Over 50 million Americans claim German heritage, which makes them the largest single ethnic group in the United States. German is the most commonly spoken language in the U.S. after English and Spanish.

There are more than 100 million German speakers in the world, not only in Germany, but also in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, parts of France and Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Denmark and Belgium! German is the most widely spoken language in Europe.18% of European Union residents speak German as their native language and 14% of all Europeans can speak German as a second language. In European countries like Poland, Czech Republic or Hungary and in tourist centers like Turkey, Spain, Italy or Greece, many people understand German better than English! German is also the most commonly used language on the Internet after English. Germany has the world’s most websites per capita.

German is easier than you think – you already speak it! Because modern German and modern English both evolved from the common ancestor language Germanic, the two languages share many similarities in both vocabulary and grammar. If you understand any of this … Meine Schwester hat braunes Haar. Sie ist intelligent. Sie studiert Medizin in Berlin. Sie kann gut singen. … then you already know some German!

Distinction
Why German?

Want to stand out from the crowd? Just Add German.

Distinguish yourself by learning German and you’ll be the one to connect with millions of German speakers around the world.

German probably isn’t the most crowded class in your school—which is all the more reason to get on board! You’ll become part of a close group of passionate individuals who have worlds of opportunities open to them because they’ve chosen this important language:

Distinguish yourself on college, scholarship, or job applications.
Learn a language that only 500,000 people in the US have mastered—but one that will connect you to millions of native speakers and billions of dollars of economic trade.
Explore your German heritage, if your family comes from the German-speaking world.

Facts & Figures

Videos

Animation
Not just Sauerkraut

Kraut – that’s typical German. It’s a German invention to protect sailors from falling ill. Beside this, there are thousands of inventions and discoveries.