This technical approach is how I tried and failed to learn German. In the end what worked was exposure/absorption and getting a feel for what sounds right - the same way I learnt my native language.
In sharing this link I'm not advocating a total technical approach!
As for exposure/absorption you are completely right, I have attempted to create a mini Germany head space.
What I'm doing and recommend to whoever interested:
- I switched my Phone's language to Deutsch. When searching the web I end up with results in German that I try to comprehend if I have time: looking up the word on the translator (and less often on an online german dictionary - which i should be doing more)
-I started listening to songs in German (I came to like the first albums by Tocotronic)
-I have joined a discord server titled "German Learning And Discussion" (should anyone want to search for it) , if I have time at night I join a call with a couple of natives and learners.
-I check Duolingo's stories and exercises now and then, although not my favourite methodology.
- Watch movies / TV series with (German) subtitles. Recommendations: Dubbed stuff that is easy to digest like e.g. Crime Stuff / Big Bang Theory.
- Or more advanced, German productions: Dark on Netflix; Babylon Berlin; Bad Banks; Stromberg (The Office clone); Tatortreiniger; Tatort.
- Read books like that you might know in your native language: the Little Prince, Harry Potter.
haven't unfortunately watched a lot of those the past days but will look for what you recommended!
When I played this for the first time, it took me a while to figure out why their lips weren't agreeing with what they were saying. By default Netflix played the English dub for me instead of German audio with English subtitles.
The subject matter of Dark is good enough that I would watch it anyway, but if it's originally in German? Huge bonus. I have been watching it on German audio with "description" in German (so there's a narrator talking about things people are doing, describing their facial expressions, etc) and English subtitles. I wish there were more content like this available in the States.