Five reasons for reading German books and how to choose well

The longer I think about the topic the more reasons I find to praise the benefits of reading in German or any foreign language. I can also draw on my own experience of reading in Spanish, a language I have been learning over the past 9 years. Here are my top five reasons. In this blog I concentrate on books. Articles will be the focus in the next one.

1) You can read anywhere and whenever you have a free moment. It is nice to develop a routine where you read your German book every day for 15-30 minutes. If you get hooked, read on. Great!

2) You are in charge of the speed. There is no native speaker talking to you too quickly. Fast native speakers are one of the most common problems for students of German. It is very different with your German book: You engage at your pace with the language.

3) You learn new vocab in  context. New words rarely come alone. They have neighbours, other words. These other words often help you with the meaning of new words. Only if really stuck, check the meaning of a new word. I make notes (pencil) on the margins of my Spanish books, and I underline expressions I particularly like. At the weekend I usually transfer those notes in my vocab notebook. I sometimes also record new words and play them back to listen.

4) When reading you will recognize grammar as the architecture of what you read. It's fun to recognize grammatical structures learnt in class, in your textbook or on Duolingo. The same applies to vocab. If you read with an eye for grammar structures in your book you will increasingly feel confident using those structures when you speak or write yourself.

5) Choose well, you want to get hooked: It is crucial that you are really keen to read the book. You may want to read authors you read in translation. You may read non-fiction books on a topic you already know a little about and want to learn more. If you are keen to turn page after page, you know that you chose well.

For students with German at level A1-B1, we recommend Easy Readers. They are abridged and simplified books. One publisher we like is called Spaß am Lesen Verlag. As from B2 onwards, we recommend full length books written in a language which is not too complicated (B2) and sophisticated (C1/C2). The "first page test" which you may use when choosing a book in your native language will also help when choosing a book in German: Browsing in a real bookshop is great, immerse yourself and walk out with a book which you really look forward to reading! The first page test also works online or on your e-reader.

And finally, I love talking about books and recommending. Feel free to request a free Zoom (no strings attached, no need to be a student with us) for a brief chat about your level and reading habits and to discuss your next reading adventure in German!

Reading alone or with others

Reading alone is great for the five reasons mentioned above. If you would like to read a book and speak about it, join one of our German book and conversation clubs. You will read at home and use the learnt vocab in discussion with your fellow book club members (never more than 5) and your tutor. They usually start 3 times a year, last for 10-12 weeks and come at two levels: A2/B1 and B2/C1.More info on our book club programme

Reading is such a personal matter. Anything you would like to add on reading in German or any other foreign language?  Please write to me at: barbara@germantuition.com, barbara@deutsch-in-freiburg.de.

And finally, for more tips or input on reading and other topics around learning German please visit us on instagram and facebook: @germantuitionlondon