Learn – Practise – Apply: The 3-Part Cycle Most Learners Don't Complete

Most new learners who get in touch with me know that they are stuck - but what they don't realise is that they are stuck somewhere in this 3-part cycle.

Let me introduce you to the Better German method:

Learn – Practise – Apply

Each stage supports the others. And if one is missing? That’s when learners hit a wall.

🧠 1. Learn

This is where most people start. And often where they stay. You’re watching videos. Listening to podcasts. Reading grammar explanations. Using an app like Duolingo or Babbel. You might have even signed up to online or local courses.

Great! You're absorbing new knowledge, and that’s important.

But on its own? Not enough.

🔁 2. Practise

You move from input to playing around with what you’ve learned. You complete exercises and quizzes, play games in apps, maybe try out pronouncing a few tricky sounds.

It feels productive. You're doing something.

And it is progress. But if you stay here forever, you get stuck. Practising is still a safe space. The real test comes next.

💬 3. Apply

This is where many people hesitate - or, worse even, skip this stage entirely and just jump straight to stage 1 - Learn again.

It’s where you take what you’ve learned and actually use it in real situations.

Yes, I know. It's scary.

You write a real message to a real person. Join a conversation. Read a real article and respond to it. You become active. You make mistakes. You fix them. You learn from your mistakes and progress.

If you don’t apply what you’ve learned, you haven’t really learned it.

This is where true language mastery lives.

The Sticking Points

When people contact me, they’re often stuck in one part of the cycle:

They’re Practising endlessly with apps or worksheets… but never really using German.
Or they’re Applying every day (maybe living in Germany)... but making the same mistakes for years because they never go back to Learn or Practise.
Some are stuck in Learn, collecting passive input but too nervous to try it out.

Each part matters. But progress only happens when you keep moving through all three stages as soon as you have learnt a new concept.

That's what we do at Better German

In the Better German Community Hive, the whole learning journey is built around our Learn – Practise – Apply cycle:

You get access to bite-sized lessons and explanation videos to learn clearly and efficiently.
You practise with self-check tasks, quizzes, and direct feedback from me in our Q&A Forum or in your 1:1 coaching sessions.
You apply what you’ve learned every week through real-life prompts, speaking sessions, and writing challenges.

So where are you stuck right now?

If you want to finally move forward with your German, the Hive is here to help you complete the cycle.

Get in touch with me if you are interested in working out where you are stuck right now, and how our Learn – Practise – Apply approach can help you become unstuck.

And if you are already a loyal member: THANK YOU! I love having you in our Hive, interacting with you each week and helping you learn. Remember that, as a member, you can offer a 10% discount to any of your friends, colleagues or family members who wish to learn German in our Hive, too!

Just ask me for your personalised discount code. And as a thank you from me, I'll have a token of gratitude waiting for you, too :-)

I'll see you in the Hive!

Your "Queen Bee",

Birte

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P.S. If you haven’t already, watch my video to show you lots more about our Better German Community Hive!