Guten Tag! I am Azfar, your enthusiastic, experienced German language teacher who graduated in engineering from a German university.

Find out more about Azfar

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  German became one of the 4 languages I have learnt in my entire life the moment I decided that I wanted to study in The Land of Ideas, Germany. As a child, I was always interested in cars, partly due to my late father being an automotive engineer as well. I had so much exposure in my childhood towards the world of automotive engineering and technology as a whole. And thus, the time came to decide what course and where I wanted to study. Unsurprisingly, I desperately wanted to major in Automotive Engineering, so the choice was fairly clear cut. Brands like Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Volkswagen are globally-renowned thanks to their almost unrivalled prowess in the automotive sector. Being able to study this course in the language it was meant to be taught in means so much to me.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  There are many famous Germans who would come to mind, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Hugo Boss, Adolf Dassler, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. However, one particular individual stands out to me. This man is Ferdinand Porsche. From my perspective, he perfectly embodies the discipline, order and rigidity present in the German language itself. Starting from humble roots, he never stopped working towards his dream of crafting the perfect automobile. The countless hours put in throughout many, many years would eventually give way to one of the most desirable sports car brands the world has ever seen.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  German words can get rather fascinating, mostly due to the fact that the German language likes to combine 2 simple words to create 1 more complex word, instead of coming up with a whole new word altogether. Like the word for the aeroplane (das Flugzeug) is just a combination of the flight (der Flug) and the thing (das Zeug), i.e. flying thing. My favourite German word is "die Schadenfreude", which is comprised of the word "der Schaden", meaning the damage, and the word "die Freude", meaning the joy. Literally translating to "damage joy", it describes the feeling of joy or happiness in the event of someone else's suffering or pain. Of course, we should all refrain from actually having such feelings, but I simply think it is fascinating that the German language has a dedicated word for it.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Speaking this language matters so much to me because it is the language which opened the door for me to gain my Bachelor's degree in my field of passion: automobiles. Living in Germany for 5 years changed me for the better, in so many ways, shapes and forms. It is the country I grew up in as a man, and thus German was the main language which I spoke throughout that challenging time. At times, you could even say that I even spoke German more than I spoke my mother tongue. It has become a big part of who I am and will continue to be, as I will always seek to improve my mastery of the German language.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  The main difficulty in learning German can be traced back to these words: rule and order. There are so many rules which one has to follow, and there is always a specific order in which things have to be considered. Much like the German people themselves, the German language is strict, rigid and requires its learners to be disciplined, especially when it comes to their grammar. One can overcome this by hours and hours of practice. It is not so much that the rules are hard to understand, rather it is the fact that there are so many aspects to consider at every corner which makes learners often lose the plot. However, another aspect of German which bugs most learners is that, no matter how many rules one is presented with, there will almost always be exceptions. But of course, as the Germans say: Die Übung macht den Meister! (practice makes perfect!)

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  There was one day in German language class where one of my classmates shared a joke online about how life is too short to learn German, or in other words, how one can spend as many years as they want, but they would still not be able to master the language. I remember vividly, commenting on the social media post that I beg to differ and that it could be done. We were still in the lower levels of learning the language, so many people were pessimistic about actually mastering the language. Fast forward to today, and I can confidently say that I managed to prove that mastering German is not at all impossible. It will cost a lot of time, effort and hard work. But I would say that anyone who wants it bad enough is able to achieve it.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  This was not exactly a trip, but it was a 6-months stay in Kempten im Allgäu, Bayern, a region which is situated 500 kilometres away from where I studied in Germany, the city of Cologne. I had to be there due to an internship at Robert Bosch GmbH, where I was working in the product development of an electromechanical brake booster for automobiles. It was during this period of time that I was forced to adapt to a completely different dialect of German. The German spoken in Cologne was very similar to the standard dialect of German, but the one spoken in Kempten was like a countryside version of the language. So many sounds and words were different, and I almost had to reset my way of thinking in the language in order to adapt. This made me realise just how different the dialects of German can be, and it made me curious to learn other dialects from different regions of Germany as well.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  Becoming a Superprof in language is no easy task, let alone in German language. The German language is notorious for being extremely difficult to learn, and even more difficult to teach. From first learning German in 2015 to beginning my Bachelor's degree in Engineering in 2017 to writing the whole of my Bachelor thesis in German in 2021, I firmly believe that I have demonstrated an affinity towards this peculiar language. After accomplishing this feat, I went on to undertake a challenge which many would not, which is becoming a full-time German Language Teacher. I managed to learn so much from experienced teachers and individuals who were extremely passionate in the language. And even after moving on to something different, career-wise, I still have the burning desire to share my knowledge and experience with the world by teaching German.