My native language is a Romance language, and I currently have approximately a B1 level in German (TL).
I understand standard German reasonably well. If people speak clearly, I can normally follow the general topic, even if I miss some details. When speaking, I can survive practical situations such as arranging a medical appointment, asking for information, or handling errands. However, I cannot yet maintain a natural social conversation or properly express my personality.
My boyfriend’s family believes that exclusively speaking German with me will force me to improve. I understand the logic behind immersion, but I don’t think the way they are doing it provides useful input at my current level.
They aren’t accustomed to communicating with foreigners or language learners. They speak naturally and quickly, use vocabulary and sentence structures far beyond my level, and rarely simplify or rephrase things when I’m confused. Consequently, I often understand too little of the conversation to learn anything from context.
When I try to respond, they frequently interrupt me to correct my vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammar. If I make several mistakes, they also struggle to infer what I’m trying to communicate. I know corrections can be valuable, but constant interruptions make me lose my train of thought and become increasingly reluctant to speak.
I completely understand them wanting to speak German when the whole family is together. I have never asked everyone to change the language of a gathering for me. However, even when I’m alone with relatives who speak fluent English or my native language, they still insist on German because they believe it is better for my learning. Nobody else would be excluded in those situations.
I’ve discussed this with my boyfriend several times. I’ve explained that this doesn’t feel like productive practice—it makes communication with his family exhausting and leaves me less motivated to engage with them. He believes I should make a greater effort and that this exposure will eventually help me improve.
I agree that I need more conversational practice, but I think it should be structured around my current ability. Ideally, it would involve manageable topics, vocabulary, and grammar that I already partially understand or could learn relatively quickly. Being placed in a fast, complex conversation where I lack most of the necessary vocabulary doesn’t seem to create gradual progress.
My boyfriend and I occasionally speak German together, but our conversations remain very basic. For anything important or nuanced, we naturally return to my native language, which has always been the primary language of our relationship.
I previously attended several structured German courses. However, I currently work 40 hours a week while managing a chronic health condition and frequent medical appointments, so I don’t have the physical capacity for another intensive course or study plan right now. I still want to improve gradually, but I need a realistic method that fits my current life.
Does this actually count as useful immersion or comprehensible input at B1? Can someone learn effectively when they understand so little and are constantly interrupted? What would be a more productive way for native-speaking relatives to communicate with and correct someone at my level?
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