u/Latter_Airline_705

Since joining this and other languages subreddit, I have seen many people say things like, “I went from A0 to C1 in six months,” or, “I learned English in one year just by passive exposure.”
I do not necessarily think these people are lying or deliberately trying to brag. I think many genuinely remember their experience that way. However, when they provide more context, the story often becomes very different.

Someone says they learned French in six months, but later mentions studying it for five years in school. They insist that this does not count because they had forgotten everything. However, feeling as though you remember nothing is not the same as having no previous knowledge. Relearning vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar you encountered years ago is very different from starting entirely from scratch. (TL)

My own experience with English is a good example. I started learning it at school when I was three. At around sixteen, I began watching a lot of English language tv, and my comprehension suddenly improved enormously. If I compressed that memory, I could say that I became fluent by watching tv for a year.
But that would leave out thirteen years of classes, homework and regular exposure. Watching television may have created the breakthrough, but it did not build the entire foundation. I think people often remember the breakthrough and forget the many less exciting years that made it possible.

There is also a lot of imprecision around language levels. Some people describe themselves as A1 because they could not speak comfortably, even though their passive knowledge may already have been closer to A2 or B1. Then they claim to have jumped from A1 to B2 in a few months. Others use C1 or fluency to mean being comfortable in everyday conversations, even without having formally assessed all four skills.
Of course, genuinely rapid progress is possible. Someone studying intensively every morning, receiving structured instruction and spending several additional hours practising can make enormous progress in six or twelve months. Some people are also exceptionally talented language learners.

What I find harder to believe without further context is someone starting completely from zero, while studying or working full time, and reaching a genuine fluency through casual exposure within six months. In those cases, I suspect there is often previous education, a related language, much more study time than mentioned, or a generous interpretation of fluency.

Again, I do not think most people are intentionally being dishonest. I think memory compresses years of gradual learning and makes the final breakthrough feel like the entire process.
Do you think most “fluent in six months” stories leave out important context? Have you ever realised that your own language learning story was more complicated than you initially remembered?

Hi! I’m currently around B1 and looking for a good course to help me progress toward B2. I work full-time, so I need evening classes, ideally three times per week, although I would also consider two or four.

I’ve previously taken courses with IUCM and DKFA, but my experiences were inconsistent. I had some excellent courses and some very disappointing ones, with the quality mostly depending on the individual teacher.

Can anyone recommend a reliable evening course in Munich or a good live online course? I’ve heard positive things about MVHS and Preply, so I’d also appreciate experiences with either of those. Recommendations for specific teachers or tutors you have personally studied with would be especially helpful, especially for preply

Mi sono trasferito in Germania quasi cinque anni fa per un master in inglese senza conoscere una sola parola di tedesco. Durante il mio primo semestre, ho completato un corso intensivo A1 e ho continuato a seguire lezioni durante l'università, anche se i periodi degli esami a volte mi impedivano di finirle. In oltre tre anni, ho raggiunto un solido B1. Sono orgoglioso di quel progresso.

Ho seguito le lezioni, completato i compiti, studiato vocaboli con Anki, consumato media tedeschi e praticato con il mio ragazzo tedesco. Posso gestire appuntamenti, faccende e interazioni quotidiane e generalmente capisco di cosa parlano le persone in tedesco standard. Tuttavia, non riesco ancora a esprimermi abbastanza bene per conversazioni complesse o amicizie. Da quando ho raggiunto B1, ho fatto fatica a progredire verso B2. I livelli precedenti sono stati raggiunti in parte attraverso un'esposizione passiva, ma questo passo successivo sembra richiedere molto più parlare attivo, studio strutturato e pratica costante.

Il problema è il tempo e l'energia. Durante il mio master, ho studiato a tempo pieno in inglese, lavorato 20 ore a settimana e affrontato problemi di salute. Poi ho iniziato a lavorare a tempo pieno immediatamente dopo la laurea, quindi non ho mai avuto alcuni mesi liberi per un corso intensivo. Ora lavoro 40 ore a settimana cercando di gestire la mia salute e altre responsabilità da adulto. Realisticamente, progredire richiederebbe probabilmente lezioni due volte a settimana, compiti, studio del vocabolario e pratica di conversazione regolare. Voglio farlo prima o poi, ma al momento non ho la capacità per farlo. Ciò che mi frustrano è che alcune persone sentono solo “cinque anni in Germania” e presumono che dovrei già essere fluente. Non considerano che la mia laurea, il lavoro e molte relazioni sono in inglese, che è già la mia seconda lingua. Tra gli studenti internazionali che hanno iniziato il mio master con me e avevano orari simili, io ho effettivamente raggiunto il livello di tedesco più alto. Le persone che conosco che sono diventate fluenti rapidamente hanno trascorso i loro primi due o tre anni principalmente a studiare tedesco. Per me, questo suggerisce che le ore di apprendimento concentrate contano di più che semplicemente vivere in un paese.

Ho anche imparato l'inglese a un alto livello, ma questo è avvenuto gradualmente durante la mia infanzia e adolescenza. L'ho studiato a scuola per anni, consumato enormi quantità di media e musica in inglese, e durante gli ultimi anni delle superiori ho frequentato sei ore di lezioni pomeridiane supplementari ogni settimana, comprese due ore dedicate interamente alla conversazione. Penso che le persone che hanno imparato le lingue in questo modo spesso sottovalutino il tempo cumulato coinvolto: anni di lezioni, compiti, esposizione ai media e a volte scambi incentrati esclusivamente sull'apprendimento della lingua. Questo è molto diverso dall'imparare da adulti mentre si lavora, si gestisce la propria salute e si mantiene una vita indipendente. Semplicemente vivere in Germania non trasforma automaticamente ogni ora in pratica effettiva di tedesco, soprattutto quando la mia laurea e il lavoro sono in inglese.

Voglio ancora raggiungere la fluidità e spero di costruire un piano sostenibile da B1 a B2 entro la fine dell'anno. Ma sto lottando con le aspettative degli altri e cominciando a mettere in discussione anche la mia prospettiva. Per coloro che hanno imparato una lingua da adulti lavoratori: sono realistico o sto solo facendo scuse? Come siete passati da B1 a B2 con tempo limitato?

Edit: I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and offering meaningful advice. Several people have used CEFR-based estimates to calculate that studying for one or two hours per day would/should have let me reach the next level within a certain number of months. That can be a helpful rough guide, and of course more study generally means faster progress.
I never am not saying studying 1 hour per day is impossible. My point is that 7–14 hours per week is not a small commitment for someone working full-time, commuting and managing the rest of their adult life. It may be possible, but it can require meaningful sacrifices.
I also think presenting it as “just study one or two hours per day” can ultimately be discouraging. People may move to Germany, develop real-life commitments, realise they cannot progress as quickly as those calculations suggested and conclude that they are failing, or simply give up.

Honestly, many of these replies feel as though they come from people who are still studying or have the privilege of not having to support themselves financially or manage their lives independently. I also had much more time for language learning when I was a student. Adult life is different, and choosing not to reduce my employment or sacrifice my health and relationships does not mean I’m uncommitted.

If you can and want to take some time away from work or other commitments and focus on German intensively, you may improve much faster. If you cannot, the process will probably be slower, but that does not mean you cannot get there. As many people in the replies have also said, every level already makes life easier and is valuable in itself.

I moved to Germany almost five years ago for an English-taught master’s without knowing a single word of German(TL). During my first semester, I completed an intensive A1 course and continued taking classes throughout university, although exam periods sometimes prevented me from finishing them. Over three years, I reached a solid B1.
I’m proud of that progress.

I attended classes, completed homework, studied vocabulary with Anki, consumed German media and practised with my German boyfriend. I can manage appointments, errands and everyday interactions, and I generally understand what people are discussing in Standard German. However, I still can’t express myself well enough for complex conversations or friendships.
Since reaching B1, I’ve struggled to progress to B2. The earlier levels came partly through passive exposure, but this next step seems to require much more active speaking, structured study and consistent practice.

The problem is time and energy. During my master’s, I studied full-time in English, worked 20 hours a week and dealt with health issues. I then started working full-time immediately after graduating, so I never had a few free months for an intensive course. I now work 40 hours a week while still managing my health and other adult responsibilities.
Realistically, progressing would probably require classes twice a week, homework, vocabulary study and regular conversation practice. I want to do that eventually, but right now I don’t have the capacity to.
What frustrates me is that some people only hear “five years in Germany” and assume I should already be fluent. They don’t consider that my degree, job and many relationships operate in English, which is already my second language. Among the international students who began my master’s with me and had similar schedules, I actually reached the highest German level. The people I know who became fluent quickly spent their first two or three years primarily studying German. To me, that suggests focused learning hours matter more than simply living in a country.

I also learned English to a high level, but that happened gradually throughout my childhood and adolescence. I studied it at school for years, consumed enormous amounts of English-language media and music, and during my final years of high school attended an additional six hours of afternoon classes every week, including two hours dedicated entirely to conversation. I think people who learned languages this way often underestimate the cumulative time involved: years of lessons, homework, media exposure and sometimes exchanges centred exclusively on language learning. That is very different from learning as an adult while working, managing your health and maintaining an independent life. Simply living in Germany doesn’t automatically turn every hour into effective German practice, especially when my degree and job are in English.

I still want to reach fluency and hope to build a sustainable B1-to-B2 plan later this year. But I’m struggling with other people’s expectations and starting to question my own perspective.
For those who learned a language as working adults: am I being realistic, or am I making excuses? How did you move from B1 to B2 with limited time?

My native language is a Romance language, and I currently have approximately a B1 level in German (TL).
I understand standard German reasonably well. If people speak clearly, I can normally follow the general topic, even if I miss some details. When speaking, I can survive practical situations such as arranging a medical appointment, asking for information, or handling errands. However, I cannot yet maintain a natural social conversation or properly express my personality.

My boyfriend’s family believes that exclusively speaking German with me will force me to improve. I understand the logic behind immersion, but I don’t think the way they are doing it provides useful input at my current level.
They aren’t accustomed to communicating with foreigners or language learners. They speak naturally and quickly, use vocabulary and sentence structures far beyond my level, and rarely simplify or rephrase things when I’m confused. Consequently, I often understand too little of the conversation to learn anything from context.
When I try to respond, they frequently interrupt me to correct my vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammar. If I make several mistakes, they also struggle to infer what I’m trying to communicate. I know corrections can be valuable, but constant interruptions make me lose my train of thought and become increasingly reluctant to speak.
I completely understand them wanting to speak German when the whole family is together. I have never asked everyone to change the language of a gathering for me. However, even when I’m alone with relatives who speak fluent English or my native language, they still insist on German because they believe it is better for my learning. Nobody else would be excluded in those situations.
I’ve discussed this with my boyfriend several times. I’ve explained that this doesn’t feel like productive practice—it makes communication with his family exhausting and leaves me less motivated to engage with them. He believes I should make a greater effort and that this exposure will eventually help me improve.

I agree that I need more conversational practice, but I think it should be structured around my current ability. Ideally, it would involve manageable topics, vocabulary, and grammar that I already partially understand or could learn relatively quickly. Being placed in a fast, complex conversation where I lack most of the necessary vocabulary doesn’t seem to create gradual progress.
My boyfriend and I occasionally speak German together, but our conversations remain very basic. For anything important or nuanced, we naturally return to my native language, which has always been the primary language of our relationship.
I previously attended several structured German courses. However, I currently work 40 hours a week while managing a chronic health condition and frequent medical appointments, so I don’t have the physical capacity for another intensive course or study plan right now. I still want to improve gradually, but I need a realistic method that fits my current life.

Does this actually count as useful immersion or comprehensible input at B1? Can someone learn effectively when they understand so little and are constantly interrupted? What would be a more productive way for native-speaking relatives to communicate with and correct someone at my level?

I genuinely don’t understand why some drivers in Munich seem so angry and so determined to turn every small mistake into an argument.

Today around Maximilianstraße I was waiting at an intersection in the bike lane. I saw a bicycle light turn green and started moving, then immediately realized I’d accidentally looked at the bicycle light for cyclists going in the opposite direction. My light was still red.
My mistake, absolutely. I stopped immediately. I hadn’t entered the car lane, was moving slowly, and was still several meters away from the car crossing in front of me.

The people in the car started shouting and gesturing at me. Fine. For a second they probably thought I was going to continue. But I stopped, they drove through, nobody was in danger, situation over.

Except apparently it wasn’t.

At the next intersection, I was going straight and they were turning right. They had to yield to me, but instead they stopped and started shouting at me again.
And this is the part I genuinely don’t understand. What exactly am I supposed to do? Stop in the middle of traffic and have an argument with you? Apologize through your car window? Stand there while you lecture me about a mistake I already realized I made?

I’m not pretending I did nothing wrong. I misread a traffic light. But I noticed almost immediately, stopped, and the situation was over. Why carry that anger to the next intersection just to confront a complete stranger again?
German also isn’t my first language. I understand it well, but when someone is suddenly shouting at me while I’m navigating traffic, I’m not exactly prepared for a roadside debate. Today I eventually just shouted “leave me alone” in my own language and kept going.
This also isn’t the first time I’ve had someone here insist on continuing a confrontation over something that was already over. I genuinely don’t understand what they expect the other person to do.
For people who’ve lived in Munich for a long time, how do you react when someone does this? Do you apologize, argue back, ignore them, just leave? What response are people actually expecting when they start shouting at you?