das Eichhörnchen – the squirrel / Image via Pixabay
The problem
One of the biggest problem for many German learners is to find someone to speak to. And as soon as you have an opportunity and show the slightest weakness in your German pronunciation, they usually instantly switch to talking English with you. So it is very important to work on your speech.
See also: German pronunciation course in the shop
Plan B: Practice German pronunciation on your own with courses
The best option is to hire a native German, not necessarily a tutor, whom you hire to converse and to correct your pronunciation. But at times, money is short or there’s simply no native speaker available. In these cases, you need a plan B.
While quite a few software- / web-based German courses come with some sort of voice recognition, these are either quite costly and would make a tutor seem priceworthy (Rosetta Stone) or simply do not work at all (Duolingo). But luckily there is the app store that holds high quality software for small prices like the Nemo German App here. Or you might give our German pronunciation course with 12 short and comprehensive videos a try.
The benefits of Nemo German
While the vocabulary is put together rather randomly, at least organized in categories but not consistently like e.g. in form of an ongoing story, the audio-studio that is integrated is sweet.
It will presented flash cards to you with content that you have selected before.
You then have the option to record what you see and after that compare it to a native speaker. Unfortunately you do not hear the native speaker BEFORE you record your own version but only AFTER you have already read out loud what was written on that flash card. But after you have recorded it once, you have the option to re-record it and get a better grip on how well you have done as now you have got a real sandwich.
Listen to these samples from the app to get an impression of the sandwich-technique:
German version: Wo ist das Badezimmer?
Greek version: Stin iyiá mas!
Why this app is helpful
Comparing your own voice to that of a native speaker is crucial for developing a feeling for the melody and pronunciation of German sentences and words. This process should be as smooth as it can be and Nemo German does the best job so far.
Schlussworte
I definitely will make sure that that feature comes into the ultimate German learning app that I am still working on. Until then, why don’t you play around with Nemo German and practice your pronunciation every now and then. Five to ten minutes two to three times per day will have an amazing effect on how Germans will understand you. And maybe soon they will stop switching to English when you speak to them. Regarding your regular German training, rather continue with your usual course material or book that you have been working on as the app, unfortunately, doesn’t offer consistent context.
Viel Erfolg
Michael