Feature Request - Help with German Grammer

Deutsch
#1

Hi there,

I’ve been using chatter bug for a little over 2 months and I’m a huge fan. I love how the flash card system ties into the video, reading and in person tutor lessons. I’m also a huge fan of how the app measure progress.

That said I’m looking to hire a private tutor to just focus on grammer. The reason I feel I need a tutor to just focus on grammer is because I’m struggling with the writing tasks in Chatterbug, it seems I’m always corrected. Often when doing the flashcard exercises I just memorize how to answer the grammer questions without really understanding why.

The grammer explanation articles are great, but I kinda only read them once when they appear in the “study now” flows. I think there are 2 relatively small product changes that would have a great effect in understanding and learning german grammer.

  1. When writing assignments are correct by a tutor, if a correction could link to a grammer explanation article, that would be amazing for knowing why the grammer needed to be corrected.

  2. When doing the flashcard, for nouns having to enter the gender of the noun would be super helpful in memorzing the gender. I find myself knowing the word really well but guessing or having to look up the gender when having to use the noun in a sentence.

Would this be possible?

One other thing, don’t know if its crucial but I think it would help. I tend to remember language concepts when I hear them spoken. Linking to a video/audio demonstration of a grammer rule would be appreciated. So if the grammer article is on past tense, accompanying it with a short video of two people speaking in past tense would be awesome.

Keep up the great work, love the app.

14 Likes
#2

Hey @Graeme87 thanks a lot for sharing such thorough feedback with us. :blush: I passed it on to our Curriculum team and they’ve already started a conversation about some of the points you raise. For instance, we’re currently preparing master class videos that focus on grammatical concepts. These should help practice grammar further. And if you’re interested in reviewing some A1 grammar, we recently launched a podcast called Long Story Short that aims at teaching students beginner-level grammar through storytelling. :headphones:

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#3

It would be also very helpful if the flashcard shown on the reading exercises could have der, die, das. Now it only shows the English translation. Thanks!

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2 Likes
#4

Thanks! I’ll give it a listen. Look forward to the master class videos!

#5

I’d like to second this request.

My German fluency is B2, but my grammar is awful, maybe A2. (I got placed in the middle in B1) Chatterbug is going well so far, but having to do all the vocab training is slowing my learning down a lot. Also, there are topics I’d like to revise, but it’s impossible to search through all the skipped content.

I’d also love some way to revise core grammar topics and to see my progress just on those. Right now, i’m trying Chatterbug out for a month, and something like that would make me way more likely to stick with Chatterbug for much longer.

#6

Hey @kevinpc! Check out the “activities” tab. There you can review study cards, grammar concepts (topics), and phrases. You can review things you have already learned, or browse through topics you haven’t learned yet.

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Does this help?

2 Likes
#7

Hey @kevinpc to add to Megan’s response, we’re also testing a new UI at the moment that allows you to access content from all previous levels easier and even book lessons from those skipped levels if you want to refresh them (in the current UI, that’s not possible). The changes will be launched in January so stay tuned. :blush:

3 Likes
#8

That’s great news, thanks to both of you, super useful.

I’ve got tips I can use today, and excited to hear about upcoming changes too. :clap:

1 Like
#9

I second the main point here about more support for learning grammar. Personally, I’d like to see the ability to drill flashcards in a specific grammar concept only. Repeating the same concept over and over again all within the same session would really help the patterns to stick in my mind.
For me, a real USP of Chatterbug is the fact it’s teaching German in English. I’ve found there really aren’t many resources out there that allow me to practise a specific grammar topic over and over again (English to German and vice versa) unless I download a load of worksheets. If we could have this functionality in Chatterbug, that would be great!

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#10

Hello to @sian, @Graeme87 and @kevinpc I’m a German tutor here in Chatterbug and I would love to talk more about the German grammar with you and teach you more about the usage and everything… In my live lessons I concentrate a lot on the grammar aspects as I have a big interest in teaching the German language with correct grammar. So even, if the exercises are about “just” speaking with new vocabulary I’m always trying to connect with a grammar point. … If you want to try that out with me, just book a live lesson directly with me.

P.S. Just because I’m new here, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have teaching experience. :wink: … As I’m already teaching English online and for the kids here on my island. :slight_smile:

5 Likes