Table of Contents
Why do Germans speak English fluently?
Age: Young Germans typically speak more and better English than older Germans, because these days English is now pretty much required curriculum from an early age. Since English is seen as very important for success, young Germans are also encouraged a lot to learn and practice English.
When did English language start?
English is a West Germanic language that originated from Anglo-Frisian languages brought to Britain in the mid 5th to 7th centuries AD by Anglo-Saxon migrants from what is now northwest Germany, southern Denmark and the Netherlands.
How many years of English did people in Germany learn in school?
People who after 4 years of Volksschule attended Hauptschule (4 years) and Polytechnikum (1 year) quit school after 9 years, so they had 5 years of english. Those, who attended longer school types like AHS or BHS after Volksschule spent in total 12 (AHS) or 13 (BHS) years in school, so they had Englisch lessons for 8 or 9 years.
Is it easier to learn English or German?
German has four cases and three genders, and lots of exceptions in almost all grammatical rules. And we have “ch” and “pf” and “str” which are hard to pronounce (“Pferch”, “Strumpf”). So for someone, who doesn’t speak any of both languages, many people think that English is easier than German.
How long should it take to become fluent in English in German?
Most Germans are pretty fluent in English. It seems to me that the number of years Germans put into studying English should be roughly comparable to the number of years learners of German would need to put into learning German to achieve comparable fluency. I’m a little over 2 years into learning German and wonder how many years I still have to go.
What do Germans get from the English language they speak?
They get more than just the grammar and words, too. They manage figures of speech, colloquialisms, and slang, often without making it sound forced. I’ve exchanged several emails with Germans before realizing they weren’t native English speakers. That said, the above cartoon is definitely an exaggeration.