Listening in German: My Progress and Struggles

Last September, I started listening to German regularly. It was a new challenge for me and at the beginning, I understood almost nothing. I chose a podcast that seemed interesting, and even if I couldn’t catch the words, I kept going. Every day or almost every day, I listened. At first, it felt like just noise—sounds without meaning.

Seven months later, something has changed. I still don’t understand everything, but now I can catch some full sentences. Sometimes, I even understand the general topic of the episode. It’s a small step, but for me, it means a lot. It shows that I’m moving forward, slowly but surely.

Listening in German is still hard. The speed, the vocabulary, the pronunciation—it all makes comprehension difficult. But I try to remind myself that I’ve been here before. I had the same struggles when I started listening to English. At that time, I also felt lost, but I kept going. And with time, English became more familiar, more natural. I know I can do it again with German.

There’s no need to rush. I’m not in a competition. I don’t have to be perfect tomorrow or next month. I have all the time I need to master this skill. What’s important is to stay consistent and patient. Every small improvement counts.

This summer, I’m planning to start reading easy books in German. I believe that will help me a lot. Reading is a great way to learn new words and to see how the language works. The more vocabulary I know, the easier it will be to understand when I listen. Listening and reading go hand in hand—they support each other.

So yes, I still struggle. But I’m also proud of my progress. I know that if I continue, little by little, I’ll understand more and more. German may be a tough language, but I’m tougher. And I’m ready to keep going.