Why Learn German? 14 Good Reasons

German, although it sometimes gets a bad rap, is one of the world’s great languages. 

90 million people speak German as their first language. It’s also spoken as a second language by an additional 10 to 25 million people and as a foreign language by 75 to 100 million people.

It’s an official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein—seven of Europe’s most dynamic and interesting countries. Hello Alps, autobahn, Berlin, Vienna, Beethoven, bratwurst and Swiss fondue.

To get you motivated on your German learning path, we’ve compiled 14 compelling reasons to start (or continue) learning German today.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. German Is Easy to Learn

Let’s start off by debunking the myth that German is especially hard. Despite all the jokes that are being made about it being an impossible language, if you are an English speaker, you are actually already quite advantaged.

This is because German and English share the same Germanic root. Consequently, there are many thousands of words which are closely related, known as “cognates.” For example, the English chin is Kinn in German. Water becomes Wasser and father turns into Vater. Not so hard after all, is it?

Furthermore, unlike Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Arabic, there is no new alphabet to learn, only a few letters to add. If you already know Latin script, the only new arrivals will be the umlauts ä, ö and ü as well as the eszett (ß), which is a character that sometimes replaces the double s in German.

2. It’s the Language of Inventors, Innovators and Engineers

It is said that Germany is the country of poets and thinkers — Das Land der Dichter und Denker. There is definitely no denying the second part. A large percentage of the world’s most impressive achievements were first conceived of in German.

Over 100 Nobel Prizes have gone to brilliant Germans for accomplishments in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature and other areas. That is not even counting the prizes awarded to people from the other two major German-speaking countries, Austria and Switzerland. Plus, many of the recipients from other nations received their training at German universities. And don’t forget innovative German products like BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars and the invention of aspirin. Thanks, Bayer!

3. German Is Important in Academia

With so many award-winning scientists from the German-speaking countries, it might not come as a surprise that the German language is very important in the academic community. In fact, it ranks second as the most commonly used scientific language.

One of the reasons for this is that the German book market is the third largest in the world, right after the Chinese and English publishing industries. Since the percentage of these books that are being translated into other languages is fairly limited, only a knowledge of German will give you access to them.

4. Germany Is an Economic Powerhouse

German is not only an interesting option for academics, but also those in the business world should consider brushing up on their Deutsch. Germany is the biggest economy within the European Union and the fourth largest worldwide. It is home to numerous international corporations and on the front line of new technologies.

Meanwhile, the German capital Berlin is turning into a hub for innovative startups. Some go so far as to dub it “the Silicon Valley of Europe.” As a consequence, knowing German has the potential to greatly enhance your career opportunities.

5. It’s the Most Widely Spoken Native Language in Europe

English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. However, when it comes to native speakers, German is number one.

For centuries the language served as a lingua franca (a common language which unifies different peoples) in large parts of the European continent. It continues to serve this purpose as an important second language in central and Eastern Europe.

In the English-speaking world, German is also the third most taught foreign language. In addition to that it comes in at tenth place as one of the major languages of the world. That’s not too shabby for a relatively small country.

6. Germans Are Everywhere

Even if you are not planning on going to a German-speaking country or are reluctant to stalk German speakers on the internet, don’t worry: they will find you. If you have traveled abroad, you have likely witnessed this phenomenon firsthand. Germany’s citizens are some of the world’s most voracious travelers. With almost six weeks of annual leave and plenty of disposable income, you can run into them all over the globe.

In fact, German people are record holders when it comes to money spent on international travel. For years, they invested more in globetrotting than anyone else. It is only lately that they had to cede the pole position to tourists from China. However, that did not keep them from spending an impressive 84 billion dollars on traveling in 2012!

7. German Culture Is Part of Our Global Heritage

Though Germans have a reputation for being left-brained, analytical and in love with logic, the German-speaking world has also produced some of the greatest literary, musical, artistic and philosophical minds in human history. It is the language of the famous written works of Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Mann. Revolutionary philosophy poured onto the pages in German when pens were first lifted by Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.

Learning German gives you the opportunity to appreciate the masterpieces of these artists in their original form. It lets you tap into parts of the world’s cultural heritage in a direct and unfiltered manner. Goethe’s “Faust” alone, which is written completely in rhyme form, is well worth the effort. Wouldn’t it be cool to pick up some of your favorite works in German and discover the true meaning of the original text for yourself?

8. The German-speaking Countries Have a Grand Artistic Legacy

Germany’s artistic legacy is huge and includes the very first European depiction of a rhinoceros. From the Renaissance masterpieces of Albrecht Dürer to the Expressionist movement led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Germany is often at the forefront of cutting-edge art and this continues to the modern era.

In the 1960s, German artists again expanded the definition of what art could be. Artist Joseph Beuys, who was one of the founding members of the Fluxus movement, incorporated unconventional performance art into his work. He also turned everyday objects—like a ceramic urinal—into museum pieces.

Today, Berlin continues this legacy as one of the global contemporary art capitals.

9. Germany Is a World Leader in Environmentalism and Renewable Energy

German holds a key role in the field of environmentalism and renewable energy, serving as a cornerstone language in discussions surrounding sustainability and green technologies. Germany’s dedication to environmental protection and innovation in renewable energy has positioned it as a global leader in the transition towards a more sustainable future.

Through influential policies such as the Energiewende (energy transition) and groundbreaking research in renewable energy technologies, Germany exemplifies the potential for linguistic and technological advancements to address urgent environmental challenges.

It only takes one roadtrip in Germany to see just how committed the country is to a clean energy future—and much of this future will be told in German.

10. Germany Has a Long and Storied Musical History

You don’t need much more than the following names to realize how huge Germany’s influence on the world’s music has been: Bach, Händel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner and Mozart.

Quite simply put, most of classical music was written in the German-speaking parts of Europe.

Today, German music has lost some influence, but there are still some more recent hits like Nena’s “99 Luftballons” and the world-famous metal band Rammstein, formed in Berlin in 1994. For a taste of today’s pop culture, check out Milky Chance and Xavier Naidoo.

11. German Literature Is Some of the World’s Best

German literature’s grandfather, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, wrote, for the first time, about human nature, the human psyche and about the complexities of human emotion. He also wrote the first coming-of-age novel.

Germany also has the Brothers Grimm, who pioneered the fairy tale, with dark tales that are still told today.

And the way that those works of literature reached a worldwide audience was because of German technology: the Gutenberg printing press. This allowed books to be reproduced mechanically for the first time, so many thousands of copies could be printed in the time it used to take one scribe to make one handwritten copy.

And don’t forget the German philosophers. The literature of Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger have had an enormous impact on world philosophy, forming the basis of many more recent theories and influencing everyone from Sigmund Freud to Slavoj Žižek.

12. German Will Make Your Travels Easier 

Speaking German is useful when traveling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but it’s also helpful in the border regions of Belgium and France, tiny Luxembourg and Liechtenstein and even in northern Italy, where some villages speak German.

It’s also useful as a second language when visiting many other countries, where not everyone speaks English as a second language. Because of historical ties to East Germany, many people speak German as their second language, especially in Poland, the former Soviet republics (Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc.) and the Balkans (Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro).

You’d be surprised how far German can get you in much of the globe.

13. German Is the Language of Philosophy

German holds a pivotal role in the realm of philosophy, standing as a language that has profoundly influenced philosophical discourse from its starts. From the profound musings of Kant and Hegel to the existential inquiries of Nietzsche and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, German has been instrumental in shaping philosophical thought.

The precision and depth of the German language have provided philosophers with a nuanced toolset to articulate complex ideas, leading to seminal works that have left an indelible mark on the global philosophical landscape. 

Simply put, if you’re interested in studying and reading philosophy in its original language, German is basically required.

14. German Food and Drink Is Delicious

German cuisine is, quite simply, super delicious and totally unpretentious at the same time. It’s comfort food and sausage, schnitzel and potatoes—the kind of hearty food you want when a salad just won’t satisfy.

Though the country is famous for its rich dishes and pork products, there are also many vegetarians in Germany. In fact, the country has one of the world’s highest vegetarian rates, with 10% of the population not eating meat.

And there’s also plenty of beer. The country has over 5,000 independent breweries, some dating back almost 1000 years. What many people don’t realize is that the country also produces some world-class wine, especially crisp, clean whites that pair super well with German dishes.

So whether you are still on the fence about giving German a try, or if you are already a student of German and looking for reassurance that you are not wasting your time, I hope this post has shown you why German is well worth learning!

If you’re curious about German, you can try out an immersion app like FluentU.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

FluentU is one of the best websites and apps for learning German the way native speakers really use it. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

Watch authentic media to simultaneously immerse yourself in the German language and build an understanding of the German culture.

By using real-life videos, the content is kept fresh and current. Topics cover a lot of ground as you can see here:

Vocabulary and phrases are learned with the help of interactive subtitles and full transcripts.

Hovering over or tapping on any word in the subtitles will automatically pause the video and instantly display its meaning. Interesting words you don’t know yet can be added to a to-learn list for later.

For every lesson, a list of vocabulary is provided for easy reference and bolstered with plenty of examples of how each word is used in a sentence.

Your existing knowledge is tested with the help of adaptive quizzes in which words are learned in context.

To keep things fresh, FluentU keeps track of the words you’re learning and recommends further lessons and videos based on what you've already studied.

This way, you have a truly personalized learning experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)