Is this the smartest way to learn German? With Michael Schmitz

In this episode, I speak with Michael Schmitz, the man behind the site Smarter German and the author of How to Learn German Faster. He holds a master's degree in German as a Foreign Language, and has been teaching the language all the way back to 1999. After teaching in traditional language schools for many years, Michael grew increasingly frustrated with the mainstream approach to teaching languages and decided to branch out on his own and begin teaching German in a more effective way.

In the conversation, we discuss:

• The benefits of learning German through engaging stories (e.g. murder mysteries).
• Why learning German in Germany is so inefficient (and the approach Michael recommends instead).
• The most common struggles English-speakers have when learning German (and how to overcome them).
• How to expand your vocabulary through following your heart.

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Olly's Language Courses

If you're learning a new language, or improving an existing one, then check out my language courses. From complete beginner courses, to grammar and listening training, I've created unique, story-based programmes to help you reach you language goals.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.