German is one of the world’s major languages with an estimated 95 million native speakers and 28 million second-language speakers in some 40 countries around the world.
Do you want to learn to speak German? You won’t be alone.
- German is the official language of Germany (with Danish, Frisian, and Sorbian as minority languages).
- Standard German is the only official language in Liechtenstein and Austria. It is spoken by 7.5 million people in Austria.
- In Switzerland, German has co-official status with French, Italian, and Romansh.
- In Belgium, German shares official status with Dutch and French.
- In Luxembourg, German shares official status with French and Luxembourgish.
- German is the official language along with Italian of the Vatican Swiss Guard.
- German is used as a regional language in Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Denmark, France, and Namibia.
- German is one of the 23 official languages of the European Union. German is the language with the largest number of native speakers in the European Union, and the second most spoken language in Europe after English.
- German is one of the three working languages of the European Commission, along with English and French.
- German was once the lingua franca of central, eastern and northern Europe. Today, it is the second most studied language in Europe and Asia, after English. The popularity of German is supported by the wide availability of German TV in Europe.
- German is the third most-commonly taught language in U.S. schools and universities, after Spanish and French.
Are you ready to learn to speak German? Try Pimsleur Method German. With Pimsleur Method, you’ll learn to both speak and understand the German language. Please visit PimsleurMethod.com for discounted Pimsleur Method German courses. Available on CD or Instant Download.