Hi I’m Adam.

I’ve lived in Berlin for 4 years now and have been “learning” German since the beginning. I say “learning” because every step of the journey, just when I thought I was doing enough, I realised that it just wasn’t enough.

My goal really is to get to B2-ish level where I can handle most situations and really integrate better into the culture here. Fortunately I don’t need German for work (right now).

Everyone’s learning journey is different so it’s not good to compare and it’s fair to say I am a slow learner naturally as I never learnt any other languages other than English. I was also working a full time job for most of this time which just doesn’t allow for the quickest progression.

Year 1 – A1: I was doing 1 hour lessons a week with a private tutor.
Year 2 – A2: I started doing 2 x week 90 minute evening courses. This took me from A2 into B1 but I felt so out of depth in B1 I put German down again.
Year 3 – A2-B2-B1: For 5 months I did an intensive course, finishing A2, completing B1 and starting B2. I felt so out of depth again in B2 that I went back to B1 and attempted to get my B1 Prüfung in month 6-7.

Today B1 is where I sit. I am building up my vocabulary and really need to improve my speaking before I begin B2. My listening and understanding is very good which is frustrating being able to understand but not always finding the words to communicate (effectively).