That’s right, use this simple technique we were all taught in school! You can use flash cards in two different ways. First of all, you can place a card on objects around the house with the German word for that object. This will help you learn the German words for common things around the house and get others involved. The second thing you can do with flash cards is, put common phrases in German on one side of a card and then the English translation on the other side of the card. Then, speak the phrases in German when ever you have the opportunity.

Tip #3: Read Comic Strips and Children’s Books

I know it may sound silly but by using children’s books you avoid advanced and hard to translate words. Take comic strips, or children’s books that you are familiar with that have been translated into German and practice reading them. These publications will have simple sentence structure and should be fairly short in length. It is also helpful if you have a copy in English so that if you really get in a bind you can translate. Hopefully though, you will know the story well enough to fill in the blanks when you are unsure of a word or phrase. (Again, you can find translated books online fairly easily)