I think the articles are very important for learning english because there isn't a rule for it My second tip: watch some films in German wih english subtitles so you can get a feeling for the language

My 3 top tips for German are: 1. read a lot of material were you understand at least 50% then later 2. read a lot of material were you understand at least 50% then later 3. read a lot of material were you understand at least 50% Add some listening too, i.e. online radio to get an idea about the sound and speed. That's the other half. The first half is to do a normal course.