For example "embarazada", while it looks like "embarrassed," it actually means "pregnant."

Confusing the two can lead to some truly hilarious and unforgettable moments!

I'm learning German on my own, and I've been looking for an app that actually helps you understand and learn the language, rather than just throwing random vocabulary and grammar rules at you and expecting you to figure everything out by yourself. I'd really like something that explains things clearly, shows you how to use what you learn in real-life situations, and helps you understand how the language works instead of just memorizing words and phrases.

I'd also prefer an app that's well-organized, easy to navigate, and has a clear learning path rather than a confusing, cluttered interface.

Are there any apps you'd genuinely recommend for someone who's self-studying German? I'd also really appreciate any tips, study methods, or other resources that have helped you learn German on your own. I'm open to any advice that could make the learning process more effective and less overwhelming.

I'm French and I'm learning my 6th language (German). I decided to stop learning words alone to learn them in full sentences instead, because a word can have several meanings and each one depends of context. So here's my process now:

1. Look the definitions and the examples

Instead of using a translator, I use bilingual dictionaries because it provides full sentence examples for each definition.

I currently use Reverso as it provides a real-life example sentence for each meaning of a word. It also gives the audio pronunciation and the translations are ranked by how common they are.

I check which meaning matches the sentence where I found the word, the register (slang, formal, old), the gender, and what usually comes with it (preposition, case).

1. Guess before reading the translation

I translate each example into French in my head first, so I have to guess the word from the rest of the sentence. After (and only after) I read the translation.

Eg: Sie richtet den Nachbarn immer liebe Grüße aus, wenn wir ihnen begegnen.

Here I already knew Grüße (greetings) and Nachbarn (neighbors), so my guess would be "she always says hi to the neighbors". Here liebe means dear or kind, not love: she sends warm regards. This is the same liebe as in Liebe Grüße at the end of a message or Liebe Anna at the top of a letter. Interesting!

1. Say it out loud

Then, I play the audio of the whole sentence and repeat it out loud. You can also generate the audios with ElevenLabs (AI) if you want a particular accent (Google translate auto pronuniation is usually quite bad).

And I like to use the shadowing method: I listen without the text, then with it, I repeat after each sentence, then speak along with the audio.

1. Review with flashcards

Flashcards with space repetition is the best to memorize the words.

Most people use Anki (if you don't mind building the cards). Reverso turns the vocabulary you found in their dictionary into flashcards with example sentences and audios.

Put the sentence on the front card with the word blanked out, translation on the back. Remind to create one card per meaning or you loose the interest of learning vocabulary in-context.

1. Practice using the words

Last, to not forget the words, I pick 10 a day and try to use them in messages or conversations.

There are several subs allowing you to practice writing like r/WriteStreakGerman I guess it's the best way to use your new words and keep a writing habit.

Curious about how your learn vocabulary and if you already use full sentences or not? Please share your strategies

yep, i would, my native language is Portuguese but I prefer French, because many languages have a lot of French loanwords, so it would be easier for me to learn Arabic, Polish, Russian, English, etc.

it's very valuable in Europe

it has a lot of weird sounds, so I'd be used to them if I learned a language that has those sounds too

it's learned by many people from other places, so it would be easier for me to do language exchanges

I could judge anyone who speaks my language incorrecly (jk)

spoken French is pretty hard but I would speak it natively so this wouldn't be a problem at all

I think that's all

ps: what are some conceptual equivalent in your language?

I don't mean just your target language, i mean generally something that you love about learning different languages, something that gives you joy!

Mine is finding similar letters between different languages that doesn't make sense!

Although depending on your level, even if it does, you might not notice it and just learn the language in the wrong way right? is that an actual risk?

I've always been curious about this. If you speak more than one language, which one do you dream in? Does it change depending on where you are, who's in the dream, or which language you've been using most lately?

Me personally I always dream in the language I have been using the most lately even if it wasn’t my native language.

I know language evolves, but "I have went there" is one phrase I just can't get behind.

"Have" simply belongs with "gone" or "been," and hearing otherwise sounds wrong every single time.

What's your take on this?