My first day in German class at Alexanderplatz!

Sara, 05. Dezember 2019

I woke up, had a quick little breakfast and was on my way to my first German class ever. That was back in July when the sun was shining and Berlin was sunny. I really miss it now that it’s cold! Arriving to Alexanderplatz, I spotted the famous Fernsehenturm and started looking for the building where a new chapter of my life was about to begin. As I made my way to class, I kept thinking to myself: “What am I doing here?”, “am I really going to learn German? German?? oh well, here we go”…  It felt so surreal to be standing in the middle of Alexanderplatz that day. I had come from Lebanon a month before and still hadn’t processed it. That day, it hit me. I was in Berlin, I was about to start learning German to live in Berlin. wow. I felt extremely overwhelmed. In 5 minutes, I was going to enter a room with people I had never met, and I was about to learn a language I would have never thought I’d be learning.

I got to class and spotted multiple people already at their seats. They all had the same hesitant look as me, awkwardly exchanging smiles and nods. The teacher entered the class and presented herself. Then it was the students’ turn; we were all coming from different countries and coming for entirely different reasons. I was so impressed with the diversity of the students. Some students were in their early 20s, moved to Berlin to learn the language. Some were in their 30s working or married and had relocated to this city for professional or personal reasons. What startled me the most, was that each student came from a different country and spoke a different language (Spanish, Arabic, French, Hindu, Italian, Polish…). It was amazing to see such a diverse group of people coming together on this day to learn a language and become a part of this new city. It made me feel like I belonged. 

My new German course in Berlin

Sara, 03. Dezember 2019

My name is Sara and I am 24 years old. I come from Lebanon, a small country on the Mediterranean Sea known for its beauty and history. Lebanon is a little treasure lost in the middle of chaos that never ceases to surprise. Leaving Lebanon in 2013, I pursued my studies in Montreal, Canada and moved back home after graduating. I started working in an advertising company in Beirut and two years later, I decided it was time for a change.

I packed my bags and moved to Berlin in June to attend a 6 months graphic design workshop. Why did I choose Berlin? I can’t quite put my finger on it. I can’t express why I took that plunge in a city that I barely knew. Today, 5 months later, I still can’t answer that question. All I can say is that Berlin is an endlessly fascinating city and from what I’ve observed so far, people in Berlin know how to live. They enjoy their life the way it is, they live in the moment. Ask me again in a year and I might have a better answer.

The first few weeks in Berlin were a little tough as I needed to fill in papers, do my Anmeldung, go to the Bürgeramt and to the Ausländerbehörde… so many German words that I could not pronounce. Nowhere in the world did I have to fill in so much paperwork, show up in places at 5 am to get an appointment and check my mailbox everyday hoping to get the documents I needed. Once the worst was over, I was ready to start my life in this unpredictable city and now my new German course in Berlin.

 

Akkusativ, Dativ & prepositions in the best German classes in Berlin

Fernanda, 30. Oktober 2019

 

Hello everybody!

I know that German is tough. To be honest I thought I didn’t need German, especially here in Berlin; after all, you can easily survive with English.

Now that I finished A2 with the best German classes in Berlin, I’m happy that I’ve never given up!

German grammar can make you crazy, with all the Dativ/Akkusativ, prepositions, etc. I remembered that I even considered making one of those funny T-shirts saying that. But the truth is that now I feel much better.

I can communicate with everyone, have a conversation and express my opinion. My relationship with Germans friends improved a 100% and for sure will help me also in my professional life. When a German sees you trying they are helpful and thank you for doing that. So my advice is: don’t give up! You’re not alone in this journey and it will get better.

 

Liebe grüβe ☺

Fernanda, 29. Oktober 2019

 

Olá a todos.

Internet tem sido uma ferramenta e tanto nessa jornada de aprender alemão. No site da Deutsch Akademie tem curso online onde é possível treinar gramática (www.deutschakademie.de/online-deutschkurs/). Fora isso, use os aplicativos! Nós usamos o livro Menschen no A2 e eles disponibilizam o um aplicativo para escutar os diversos áudios, ótimo para escutar quando se está indo para o curso ou até mesmo em casa. Outra dica são aplicativos de verbos e artigos, como o DerDieDas e Leo. Sempre quando estou estudando tiro a dúvida com eles. Vale a pena!

 

Liebe grüβe ☺

O resumo de gramática do melhor curso de alemão em Berlim

Fernanda, 28. Oktober 2019

 

Olá a todos 

Deixa eu apresentar o novo melhor amigo de vocês!

Eu confesso que peguei um destes resumos quando me inscrevi na Deutsch Akademie e pensei que provavelmente nem usaria. Tolinha… Depois de tanto uso, um deles fica na parede da cozinha para me fazer companhia no café da manhã e o outro com meus livros. Esse resumo me ajuda a lembrar quando e como usar as preposições e a tabela dos artigos tem me ajudado bastante com a declinação de artigos.  Em algum ponto do meu aprendizado pensei que nunca saberia quando é dativ ou akkusativ. Ainda bem que as coisas mudaram! 

Liebe Grüße 🙂

Go Trabbi Go!

Fernanda,  25. October 2019

Hello everybody!

 You probably saw one of these cars circulating over Berlin. The Trabant car was produced by East Germany and became one of its symbols until today. The interesting of this car is the material used to make the body, duroplast (a mixture of plastic, resin and fiberglass). At the time people from the East had to wait around 10 years to have a car, because only a limited number of cars were produced per year. If you have a valid drivers license, you can have the experience to drive one, there is several agencies that rent this car for a day for you to have a tour around Berlin. I did and was very nice. My only tip is to avoid this tour in winter. They don’t have heat system!

Liebe grüβe ☺

Nightlife in Berlin

Fernanda, 24. October 2019

Hello everybody! 

Nightlife in Berlin is famous, especially for the eclectic options, from electronic to Punk Rock and all kind of cultures. I would suggest you to try Clärchens Ballhaus. The building dated from 1913 opened as a dance hall and through the years has been a dance/club for generations in Berlin Mitte. After WWII the records were lost and the building was damaged. Since then the entrance is visible from the street and looks the same until today. In front of the entrance, there’s a small beer garden to enjoy while you wait for your friends or just enjoy a night outside. The place has some life bands, food and a great atmosphere!

Liebe grüβe ☺

A Must-See for students at the best German school in Berlin

Fernanda, 22. October 2019

Hello everybody!

Here is something historical and for free to do for all students at the best German school in Berlin: the Reichstag. The building was constructed as a house for the parliament of the German Empire from 1894 to 1933. Of course, as most of the city, it was damaged with the war. The building was not the house of the government anymore, given the separation between East and West after the war, and it took some time to start the reconstruction. They slowly reconstruct and refurbished the Reichstag, but only after the German reunification in 3 October 1990 was possible to join efforts and the modern Bundestag was ready in 1999. Today is possible to visit the dome and have a 360o view of Berlin, and be a spectator in one of the sessions from the Bundestag.

Fernanda, 21. October 2019

Olá a todos!

Apesar de todo mundo estar aprendendo alemão, as vezes é difícil entender e se comunicar, principalmente quando temos que lidar com a burocracia. Aqui pode ser ainda mais complicado, então aí vão algumas dicas práticas 🙂

Burgeramt: é tipo uma subprefeitura onde geralmente precisamos fazer o registro de residência (Anmeldung). Não é necessário fazer o registro no Burgeramt mais próximo, é possível fazer em qualquer um. E se você renovou o passaporte e precisa transferir o visto, pode fazer isso lá também. Para evitar marcar horário, ou ficar horas esperando, aí vai a dica: vá em um bairro mais afastado do centro! Eu fiz o meu no Burgeramt Buch, cheguei perto do horário que eles abrem, e tudo foi resolvido em menos de meia hora.

Espero ter ajudado!

Liebe grüβe 🙂

Sunday evenings in Berlin: Tatort!

Fernanda, 18. October 2019

Hello everybody!

 I need to talk about Tatort! For those who never heard, it’s a TV series like all the CSIs. Tatort is a german production from ARD, and it has been on air since 1970, with the same opening and music. Every Sunday is a new episode, but the interesting part is the team. Every week they change the city that is based, which means, there is a team from Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Hannover, and also from other German speaking countries, like Austria and Switzerland. Each city has a team of investigators, so there is no connexion between the episodes; the crimes are solved in 90 minutes. If you don’t have a TV license, usually the episode stays available for a week on ARD-Mediatek, but you can also watch in a bar. Yes, some places show Tatort on Sunday nights and make of this an event, with friends getting together to watch. I highly recommend you to try!

Liebe grüβe!