Can you learn to speak German using a CD or Mp3 ? Certainly you can learn the basics and see it as a stepping stone to further understanding of the language and eventual fluency. The major advantage of a German audio course is that it gives you freedom and flexibility in when and where you want to learn German. And for many people this is a major advantage over other types of courses. This article will cover some of these issues.

It may not come as a surprise to you that a German audio will teach you 2 of the core skills to learning any language, but these are possibly the most important. It will teach you how to speak and comprehend spoken German.

Other things like reading and writing can come later but speaking and understanding are essential and are the fun part. You could liken it to getting a new iphone or some other electronic gadget. Speaking to friends on your iphone is the fun bit but there are plenty of other things that you can do with the phone. Until you read the operating instructions these will be a mystery to you. Learning to read and write are for a language like paging through the operating instructions of your shiny new phone. A bit dull but also essential if you want to get all the use and power that you desire out of your phone.

You will get the best out of German CD or Mp3’s, if you listen to them often. Every spare moment should be given to listening to some form of German audio. So even if you don’t have the specific CD’s available, try listening to German music or radio.

Many people like to listen to the Mp3 or CD in their car. They have a regular hour or so that they have to write off commuting to work or dropping off the kids each day. So using this time to multi-task is a good idea. However a balance has to be reached between concentrating on the course and keeping your eye on the road.

There will be times on the road, like a traffic jam, where you can give yourself to the course a bit more but at other times you will need to be more careful. It will be hard to concentrate on the course when you are focused on driving however it can be done. The more you listen to it the easier it becomes to tune in and out of the lesson and still know what is going on.

Other ways to get the most out of your German audios is to listen to them while commuting on public transport. A personal CD or Mp3 player is ideal in this case but many audio courses require you to speak out aloud so this might not be possible on the bus or train.

Some people also listen to German mp3 or CD’s while doing exercise. So you could listen to it while jogging or at the gym. Again, depending on how much you have to speak out loud this could be a good solution or not.

Again, the main benefit of a German CD or Mp3 is that you can multi task but to get the most out of it you need to listen to it first with full concentration. After that you can listen to it in a multi tasking mode or even have it on in the background.

The key to learning anything, especially a language, is to be consistent. Try to hear a bit of spoken German everyday. Even with a little bit of teaching you will find that your knowledge is enhanced. Human brains naturally pick up languages so it is inevitable that you will learn German provided you give it enough time and get enough exposure to German.