Learn German A1 in 25 Minutes Step by Step (Crash Course For Beginners)

TLDR;

This video is a German A1 crash course designed to take viewers from zero knowledge to speaking basic sentences in German. It covers essential topics such as pronunciation, basic greetings, sentence structure, personal pronouns, asking questions, numbers, days of the week, and noun genders. The course aims to provide a solid foundation for further German language learning.

Covers essential A1 level German topics in a short time.
Includes pronunciation, greetings, grammar, and practical examples.
Offers a structured approach to learning basic German.

Alphabet & Pronunciation [0:28]

The German alphabet includes 26 letters, similar to English, with four additional characters: Ä, Ö, Ü, and ß (S set or sharp s). The special characters Ä, Ö, and Ü are pronounced differently from their base vowels. The S set typically sounds like a double "s." German also features unique sounds like "ch," which has two variations as in "ich" and "Buch," and "sch," pronounced like "sh" in "Schule." The letter "z" is pronounced as "ts," as in "Zukunft."

Basic Greetings & Sentences [4:44]

Common German greetings include "Hallo" (hello), "Guten Morgen" (good morning), "Guten Tag" (good day), and "Guten Abend" (good evening). "Guten" means good. Ways to say goodbye are "Tschüss" (casual bye), "Bis später" (see you later), and "Auf Wiedersehen" (goodbye, more formal).

Basic Introduction [6:19]

To introduce yourself, you can say "Ich heiße [Name]" (My name is [Name]) or "Ich bin [Name]" (I am [Name]). To state your origin, use "Ich komme aus [Country]" (I come from [Country]), such as "Ich komme aus Japan" (I come from Japan). To mention the city you live in, say "Ich wohne in [City]" (I live in [City]), for example, "Ich wohne in München" (I live in Munich).

Sentence Structure [8:03]

German sentence structure follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, similar to English. Examples include "Ich lerne Deutsch" (I learn German), "Ich trinke Wasser" (I drink water), and "Ich esse Brot" (I eat bread).

Personal Pronouns [9:33]

German personal pronouns include "ich" (I), "du" (you, informal), "er" (he), "sie" (she), "es" (it), "wir" (we), "ihr" (you all), and "sie" (they/formal you). Examples of sentences using these pronouns are: "Ich bin müde" (I am tired), "Du lernst Deutsch" (You learn German), "Er hat ein Auto" (He has a car), "Sie ist glücklich" (She is happy), "Es ist kalt" (It is cold), "Wir gehen ins Kino" (We are going to the cinema), "Ihr spielt Fußball" (You all play football), and "Sie arbeiten hier" (They work here).

Ask & Answer Questions [12:33]

To ask where someone is from, you can say "Woher kommst du?" (Where are you from?), and answer with "Ich komme aus [Country]" (I come from [Country]). To ask what someone does, use "Was machst du?" (What do you do?), and respond with "Ich bin Student" (I am a student). To ask if someone speaks German, say "Sprichst du Deutsch?" (Do you speak German?), and answer with "Ja, ein bisschen" (Yes, a little). In questions, the verb and subject switch positions compared to a statement.

German Numbers [15:10]

The numbers from 1 to 10 in German are: "eins," "zwei," "drei," "vier," "fünf," "sechs," "sieben," "acht," "neun," "zehn." The numbers from 11 to 20 are: "elf," "zwölf," "dreizehn," "vierzehn," "fünfzehn," "sechzehn," "siebzehn," "achtzehn," "neunzehn," "zwanzig." Numbers 11 and 12 don't follow a pattern and must be memorized. The numbers 13-19 end in "zehn" (ten), and the first part is the root of the corresponding number from 3 to 9. To ask someone's age, say "Wie alt bist du?" (How old are you?), and answer with "Ich bin [age] Jahre alt" (I am [age] years old).

Day of the Week [19:39]

The days of the week in German are: "Montag" (Monday), "Dienstag" (Tuesday), "Mittwoch" (Wednesday), "Donnerstag" (Thursday), "Freitag" (Friday), "Samstag" (Saturday), and "Sonntag" (Sunday). All weekdays end with "-tag," except for "Mittwoch." Example sentences include "Heute ist Montag" (Today is Monday) and "Morgen ist Mittwoch" (Tomorrow is Wednesday).

Noun Genders [21:21]

In German, nouns have genders: masculine (der), feminine (die), and neuter (das). There is no clear rule for determining a noun's gender, so it must be memorized with the noun. Examples include "der Tisch" (the table, masculine), "die Katze" (the cat, feminine), and "das Haus" (the house, neuter).

A1 Dialogue Exercise [23:18]

In a dialogue between Max and Leon, they introduce themselves and ask where each other is from. Leon asks Max "Woher kommst du?" (Where are you from?), and Max answers that he is from Spain.