TalkLanguages: German: Private language lessons in London with pay as you go home tuition

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About German

German is a language of the West *Germanic language group. It is the official language of Germany and Austria and one of the four official languages of Switzerland. High German, the official and written form, developed from dialects of the highland areas of Germany and Austria. Old High German was spoken before 1100 AD when Middle High German, based on Upper German Dialects, became the standard form. Modern High German developed from the 16th century dialect of Luther, whose biblical translations spread this form. Low German exists only in a spoken form in the lowland areas of North Germany and is derived from Old Saxon and Middle Low German speech. The main difference between Low and High German is the sound system, especially the consonants.

*Germanic languages are a subgroup of the Indo-European language group. Its member languages are spoken in Britain, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Iceland. There are three recognised subgroups: East Germanic, North Germanic, and West Germanic. The first of these is now extinct, but it included Gothic, one of the earliest Germanic languages. North Germanic covers the Scandinavian languages. West Germanic includes modern English and German among its descendants, as well as Dutch.

Is German difficult to learn?

Our Rating: *******	* = Easy ******** = Very difficult
Explanation:	While the pronunciation for English speakers is relatively straightforward the nominative, accusative, genetive and dative case make learning German a bit of a headache!
Watch out for:	The many cases and plurals after prepositions.

About Germany

Germany is located in central Europe. Germany has extensive plains to the north, which border the North Sea, and rise to a central hilly area with the peaks of the Alps in the extreme south. The chief rivers are the Rhine, the Danube, Ems, Weser, and Elbe.

Economy:	Mainly industry. Chief exports include motor vehicles, machinery, chemical and electrical products.
Historical Fact:	For a time divided into East and West Germany the country became reunited in 1989 at the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Official Language:	German.
Official currency:	Euro.
Area:	357,543 square kilometres.
Population:	78 million.
Capital:	Berlin.