Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions
Difficulty
Yes! Buttertongue was designed so that even a total beginner can learn German. If you plan on learning German by yourself as a beginner, you just have to be a bit more diligent! You need the will to keep studying step by step, carefully, and tirelessly.
We recommend you to start again from lesson 1 if possible. If you can’t specify the level of basic courses you’ve learned before, we recommend you to start from scratch as a means of reviewing the things you know.
Buttertongue German is designed to give different things to people at different levels. Even if you know some basics, there are many things to learn from lesson 1 and lesson 2. That’s because you can study the pronunciation of native English teachers, sentence composition, speech habits, etc.
Or look at the curriculum and choose by yourself. If you’ve already studied a basic course, you can look at the curriculum and decide where to start for yourself. However, we recommend you start from lesson 1 to check what you already know, and reinforce weak points in your speech.
We do not offer a course above level B1.
First, if you have studied B1 faithfully, you have the ability to study reading, writing, listening, and speaking alone. Just as basic construction is important when building a house, it is important to strengthen the basic German language process quickly and efficiently. our curriculum focuses on this.
Second, Internet lectures have distinct limitations in learning a foreign language above the intermediate level. It is better to learn language by mobilizing your five senses, and to connect your life experiences and intellectual training. Internet lectures alone are not enough to create such a connection. However, internet lectures have the advantage that you can use it anytime, anywhere at low cost. If you have created a basic skillset using our program, you should further you skill not online, but offline in the real world.
Other questions
No, we only offer online streaming of the content.
Studying
Not necessarily. We recommend you take our lessons in the order of English subtitles, then German subtitles and lastly no subtitles. However, you are free to change the order or view multiple subtitles at once. Use the studying style that fits you best.
Keep your pace. The most difficult thing about studying on your own is that you tend to lazy. Therefore, it is vital that you keep up your determination, find ways to keep studying at a steady pace and to find fun while you do so.
Using subtitles and transcripts it is absolutely possible to understand the lessons. And if you repeat what your teacher tells you, you’ll find yourself being skilled at German. Don’t worry.
Our curriculum aims to lead students to study basic German grammar well. And it is designed so you can develop listening and writing skills while doing so. In terms of grammar, you can reach levels above B1 by steadily studying the whole curriculum.
German is a language with more complicated grammar than other languages. It is much more complicated and difficult than English. No matter what other languages are, it is no exaggeration to say that German begins with grammar and ends with grammar. No conversation, reading, or writing can proceed without it.
However, studying grammar a lot is not enough to pass exams such as A1 and A2. Ability to read, listen, speak, write, etc. must meet the requirements of each level. Especially in order to prepare and train speaking and writing areas, it is not possible using online courses and studying alone. It’s the same with any online course.
By studying grammar through our lessons, you can lay a good foundation for listening skills in addition to grammar and reading skills. Listening is the basis of speaking ability, and grammar and reading ability are the basis of writing ability.
If you study faithfully, it should take about 3-4 hours per lesson. This time can be significantly shorter, or even longer according to your studying method. During this time you will prepare for the lesson by studying the class material and utilizing the flashcard program, then listening to the lesson repeatedly with different subtitles, and lastly solving the example questions and reviewing the lesson content. This can be done at different speeds. If you were to actively study what the teacher says, it would take much longer, while you also take much more away. You could also take the lesson quickly once and the retake it later.