🧾 Intro / Reflection
Failed my Bronze 4 test for German. Honestly, I feel like I’ll be stuck on this rank for a while, if not definelty the next rank. German grammar just doesn’t click with me, the word order feels completely unnatural, and my brain refuses to make sense of it.
I’ll keep practicing, probably use ChatGPT to help break down sentence structures I should know for this rank. Hopefully with enough pattern recognition, it’ll start sticking, ChatGPT’s built on patterns, so I’m sure it’ll help figure out a strategy that works for how I learn.
Not going too deep into what I missed, you can see that in my test results below. Still stacking beermoney apps to make money online and to help me cope with the frustration. German’s always been a slog for me, but at least the side cash keeps stacking while I grind through it. 👇
💸 Earn While You Learn
I like to stack beermoney while I study languages, most of these apps are super low-effort and just give me a nice bonus on top of learning. It’s not job-replacement money, but it adds up, especially since I’ve become more introverted. 👇
💸 Beermoney Earnings – July
🎮 Justplay: $181.55
📝 Paidviewpoint: $62.85
📱 Inboxdollars: $25.00
📱 Surveyjunkie: $25.00
📱 Qmee: $20.00
📱 App Karma: $50.00
💰 Total: $364.40
👉 See my full earnings report
📚 What I Learned This Rank
✅ Bronze 4
| Category | Covered |
|---|---|
| Shopping phrases | ✅ |
| Directions | ❌ |
| Plans | ✅ |
| Clarifications | ✅ |
| Future tense | ❌ |
| Common prepositions | ❌ |
| Polite forms | ✅ |
🧠 Examples of What I Can Say Now
- Was kostet das? – how much does that cost?
- Wie komme ich zu bahnhof? Ist es in der Nähe? – how do I get to the train station? Is it nearby?
- Ich werde morgen ins der Markt gehes – I will go to the market tomorrow.
- Kann Sie mir hilfen? – can you help me?
📝My German notes
🛒 Shopping Phrases
- Wie viel kostet das? — How much is this?
- Ich möchte… — I would like…
- Haben Sie…? — Do you have…?
- Das ist zu teuer — That’s too expensive
- Ich nehme es — I’ll take it
- die Quittung — the receipt
- das Bargeld — cash
- die Karte — card
- das Geschäft / der Laden — store / shop
Example Phrases:
- Ich möchte ein Brot kaufen — I’d like to buy a bread
- Haben Sie Käse? — Do you have cheese?
- Wie viel kostet das? — How much is this?
🗺️ Asking for Directions
Wo ist…? — Where is…?
- Biegen Sie links / rechts ab — Turn left / right
- Geradeaus — Straight ahead
- neben — Next to
- vor — In front of
- hinter — Behind
- links / rechts — On the left / right
- in der Nähe — Near / nearby
- Wie komme ich zu…? — How do I get to…?
- die Bushaltestelle — bus stop
- der Bahnhof — train station
Example Dialogue:
- Entschuldigung, wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? — Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?
- Biegen Sie rechts ab, dann geradeaus — Turn right, then straight ahead
📅 Talking About Future Plans
German uses either present tense for near-future, or “werden + infinitive” for the future tense
- Ich werde morgen gehen — I will go tomorrow
- Ich gehe später zum Laden — I’m going to the store later
- Was machst du morgen? — What are you doing tomorrow?
- Wir werden zusammen Abendessen — We will eat dinner together
Structure Tip:
[Subject] + werden + [other words] + [verb at the end]
Example:
- Ich werde morgen Musik hören — I will listen to music tomorrow
🆘 Help & Clarification Phrases
- Entschuldigung… — Excuse me…
- Können Sie mir helfen? — Can you help me?
- Ich verstehe nicht — I don’t understand
- Was bedeutet das? — What does that mean?
- Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? — Can you say that again, please?
- Bitte sprechen Sie langsam — Please speak slowly
🧭 Common Prepositions with Examples
- in — in — Ich bin in der Schule — I’m in school
- auf — on — Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch — The book is on the table
- unter — under — Die Tasche ist unter dem Stuhl — The bag is under the chair
- neben — next to — Ich sitze neben dem Fenster — I’m sitting next to the window
- vor — in front of — Das Auto steht vor dem Haus — The car is in front of the house
- hinter — behind — Der Park ist hinter dem Kino — The park is behind the cinema
- über — above — Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch — The lamp is hanging above the table
🗣️ Mini Conversations for Practice
Shopping:
- Du: Guten Tag! Ich möchte einen Apfel kaufen — Hello! I’d like to buy an apple
- Verkäufer: Natürlich. Einen Moment — Of course, one moment
- Du: Wie viel kostet das? — How much is this?
- Verkäufer: Das kostet 1 Euro — That costs 1 Euro
- Du: Ich nehme es. Danke — I’ll take it, thanks
Asking for Directions:
- Du: Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof? — Excuse me, where is the train station?
- Passant: Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann rechts — Go straight ahead, then turn right
- Du: Danke schön! — Thank you very much
Talking About Plans:
- Du: Was machst du morgen? — What are you doing tomorrow?
- Freund: Ich werde ins Kino gehen. Und du? — I will go to the cinema. And you?
- Du: Ich lerne Deutsch und spiele Klavier — I’m studying German and playing piano
Asking for Clarification:
- Du: Entschuldigung, ich verstehe nicht — Excuse me, I don’t understand
- Lehrer: Kein Problem. Ich sage es noch einmal — No problem, I’ll say it again
- Du: Danke! Können Sie langsam sprechen? — Thanks! Can you speak slowly?
❌ Bronze 4 German Test Results
✅ Section 1: Asking for Help / Politeness
“Können Sie mir helfen?” ✔️
“Was bedeutet das?” ✔️
✅ Perfect polite and correct forms.
✅ Pass
✅ Section 2: Shopping
“Wie viel kostet das?” ✔️
“Ich möchte das kaufen.” ✔️
“Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?”
❌ Small typo: kan → kann
✅ Corrected:
Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?
✅ Pass
⚠️ Section 3: Directions
“Geradeaus, beigen Sie links”
❌ Typo: beigen → biegen
✅ Correct: Gehen Sie geradeaus, dann biegen Sie links ab.
“Wo ist die Bank?” ✔️
“Der Bashaltestelle ist neben der Supermarkt”
❌ Multiple errors:
- Bashaltestelle → Bushaltestelle
- der Supermarkt → should be dem Supermarkt (dative case)
- Also: die Bushaltestelle (feminine noun)
✅ Corrected:
Die Bushaltestelle ist neben dem Supermarkt.
⚠️ Almost Pass — small grammar fix needed
⚠️ Section 4: Future / Plans
“Ich werde ins Supermarkt gehe morgen”
❌ Several issues:
- ins → use in den Supermarkt (masculine noun)
- Verb gehen needs to be at the end in this construction
- Word order: time (morgen) often comes earlier
✅ Better version:
Morgen werde ich in den Supermarkt gehen.
“Was möchten machen Sie morgen?”
❌ Word order issue:
- Use either Was möchten Sie morgen machen? (polite)
- Or Was machst du morgen? (informal)
⚠️ Almost Pass — good ideas, but structure needs tightening
⚠️ Section 5: Prepositions
“Das Telefon ist auf dem Tisch.” ✔️
“Die Tasche ist unter der Stuhl.”
❌ “der Stuhl” is masculine, so dative = dem Stuhl
“Die Bank ist über der Park.”
❌ “Park” is masculine too → dem Park
Also, über means above — sounds like the bank is floating. You want gegenüber von dem Park (across from).
✅ Corrected:
- Die Tasche ist unter dem Stuhl.
- Die Bank ist gegenüber vom Park.
⚠️ Almost Pass — watch dative case and idiomatic prepositions
🏁 Final Verdict:
You’re very close, but there are recurring grammar issues, especially with:
- Dative case after prepositions like neben, unter, auf, gegenüber
- Verb position in future tense (modal + verb at end)
- Polite vs informal question structure
✅ Recommendation:
If you can correct and retype:
- One future sentence
- One direction sentence
- One dative preposition sentence
🎯 Next Steps / Goals
Review and relearn dative cases, verb position in future tense, be more careful with polite and informal question structures.
📚 Resources I Used
- ChatGPT (for sentence practice + explanations + tests)
- YouTube (for pronunciation + listening)
- Google Translate (for fast checks)
- My language language learning structure (coming soon)
🌍 Bonus Resources You Might Like
- 🧠 Duolingo – decent for language base, I personally don’t like it.
- 💬 r/languagelearning – check their FAQ for app lists and learning resources. I rarely browse, but it’s a popular hub.
💸 Beermoney Glossary:
Curious how much money you can realistically make online from surveys, games, ads, and small tasks? Check out my Beermoney Glossary page, where I break down every app and site I’ve tried with videos, payment proof, and my personal experiences. I always recommend doing beermoney while watching shows, anime, gaming, or handling small tasks around the house.
👉 Beermoney reviews
📈 Monthly Earnings Tracker:
Want to see exactly what I cashed out every month? My Monthly Earnings Tracker has screenshots of my app cashouts, plus updates on my trading and investment accounts, all in one place, month by month.
👉 Monthly earnings
🌍 Language Learning Glossary:
Curious what languages I’m learning? Check out my Language Learning Glossary for weekly progress updates. I post short speaking videos, track my progress, share my personal study notes, and break down the rank criteria I follow.
👉 Language progress