build the confidence and the habits for the road ahead, with all its ups and downs.

It’s time for Get Real German!
 

Get Real German is organised round a series of nine entertaining conversations between native speakers.

You'll immerse yourself in high quality audio with beautiful sound design.

Join our hero Herr Klaus Weber in a series of episodes from his trip to the lovely town of Burgheim.

He's there to shoot a documentary featuring his old school friend the successful fashion designer and business woman extraordinaire Sabrina Lang.

That's easier said than done.

Herr Weber's a friendly type but even he would admit that he can be forgetful...

...and he does seem to be just a little bit accident prone.

His host, Frau Martina Bosch, meets him at the airport.

What could possibly go wrong?

Course has opened until end of Mon 8 Jan '24. Click green button and use code NEWYEAR24 at checkout for 20% off the shown price.

 

Who’s behind the course?

I'm Dr Gareth Popkins, language learner, teacher and course creator, founder of the long-standing Howtogetfluent.com blog and YouTube channel.

I've been living and breathing language learning for over thirty years.

But I'm far from being a gifted "natural" when it comes to language learning.

I've got fluent in my languages as an adult, primarily not through attending classes but thanks to independent self-study and lots of practice: a combination of listening and reading, deliberate study and loads of speaking, with feedback from more experienced speakers.

Becoming fluent in a language is a miraculous thing. It's transformed my life and I want that for you.

I get really worked up when I see the language "industry" over promising and under delivering...

Leaving discouraged learners out of pocket with shattered dreams of fluency.

So, I started making my own no-gimmicks courses: high quality, well-designed and engaging, seasoned with my own, mild humour.

For Get Real German I've partnered with native-speaker teachers Sabrina and Judith to produce my step-by-step Get Real German (Beginners) course.

Dr Popkins, as seen at:

The Get Real German experience. What it is, how it works:

Each week you’ll follow the simple three step fluency routine that the students on the Dr Popkins intermediate course, the Weekly German Workouts, have praised so much.

We release each week's lesson in five, daily instalments.

STEP ONE: Immersion

On Day One you simply listen to the entertaining native audio conversations.

Fact is, most adult learners don’t get nearly enough listening practice.

We’ll build it in from the beginning.

Headphones on and focus!

It's time for the next instalment of Herr Weber's adventures in Burgheim.

You won’t understand everything but you need to get used to that!

After all, it’s what you’ll experience out in the field.

On Day Two, you listen again but this time you can read along with the German transcript.

You’ll start unlocking the German with the help of two English translations.

One’s into natural English. The other is word-for-word literal, so that you can see how German works.

Now you’re already reinforcing what you’ve heard and starting to work out the bits you didn’t understand for yourself (which is a great way to help your learning stick).

STEP TWO: Explanation

By now you’re keen to discover what you got right and eager to know what left you puzzled.

It’s time for us to step in with some clear explanations.

On Day Three, you'll receive the Wortlabor, your weekly vocab lesson. Relevant words and phrases you can use right away.

On Day Four you get the Musterwerkstatt (the grammar). We keep jargon and “rules” to a minimum. The focus is on patterns you can apply on the fly.

STEP THREE: Practice

On Day Five you continue to interact with what you've listened to, read and learned so far.

You’ll get the key to Day Three’s vocabulary- and Day Four’s and grammar exercises.

You’ll get two recorded role play exercises, based on the Day One exercises.

And, you’ll get ideas of how to take your practice forward beyond the course.

You can do that during the next two consolidation days (no new material) or just sit back for a breather and let everything settle.

Then you’re ready to start with the following week’s cycle…

It’s really that simple.

Do that for ten weeks and….you’re on your way!

 

What's included?

  • Eight engaging conversations (mp3, native speakers, beautiful sound engineering). We follow Herr Weber, a friendly but somewhat accident prone video journalist as he shoots a film featuring business woman extraordinaire Sabrina Lang.
  • Sixteen role-play versions of the audio (two for each conversation)
  • German transcripts of each conversation so that you can listen and read. A natural translation to English to help you understand and a literal translation to show you how German works
  • Nine "Wortlabor" vocab lessons with self-correct exercises (all fully downloadable .pdfs) and insights into the culture
  • Nine "Musterwerkstatt" grammar lessons with self-correct exercises (all fully downloadable .pdfs)
  • Method videos from Dr P
  • Two in-depth pronunciation lessons (.pdfs with native recordings)
  • Personal tracking sheet (optional accountability, direct to Dr P)
  • Unlimited one-to-one email coaching with Dr P, throughout the course)
  • Twenty-five day full refund guarantee. No questions asked!

Course has opened until end of Mon 8 Jan '24. Click green button and use code NEWYEAR24 at checkout for 20% off the shown price.

 

This is not for you if:

  • You expect instant results without effort and you're really looking for the next fad method or instant fluency pill
  • You're already an intermediate learner (unless you want to consolidate)
  • You just want to speak. The focus is on developing your listening skills, giving you usable vocab and grammar to launch into speaking with confidence. There are texts to read out, short conversations to practice and there's audio role play, but this is not a course with a live speaking element

This is for you if:

  • You're a complete beginner or false beginner in German
  • You're serious about learning the language from the ground up (not just looking for a few holiday phrases)
  • You appreciate well-designed and beautifully produced learning materials
  • You enjoy the focus of self study but you want some pace, accountability and personal mentoring from Dr P.

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course runs for ten weeks following enrolment You get new material for each of the first five days, then a two day break then material over the following five days and so on. The sixth week is a revision week. The course is not open for enrolment all the time. Current round closed end of Mon 9 Jan '23 (Pacific)
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to all the Get Real German material - across any and all devices you own. If you miss anything week-to-week, you can catch up at your leisure and you can (and should) review the material anytime you wish.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
Join up and give it a go. I'm confident that you'll get huge value from the programme but if you are not happy, you can cancel with a full refund within twenty-five days of enrolment. No questions asked.
How much time will I need to put in?
I recommend one, thirty minute "focus" slot at least five days a week. If you can fit in forty-five minutes to an hour, all the better! Of course, if you occasionally miss, it's not the end of the world but, if half an hour sounds like too tall an order, Get Real German may not be right for you at this stage. You'll have lifetime access to the materials so you can (and should) return to them whenever you can.
What if I don't understand the self-study materials or feel lost?
You'll have parallel translations of the dialogues, clear explanations and a key to the exercises. You'll have the training videos from Dr P and unlimited email access to Dr P on the methods. If you still have questions, shoot Dr P an email.
What about speaking practice?
The core of each week of Get Real German is a realistic dialogue at slightly below natural speed. Listening skills are central, which will set you up for real conversations. Plus, you'll cover lots and lots of the basic vocab, phrases and grammar patterns that you need to speak. So, while there isn't a speaking element in the course itself, you'll have set yourself up for a confident start. But you'll still need lots of speaking practice. We all do. To get started you could hire a teacher one-to-one or get an exchange partner (you meet for an hour, half speaking English, half German)
Will Get Real German prepare me for a beginner level German exam (A1)
We've built with careful reference to the A1 (beginner) skills grid on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. We focus on some of the most important new A1 grammar. The course is a great way ahead for the first stage of your A1 journey but it does not cover all that you need. We think a thorough, but slower pace is the way to real success in the end. There there will be more to do to get ready for the A1 exam from (e.g. the Goethe Institut or TELC).
I've already learned some German, is Get Real German for me?
The course does not assume any prior knowledge of German (or language learning). If you've already done some German, so much the better. If you're a false beginner (A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) the course will serve you well. If you're already A2 (upper beginner/pre-intermediate), the course will help you consolidate the grammar you've already encountered and to reinforce / expand your vocabulary and further practice listening skills.
Why is the course priced in dollars?
People are interested from all around the world and the US Dollar is the most widely-accepted currency. You can make payment by card no matter where you live, and your bank will automatically convert the USD to your local currency at the market rate.
What if I fall behind with the weekly routine?
No worries! You'll have the materials for life and you can follow along at your own pace.

Course has opened until end of Mon 8 Jan '24. Click green button and use code NEWYEAR24 at checkout for 20% off the shown price.

This course is closed for enrollment.

If you have further questions, drop me (Dr P) an email gareth [at] howtogetfluent.com and I'll get back to you soonest.