Gianluca is an Expat living in Darmstadt (Germany).
He’s an Aerospace Engineer working as Data System Manager at ESA/ESOC.
He started my program “From Zero to C1 in 25 Minutes a Day” at A2.
I told him that just completing my A2 Module would be enough to even pass a B1 exam and become more fluent and more confident with German.
He took my word for it and trusted the “From to Zero to C1” learning System.
A few months ago he gave it a try and took the official A2/B1 (Deutsch-Test-Für-Zuwanderer) TELC exam.
He was able to pass it with a B1 grade and an incredible 96% score in Speaking:
But even more important are “real” results you can see for yourself in your day to day life as Gianluca had when we wanted to buy a new car:
“I sold my car and bought a new one and I spoke only in German. “
Here’s a complete interview I did with him so you can learn from his journey going through my program.
Let’s jump right into it.
Gianluca,
What did you try before starting with my program “From Zero to C1”?
I’ve lived in Germany since 2009 and I took the traditional courses, both from the VHS and from the language schools. I followed an A1 course for six months in 2010 but I could not complete it because of the birth of my son.
What was your biggest challenge you faced with learning German?
In the beginning, everything seems hard: understanding the words and verbs, understanding people when they speak, trying to say something. Probably the speaking part was the hardest.
What kind of program were you looking for?
I found that the traditional courses are a bit stressful because you often have time constraints, e.g. to follow the lessons or to make homework, and there is the risk to accumulate gaps if you cannot attend the lessons regularly, and this can happen if you are a busy professional. On the other hand, the multimedia courses that I tried, e.g. on the PC, are “too cold and aseptic” and you do not have the feeling that you are really learning a new language. Therefore, I was looking for something that could give me more feedback about the progresses and that could fit better with my lifestyle.
What was your goal when you started?
My goal was to reach a point where I would not have fear to say/ask/talk to someone in German and possibly to be able to understand their answer, of course not word-by-word but at least their “message”. I also set passing the B1 test as milestone.
What struck you the most the first time you came across my program?
I saw the main difference with the usage of podcasts, both with the ones of the „Verb Juggling” and with the ones of the lessons from “From Zero to C1”. They gave me the feeling that I was understanding German.
What was the big difference between my program and the way you learned German before?
With your program, I was able to learn German reducing a lot of stress, and actually, I developed the “pleasure” of making progresses.
What are some of the results you’ve achieved so far going through my program?
I have less „fear“ to use German in my daily life, e.g. make a phone call, write letters/emails, even go shopping. I sold my car and bought a new one and I spoke only in German.
How did you prepare for your B1 exam to pass it with flying colors?
I used a lot all the podcasts from both A2 and B1 of your “From Zero to C1” course, along with the memrise packages for vocabulary and sentence structure and the exercises. I confess that I did not do many of the exercises, doing only the A2 ones (and not all). When I started to have a look at the examples of the B1 exam, I saw that it was enough. The additional advanced Speaking Coaching Program improved a lot my fluency in the „speaking part“ and was very helpful when I was approaching the exam to make me ready.
How long did it take to prepare your B1 exam?
I prepared for the B1 in around 6 months, I started in December and I took the exam at the beginning of June. Anyhow, I started from a decent A1.
What was the most difficult part in the exam?
During the exam (it was a TELC exam), I did not find anything particularly difficult, maybe because during the preparation I used the Goethe models, which seem to me more complicated. I made a great mistake in the management of the time. Germans are Germans and they are very strict on the time. In the writing part, I wrote a draft and only afterwards, I realised that I had little time to copy it on the official sheet. I fulfilled all the points anyway but I could have written way more. Don’t make the same mistake of mine.
Which specific resources helped you the most along the way?
As I mentioned before, I believe that your advanced Speaking Coaching Program and, in general, and all the podcasts in “From Zero to C1”, have been the keys to passing the exam.
How did you stay focused and motivated through the program?
You have to acquire the daily habit to do something, even small, but every day. Furthermore, when you see that you are making actual progresses, this can help you to stay focused and motivated.
How did you manage to combine a full-time job and learning German on the side?
I try to do something every day. The easiest part is the listening of the podcasts: you can listen to them in different moments during the day: when you are preparing breakfast, taking a shower, etc… for the exercises, I check day by day when the right moment is, typically in the evening.
How did a typical daily learning routine look like?
In the morning, I always hear the podcasts, e.g. when I am preparing my breakfast and in general before I go to work. In the evening, I try to make some exercises of the program.
How much time did you spend daily on average for your learning?
I would say that usually I dedicate one hour a day (but every day) for my learning. Of course, when I was preparing for the exam, I dedicated more.
What did you emphasize the most when learning?
The speaking part is what I considered most important, because it is what you use when you interact with the other people. It is also what gives you more satisfaction, when it works.
What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle was to overcome the need to think how to build a complete sentence before starting to say the first word.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to learn German but finds it hard to find the time due to his/her busy life?
I would say to start listening to the podcasts, which are “passive” and you can do that during the day while you are doing other stuff that does not require your full attention. Then you can dedicate more attention doing the “Verb Juggling”. Afterwards, you can include the parts that require more time and attention — the reading and the writing.
“From Zero To C1 in 25 Minutes a Day” is my All-Inclusive, complete, step-by-step, no fuss, hassle free 75 Lessons online program (yes, only 15 lessons for each Module A1/A2/B1/B2/C1) for Busy Professionals like you, so you can go from scratch to become fluent and confident to join meetings with your colleagues, negotiate with your clients and give presentations in front of your bosses IN GERMAN. Even if you have a busy working schedule.
If you’d like to be added to the Waiting List of “From Zero to C1”, enter your information below, and you’ll be the first to know when I re-open the course.