(Trying to) Learn German After Moving to Germany

Quick Take

Moving to Germany didn’t just slow down our German learning — it crowded it out completely.

For nearly two years, language study wasn’t a priority because survival came first.

And once that pressure finally eased, German didn’t just feel easier — it started to stick.

Frustration. Frustration. Frustration!

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When We Thought German Would “Just Happen”

Before moving to Germany, we had a quiet confidence about learning the language.

We assumed immersion would do most of the work. German at the office. German on public transport. German in daily life. We thought we’d naturally pick things up along the way.

We also believed we’d have enough energy to squeeze in a class or two during the week. One or two evenings. Nothing intense. Just consistent.

We were motivated — at first.

What we didn’t anticipate was how completely everything else would take over.

The First Year: Survival, Not Study

The first three months in Stuttgart were consumed by logistics. Finding an apartment. Shipping furniture from Michigan. Installing a kitchen — without being able to communicate properly with the workers. Endless IKEA trips. Building a home from scratch in a language we didn’t speak.

Then came work.

New roles. New customers. A new work culture. New expectations — all while trying to prove ourselves professionally.

And just as we found a rhythm, the next wave hit.

Paperwork.

Our entry visas were set to expire after one year, which meant applying for our EU Blue Cards. What should have been straightforward turned into months of waiting, uncertainty, and silence. Emails unanswered. Phone calls cut short. Being ignored when writing in English. Being hung up on when asking, politely, if someone could speak a little English.

The mental load was invisible — but relentless.

What “Learning German” Looked Like in Survival Mode

In survival mode, learning German didn’t look like studying.

It looked like memorizing just enough to get through the day.

We learned how to order food.

Ich hätte gerne…

How to pay.

Mit Karte bitte.

How to say excuse me and thank you.

Entschuldigung. Danke schön.

It was awkward. Sometimes embarrassing.

But most of the time, it worked.

And when it didn’t — when an order came out wrong and the server didn’t speak English — we smiled, said Danke, and ate whatever showed up.

That wasn’t failure.

That was survival.

The Guilt Loop We Didn’t Expect

Still, the guilt crept in.

Between us, we already speak multiple languages. Turkish. French. Tagalog. Basic French again. And yet, after a year in Germany, German still felt… out of reach.

We kept asking ourselves the same question:

Why isn’t this clicking?

It didn’t help that many of our colleagues and friends took immersive language courses — eight months, full-time, straight to B2. Their progress became an unintentional measuring stick.

We weren’t just behind.

We felt dumb.

Looking back now, we see how unfair that comparison was.

If we could rewind, we would’ve made different choices — relying more on tools to help with German emails, finding local help when language really mattered, or even hiring a translator when stakes were high. Immersion courses are incredible if you can afford the time and space. For us, at that stage, they simply weren’t feasible.

When German Finally Started Clicking

Something changed in January 2026.

We had just returned to Stuttgart after spending the holidays in the U.S. and Canada. Same commute. Same routine. Same podcasts. Same apps.

But this time, the words started to stick.

Grammar patterns made sense.

Word order clicked.

Declensions felt less random.

For the first time, we knew what we didn’t know — and that alone made learning feel lighter. We started asking better questions. Catching our mistakes. Noticing progress instead of chasing it.

The only real difference?

The stress of getting settled was gone.

What We Wish Someone Had Told Us Earlier

Make it easy on yourself.

Don’t expect to be a B2-level German speaker within your first year — especially if you’re moving for work and managing a full relocation. The first year is full of fires you didn’t anticipate: housing, paperwork, work culture, visas, and bureaucracy that drains more energy than you realize.

Focus on getting through that season first.

Once you’re settled, things really do start to click — not just with German, but with learning anything again.

If You’re Struggling Right Now

If you’re struggling to learn German right now, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at languages, unmotivated, or doing something wrong. It might simply mean your life is full — emotionally, mentally, and logistically.

And when everything else feels urgent, language learning is often the first thing your brain puts on hold.

That’s normal.

What Comes Next

This realization changed how we think about learning German entirely. It wasn’t about trying harder or finding the perfect course — it was about giving ourselves permission to learn slowly, in a way that fit the season of life we were actually in.

In the next post, we’ll share the free German learning tools we relied on during this overwhelming phase — not to make fast progress, but to keep German present in our lives without adding more pressure.