Can you imagine showing up for German class in your slippers? So comfortable, so cozy? Can you imagine learning German that suits you & your needs, and not someone else's plan?

If you like this idea, then Comfortable German 1 is for you! Starting in January 2017 you can  start learning German in a small group class that's all about comfort, competencies (not curriculum!), and community. (More about competencies in a moment.)

Comfortable German 1 is for you if you've never learned German before but want to, if you've tried it and want to start over again, or if you have forgotten all your German from school. We're working on the basics to create you a solid foundation of sentence structure & vocabulary. And we'll work through the book based on competencies, so you'll learn skill after skill and repeat the material, instead of pushing through a curriculum "just to get it done." It's a completely different way of learning.

If you want to learn German comfortably, this course is for you! This class runs on 12 Saturdays from 9:30 - 10:30 am Central time, so bring your coffee, snuggle up in your slippers, and learn some German!

Click here to read all about Comfortable German 1, beginning in January!

Besides books and reading, it's safe to say the board games are a known German cultural element. Games are so important to Germans that there is a Verein (club) that reviews games every year known as the Spiel des Jahres (game of the year). There are different categories, three of which are:

• Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year)
• Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year)
• Kennerspiel des Jahres (Game of the Year for Experienced Players)

You can stay up-to-date on their announcements by signing up for their newsletter.

Since German games are awesome and some of them are now cult games of epic proportions--Catan (A) even had a mention on The Big Bang Theory--here are a few games you could get to know any day of the year, and if you're looking for some German Christmas presents, they'll serve you well!

I may have given extra space & extra description to my favorite game...I'm totally biased. And for good reason!

Some of the links below are affiliate links. They are marked with an (A), which means that if you click through that picture/link and make a purchase, I'll receive a small amount of that purchase as a thank-you. And the prices are as of today's publication (Dec. 5, 2016). Enough disclosure--Lasst die Spiele beginnen!

1. Spiel des Jahres 2016

(A) $14

This year's winner is a Czech game based on secret agents with code names (thus the title). The object is to make contact with your own spies! Ages 14 & up for 2-8 players

When you're buying a Christmas gift for someone who is studying German, you may not know exactly what they need. With one small piece of information, that is which level of German they are at, you can do some quality gift buying right here.

Be sneaky! Look on your German learner's book for one of these combinations: A1, A2, B1, B2, or C1. There might be a "+" after it or the book might show a range of levels, for example A2-B1. Sometimes the letter/number combination is on a blue square with the golden stars of the European Union on it. Look for a gift based on that letter/number combo.

Each section of this gift guide is labeled with the learning level according to the Common European Reference Framework for Languages and it starts with the easiest level and increases in difficulty: A1, Kids, A2, B1, B2/C1, with several gifts for virtually everyone listed at the bottom--even your German exchange student! You'll see a variety of gifts for lots of different learners and for all different budget sizes.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. They are marked with an (A), which means that if you click through that picture/link and make a purchase, I'll receive a small amount of that purchase as a thank-you. And the prices are as of today's publication (Dec. 1, 2016). Enough details!

More than anything, I want you to buy the best gift possible for your favorite German student!

Los geht's!

Level A1: Beginner

(A) $6.00	Langenscheidt's German-English, English-German Dictionary This is the dictionary the majority of my clients have used and recommend. They love the ease of use, the accuracy of the translations, and the size. It's a great value for them and hopefully for you, too!
(A) $4.95	German Grammar (Quickstudy: Academic) The clear layout makes each section of this guide easy to read and for their length, each section is surprisingly in-depth. I think this is a sign of quality. Descriptions are concise and effective and it's a really helpful guide for new German students.
(A) $42.27	Hammer's German Grammar and Usage Everybody who uses this book loves it. Period. I've seen students at the beginning AND intermediate levels of German use this book and get help and clear explanations. A must-have for any German student.

There's one more book for the A1-B1 levels that I've included in the B1 section below, look for "Klipp und Klar."

Liebe Leute!

Was gibt es denn schöner zu Weihnachten als eine schöne Weihnachtskarte? Nicht viel!

With the simple Weihnachtsbaum on the front only, you have plenty of room for your own, personal greeting on the blank inside.

Each package includes 6 cards and 6 envelopes, you only pay for the postage you need (no extra!), as PayPal will automatically calculate the postage for you. Wisconsin residents will automatically have 5.5% sales tax included. Please allow 3-4 days for processing.

Hier geht's zu diesen Karten im Shop!

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Wenn Sie Weihnachten nicht feiern, oder Sie möchten statt Weihnachtskarten Neujahrskarten verschicken, können Sie das selbstverständlich auch! Für Sie gibt es die Neujahrskarten 2017!

Liebe Leute!

This is the text of a free eBook, the first of four, all designed to help you with your German!

Over the past several months I've been writing out techniques that have helped clients and myself learn (more) German and it's turned into four eBooks, one about each of the four language skills:

1. speaking
2. listening
3. writing
4. reading

These are the four skills that every quality book or German learning material will exercise, and the four skills you need to be able to communicate in German. This is what needs to be exercised in every lesson, every class, and should be the focus of your German practice each week.

I hope you find them helpful, motivating, and encouraging! Es hat viel Spaß gemacht, sie zu schreiben! If you're on the newsletter list already, you received all four these in an email yesterday (Nov. 14).

The ENTIRE text of "5 Top Tips to Help You Speak German More Easily" is here and if you'd like to get the PDF version, plus the other 3 free eBooks, there is a sign-up at the bottom. And there may be a bonus tip for you somewhere in those eBooks, too!

So, meine geehrte Damen und Herren, without further ado:

5 Top Tips to Help You Speak German More Easily

Erfolg hat drei Buchstaben: t u n ![1]

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

[1] lit. Success has three letters: do!

To be successful at speaking German, you need to speak, and trying to speak without any form or specific goal makes it more difficult. It’s important to give yourself a specific task or framework for speaking, otherwise you might flounder.

After all, can you imagine trying to cook a new meal without knowing what the ingredients are? Surely not!

Would you ever set out on a road trip without looking at a map first? Probably not. (Although that could result in some fun adventures!)

These tips serve as a road map for you. How to get from A – where you are now to B – speaking German more easily. Try each of them out and see how they work for you. And see what you discover along the way!

Tip #1: Read everything in your book aloud.

When you’re learning German with a textbook specifically for learning German as a Foreign Language, you’ll be learning in a step-by-step manner with a core set of vocabulary so you are continually adding to your knowledge in a process that makes sense. Each section or chapter is like a portion of German.

Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,

This is a safe place. This is a safe place for you. This is a safe place for you and me to be together.

Here at GermanWithNicole I have purposefully created a safe place for people to explore the German language, Germanic culture, thoughts about elements of our lives that vary from culture to culture. The main goal of this work is education and cultural understanding. At the heart of everything is compassion.

Here there are visitors from all over the world every day. Newsletter subscribers read in Iran, South Africa, Ireland, Peru, Brazil, Canada, quite literally all over the world. And you are all welcome here.

You are the reason I am here doing this. Writing this blog, teaching lessons, communicating with you on social media. I connect people to the German language, to new thoughts and ideas. Folks who come here are looking to understand something new, they are taking a risk not only to learn something, but also to better themselves. Their families. Their communities.

People are the Alpha and the Omega of this work. Germany has taught me so very much about people. From the very first time I read it, the first line of the German constitution moved me deeply:

“Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar.”

The dignity of a person is untouchable.