German is among the most widely spoken language in the European Union and is the official language in Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. It’s also one of the official languages of Switzerland and Luxembourg. The closest relative of German is Dutch and, believe it or not, English. German sits within the West Germanic arm of the Indo-European language family, together with English, Dutch and Flemish, Frisian, Yiddish, Afrikaans and Luxembourgish.

German is considered a difficult language to study by English learners, with its long and winding words, four noun case endings and three grammatical genders and the pronunciation gives every muscle in your mouth a good workout.

On the other hand, as both English and German are related, you’ll notice a number of similarities that may make it easier to learn. Also, the compound words are so much fun to learn and the grammar’s considered to be quite logical. Just watch out for the exceptions to the rules.

If you are interested in a career in international business or law, government and international affairs, finance or engineering, then you should definitely start learning German. It is a fact that Germany is the largest economy in the EU and plays an important political role in the European Union. Fun fact. Do you know that 68% of all Japanese students study German?