German learning roadmap guide for beginners

Learning German is the first step in conquering the road vocational training in GermanyHowever, this is a language with many significant differences in grammar, pronunciation and sentence structure compared to Vietnamese and English. Therefore, to learn German well, you need to build a scientific and effective learning path. In the article below, SHD Academy will guide in detail German learning roadmap for beginners to confident German speakers.

>> Reference: 

• What are the conditions for vocational study in Germany?
• Instructions for the discount of German vocational training 2025
• TOP 10 most prestigious German vocational study centers today

Overview of German 

German is the most widely spoken language in Europe, with over 95 million native speakers and an estimated 175–200 million speakers worldwide. It is also the official language in many countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, and is used in international organizations and in the fields of science, technology, and the arts.

The German language uses the Latin alphabet like other European countries. However, most of the German vocabulary is derived from the Indo-Germanic language. Accordingly, German has many differences such as:

• Nouns are divided into three groups, namely masculine, feminine and neuter.
• The grammar rules are quite special, with many changes in the order of components in a sentence. This is completely different from the order of Subject + Verb + Object in Vietnamese and English.
• Diverse and rich vocabulary system with many compound words and combinations.

Due to the above differences, most young Vietnamese people will feel very excited and new when they first come into contact with German. However, you still need to follow a reasonable and scientific German learning path to study more effectively without being "overwhelmed" by the huge amount of knowledge.

>> Reference: German language certificates you need to know when studying vocational training in Germany

How is German different from English?

Basically, German and English both use the Latin alphabet, so Vietnamese people will not have much difficulty in memorizing the letters. Moreover, these two languages also have a similarity in vocabulary of up to 60%, most of which are borrowed words, so the form and meaning of these words are similar, only different in pronunciation.

However, German has some differences from English such as:

• Gender: When using nouns in German, it is important to clearly distinguish between masculine, feminine and neuter.
• Case: The “case” of a noun in German means that when it plays a different role in a sentence, the noun will change according to different variations.

However, German pronunciation is somewhat easier than English, you can look at it and spell it right away without having to look it up in a dictionary to know how to read it. Above all, German is highly logical so it will be easy to remember if you learn it correctly.
>> Reference: Instructions for self -preparation of German vocational studies 2025

Detailed self-study German roadmap for beginners

To conquer German, besides perseverance, you really need a systematic and scientific learning program. So, learn Is German difficult?How long does it take to learn German B1? Construction German learning roadmap How is it effective for beginners? Please follow the detailed information below:

Determine your goals for learning German

Planning and setting goals is always the first and important step to achieve success when you want to learn a new language. Before starting to learn German, you need to define specific goals by answering the following questions:

• Why do you need to learn German? To communicate, work with Germans or to study abroad, travel, etc.?
• What level do you want to achieve when learning German? Basic communication for work or taking the A1, B1, B2 certificate exam?
• How long do you want to achieve this goal? 5 months, 9 months, 1 year,…?
• How much time can you spend each day learning German?
• Do you want to go to a professional German training center, find a tutor or study at home?

The more questions you ask yourself, the clearer your learning path will be. Don’t forget to write down these goals to motivate yourself to persevere on the path to conquering German. 

>> Reference: 

• SHOULD I STUDY AT A VOCATIONAL COLLEGE IN GERMANY?
• Total cost of vocational study in Germany latest 2025

Phase 1: Master the basics

When starting out in German, the first step is to master the basics, including the alphabet, pronunciation, vocabulary and basic grammar. Specifically:

• German alphabet: German uses the Latin alphabet (a, b, c, ...) like English, so it is not too difficult for Vietnamese people to learn.
• Pronounce: Learn carefully and remember exactly how to pronounce each letter, pay attention to the sounds (Ä, Ö, Ü) because their pronunciation is different.
• Basic vocabulary and grammar: Learn about numbers from 1 to 100, some basic words like objects, colors as well as how to ask basic questions.

During this period, in addition to the textbooks from the teaching center, you should find some German textbooks suitable for beginners. Among them, there are a few typical titles such as: German for Vietnamese, Studio 21, Goethe Wortliste A1 series….

During the first 1-2 weeks, you need to master the above basic knowledge to move on to the next stage.

>> Reference: Basic German vocabulary and sentence patterns for beginners

Phase 2: Learn common vocabulary and grammar

After mastering the German alphabet, the next step is to learn common words and phrases used in daily German communication. The vocabulary will be divided into familiar topics such as: time, school, eating, etc.

At the same time, in this stage you will also learn how to form sentences according to the correct grammar structure. To remember more deeply, you need to practice speaking with friends, using the words and sentences you have learned to describe the things you see around you, etc.

The average time to master vocabulary and common grammar structures is about 4 weeks. That is, from week 3 to week 6 after mastering the basic knowledge.

>> Reference: TOP 7 best German learning software and applications 2025

Phase 3: Advanced learning combining 4 skills

After the initial period of getting familiar with German, you will learn advanced skills combining 4 skills, which are:

• Vocabulary by topic: Adding more vocabulary will help you know how to express yourself correctly and closely according to the context. To easily remember vocabulary, you should group vocabulary by topic, such as: family, career, means of transport, shopping, entertainment, etc.
• German grammar reading comprehension: Start with simple sentence structures and gradually increase to more complex ones. Also, don’t forget to combine sentence structures when learning vocabulary, which will help you practice grammar and understand and remember vocabulary more easily.
• Practice listening and speaking German regularly: You can practice listening to short videos, news, conversations, etc. on Youtube to grasp the main ideas. At the same time, you should regularly listen to music and watch movies with German subtitles so that learning is not boring. For speaking skills, you should actively participate in discussions with friends, teachers or native speakers.

This stage will take you quite a long time, about 10 weeks, that is, from week 7 to week 16. 

>> Reference: Effective German learning youtube channel for all levels

Stage 4: Continue practicing, expanding vocabulary and structures

When entering the intensive training phase, you will approach increasingly difficult knowledge. However, for those who need to achieve B1 certificate to qualify for a German vocational study visa, it is easier than those who want to achieve higher levels such as B2 or C1. 

Based on the existing foundation, you should continue to practice diligently and persistently to quickly conquer the goal of learning B1 German. The German certificate will be assessed based on all 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Therefore, during this time, you should practice all 4 skills in a balanced way.

During this stage, it will take you about 9 weeks to master the 4 skills, which is from week 17 to week 25 in your journey to conquer German.

Phase 5: Practice test

Practicing for the actual exam will help you recognize how the questions are set, get familiar with the exam assessment and learn from your mistakes from the mock exams. Find and refer to the latest TELC exam sets from reputable organizations. While practicing, consider it as real exam time to focus your mind to the maximum within the prescribed time frame.

Practice test time can start from the 25th week onwards in the German learning path. Try to practice the test as much as possible until you are completely confident in conquering the certificate goal that you set.

>> Reference: 

• Instructions for preparing your own application for a German vocational study visa
• Detailed review of life studying vocational training in Germany

Tips to learn German effectively

To build an effective self-study path for German, you first need to form the habit of connecting with German anytime, anywhere and in your daily life. Here are some tips to help German become familiar in life:

• Listen to music, podcasts, watch movies in German: Regularly listening to music, watching movies, and listening to Podcasts in German is a way learn German online effective. This is a way to help you improve your listening skills, understand how to use words, phrases, sentence structures in the correct context and get familiar with the intonation in daily German communication.

• Set the language of electronic devices in German: Once you have a certain vocabulary, you can change the language settings on your electronic devices to German. With the use of electronic devices about 5 hours/day, this will help you increase the presence of German in your daily life. The more you are exposed, the longer you will remember and quickly master this language.
• Read stories, German books: Reading books and stories will help a lot in mastering German quickly. For beginners, you should read children's books with simple vocabulary and structure such as: Max and Moritz, Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof, Asterix der Gallier, ....
• Make friends and communicate with native German speakers: As you communicate more with native German speakers, your listening and speaking skills will improve rapidly. At the same time, chatting regularly with native speakers will help you practice quick reflexes to keep up with the conversation. 

>> Reference: 

• Share experiences of learning German from A1-B2 effectively at home
• EXPERIENCE IN REVIEWING THE GERMAN B1 EXAM TO ACHIEVE HIGH RESULTS

Where to learn German with prestige and quality?

Currently, the demand for learning German among young Vietnamese people is increasing rapidly, thanks to Germany opening its doors to international students with many preferential policies, especially scholarship programs, tuition exemptions and job opportunities after graduation. This has led to the emergence of many training centers to meet the diverse learning purposes of young people.

However, if you are looking for a German language center Quality with a scientific training roadmap, helping you plan and schedule your studies clearly to achieve the best results, come to us. Shd Education – German training center belongs to SHD ecosystem.

Learn German at Shd Education, you will receive absolute peace of mind with your output goals thanks to the following advantages that SHD Education possesses:

• Lean, efficient roadmap: Students are supported with free entrance exams. Accordingly, the study time will be streamlined according to the intensive or semi-intensive route to quickly achieve the B1 certificate from 9 to 12 months.
• Netzwerk Neu International Curriculum: SHD Education's teaching program uses the international standard Netzwerk Neu curriculum. The learning topics will be divided into levels, from everyday life to each specialized field. Thanks to that, students can easily access German and quickly achieve the TELC certificate according to their goals.
• Personalization method: The learning path is built in a personalized way, suitable for the goals and learning ability of each student. A learning program suitable for the ability will help students more smoothly in the journey to conquer the TELC B1 certificate.
• Team of teachers and lecturers with over 30 years of experience: When studying at SHD Education, students will have the opportunity to interact directly with Vietnamese teachers and native teachers with many years of experience in teaching and preparing for TELC exams.

In the final assessment exams, if students achieve excellent results, they will be rewarded by SHD Education, encouraging their learning spirit. In addition, SHD Education also regularly organizes practical exchange activities, festivals according to German cultural standards, sports competitions, SHD got talent, etc. Through this, students not only have the opportunity to show their talents but also practice communicating with native Germans, practicing their German reflexes. 

Especially for those who want to participate German vocational study abroad program This is a good opportunity for you to get acquainted with German culture, from customs, cuisine to daily life skills. These experiences will help students understand how to communicate and behave in life and in the working environment with Germans. Thanks to that, students will have the confidence to quickly integrate into daily life when coming to Germany, ready for the journey to build a long-term career here.

>> Reference: 

• Summary of German vocational scholarships 2025
• Studying in Germany after graduating from university and what you need to know

In short, conquering German is not difficult if you understand it clearly and follow the correct steps. German learning roadmap Scientific and systematic right from the start. With nearly 7 years of teaching German to more than 3,900 young Vietnamese students, SHD Education is proud to be a prestigious German training unit that provides clear study plans and the best orientation for students. Please contact Shd Education – German language training center in the SHD ecosystem to get detailed advice on German learning roadmap for each level according to each individual's goals!