German Professor at the University of Lisbon - Online Classes (10 Years of Experience)

Find out more about Daniel

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

  A bit of each. I have my history and life experience in Germany and around the world. I am passionate about learning and teaching languages. I always seek to improve my personal and professional communicative aspects.

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

  Ludwig van Beethoven. Born in the region of what is now Germany, I believe I was a very determined and efficient person in what he did. Needless to say, what he did because of how good he was. I also have my passion for music, so I had to choose him.

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

  Word: "doch" - The reaffirmation of a denial. Simple, short and full of information.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  A language that opens doors. Especially in the professional field due to its relevance in Europe and around the world. In addition, the puzzle and flexibility of the language brings to those who master it a peculiar reasoning ability.

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

  I believe that the biggest difficulty for students seems to be the declension (variation of word endings in different cases). I believe it is something that students are more afraid of than it is actually something difficult. I say that nothing in life can be so difficult that it can be summed up on one page.

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

  A curiosity is that I'm actually a civil engineer and despite always having a passion for languages, I didn't plan on being a teacher. Life brought me down this path in a natural way when I decided to do more than what I like and less than what others project for me. As a child, I was not interested in language lessons and avoided all of them, despite having very good grades. I realized after years that maybe classes were boring because of my ease. My mother still doesn't believe I became a university language teacher. hahahah

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

  Adventures and trips are the most diverse. I've lived and traveled to several countries. In total they have been 39 to this day. I speak 5 languages well and I can't even count how many languages I can communicate in a basic way.
  
  I don't plan on stopping here, I have a lot to see and I always plan for more trips, more experiences and more learning (languages among them).

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  Having the ability to adapt my teaching to each student. I believe one of my greatest qualities is my empathy. Most students start by learning a language and end up always asking me and interested in the many other things I can teach. They become my friends and end up growing professionally and personally. Some decide to stop because they got where they wanted with their language and professional growth. This is the best part of my job, it's what truly brings me personal and professional satisfaction.