I notice that most parents don’t know that this is possible so I decided to write about this option – in NSW if the local high school doesn’t offer German as a subject there is official pathway and it goes all the way through to the HSC.

In my blog, I explain how the NSW School of Languages (NSL) makes it possible for students to study German Beginners, Continuers, and even German Extension as a formal HSC subject, regardless of what their own school offers. 

If you have a child who is bilingual, heritage-speaking, or simply passionate about German, this is a genuinely wonderful option – and I feel so proud every time a student chooses to carry German into their final years of high school.

When 15-year-old Tiarnan first started German lessons with me last year, Germany felt like a distant dream. A few months later, he was at the Humboldt-Institut in Lindenberg in the Bavarian Allgäu, attending a two-week intensive German course for teenagers – on his own.

When he returned, I asked him everything: what the classes were like, how quickly his German improved, what surprised him about life in Germany, and whether he’d go back. 

If you have a teenager who loves German, or if you’re simply curious what an immersive language course for young learners actually looks like from the inside, this one is for you.

AI is changing education faster than many of us expected. Tools like ChatGPT and Claude can translate texts, explain grammar, and even generate essays in seconds.

So what does this mean for learning a language?

In my newest article, I share how AI is already influencing language learning, what these tools can do surprisingly well, and what they still cannot replace.

One thing remains clear: language learning is deeply human. Confidence, conversation, mistakes, encouragement, and curiosity cannot be automated.

This month’s hidden gem is Lindenberg im Allgäu – a charming small town in Bavaria near the Austrian border, surrounded by rolling green hills and the spectacular backdrop of the Alps.

Lindenberg is known for its fresh mountain air, its friendly Bavarian character, and its famous hat-making history – the town was once the centre of the German hat industry, and you can still visit the fascinating Hutmuseum (Hat Museum) to learn all about it.

The area is ideal for hiking, cycling, and lake swimming in summer, while winter brings skiing and snow-dusted alpine landscapes. The nearby Bodensee (Lake Constance) is just a short drive away, bordering Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – a beautiful corner of the German-speaking world that deserves far more attention than it usually gets.

One of the most common questions in German is: when do I use kein and when do I use nicht?

The rule is actually quite simple:

Kein is used to negate a noun: Ich habe kein Auto. – I don’t have a car. Sie hat keine Zeit. – She has no time.

Nicht is used to negate everything else – verbs, adjectives, whole sentences: Ich komme nicht. – I’m not coming. Das ist nicht richtig. – That’s not right.

A quick way to remember it: if you could say “a” or “any” in the English version, you probably need kein. Everything else? Nicht.

Happy learning!