> I didn't find the grammar particularly hard once you learn the differences.
Then you are either a genius in language learning/grammar or you are not aware of your mistakes (choose for yourself). I say as a native German speaker that even less educated Germans do some really ugly grammar mistakes that you should better avoid, just to give two examples:
1. Using the dative as "Deppengenitiv" (douche's genitive): Some prepositions (such as "wegen") require a genitive; also some (a little bit obscure and old-fashioned) verbs (such as "gedenken") require a genitive object. Uneducated people use them with dative. You are hopefully not uneducated.
So the following sentences are WRONG:
- Wegen einem Unfall kam ich zu spät zur Arbeit.
- Ich gedenke den Verstorbenen.
Correct is of course (you guessed it after I gave the rule):
- Wegen eines Unfalls kam ich zu spät zur Arbeit.
- Ich gedenke der Verstorbenen.
2. Which are the correct principal forms of "hängen"
a) hängen - hing - gehangen,
b) hängen - hängte - gehängt?
Answer: Both are correct, but have different meanings. a) are the correct principal forms of the intransitive verb (i.e. without object) "hängen" and b) are the correct principal forms of the transitive verb (requiring an accusative object) "hängen"
So the following sentences are WRONG:
- Er hing ein Bild auf.
- Die Jacke hängte am Ständer.
Correct is
- Er hängte ein Bild auf.
- Die Jacke hing am Ständer.