Learning German - how they succeeded
A new language, a new country - they accepted the challenge: three influencers share their experiences.
Layla: learning German with reality TV
Layla speaks English, Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic - her mother tongue. In 2023 she moved to Germany at the age of 17, without knowing a word of German - but now she speaks the language fluently. She shares her learning experiences with more than 500,000 followers on social media. Her philosophy is that a language course alone is not enough. If you want to learn to speak the language really well, you need to live in German in your daily life - by switching your phone to German, having conversations and watching series. She says that reality TV in particular is a huge help: “The language used there is exactly the kind of relaxed everyday language you really want to master.” She also talks openly about her initial difficulties: for example, she didn’t always find it easy to make new friends. All the same, she is “very happy about her decision” - and wants to stay.
Lara: not her mother tongue, but the language of her heart
German is not her mother tongue, though many people don’t believe her when she tells them this. Born in a small town in Moldova, Lara grew up speaking Romanian and later emigrated to northern Italy, but never felt completely at home there. After completing her schooling she was keen to leave. “I discovered that you can study at university almost free of charge in Germany,” she explains in a YouTube video. She moved to Freiburg in late 2016 - and took a decision: “I wanted to live in this country and feel at home here.” So what is it she likes so much about Germany? The German language as a means of precise expression, the culture of planning, hiking, and coffee and cake on Sundays. These days she thinks and even dreams in German. “After nearly eight years in Germany, I feel at home here, accepted and valued.”
Manu: taking everyday life with good humour
Manu comes from Argentina - but Munich has been her home for six years now. The student reveals on social media how it feels to live between two cultures, and does so with great humour and openness. For example, she reports on how difficult it was to find a new place to live: “Looking for a flat in Germany kept me in a bad mood for a month and a half until I finally found one.” Whether it’s her latest insights into learning German, amusing encounters, German bureaucracy or culinary experiments - Manu takes her followers with her as she goes about her daily life and shares all the things she loves about Germany, as well as the things that are not quite so easy. She already speaks really good German and, with just a dash of irony, mixes Spanish and German to create a very appealing cocktail.
