Resource Hub · two ways to learn · level by level
Hallo!
German
Compound words are just Lego for grown-ups.
Films, kids' TV and a big word bank: build your German your way, from first sentences to the evening news. Der, die, das? Let's play.
Where it lives
Official in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Belgium.
Main exams
Goethe-Zertifikat, A1 to C2, from the Goethe-Institut.
Method #1 · Fast & Hard
Method #2 · Slow & Easy
Listen first
Links last checked: 2026-10-19
Los geht’s!
Start here
Three steps, zero overthinking
You don't need a perfect plan. You need a first step and something fun to listen to.
Step 1
Pick a way to learn
Method #1 if you love a challenge and want to get hands-on early. Method #2 if you'd rather listen first and build up gently. Both reach the same summit.
Step 2
Find your level
Find your spot on the levels below. Every card tells you what to do, why it matters, which tools help and how to know you're ready for the next one.
Step 3
Press play
Grab one listening tool from the shelf and start. Understanding comes first; speaking shows up when it's ready.
The levels
one level at a time
Every level has a mission, the skills to train, the tools to use and a checklist that tells you when you're ready for the next one. Tick as you go.
Method #1: fast, hard, active. Five building blocks you work on side by side, like a focused training camp. Each card ends with a "You're ready when…" list.
Method #1 is the roll-up-your-sleeves route. You build five things side by side: the grammar skeleton, a big word vault, your own phrasebook, a listening habit and a speaking habit. Plenty of effort, and you get to use German early.
5 building blocks · side by side
1Block 1.1 · Grammar
Building block
The Skeleton Sprint
Snap the bare bones of German into place: how a sentence lines up, how to sound polite or relaxed, and how verbs behave.
Block 1 of 5
Block 1.1 · Grammar
Building block
The Skeleton Sprint
Snap the bare bones of German into place: how a sentence lines up, how to sound polite or relaxed, and how verbs behave.
Order
Learn the usual order of a simple sentence, then build three of your own about your life.
Polite or relaxed
Learn the formal and the informal way of speaking, and who gets which.
Verbs
Get the basics of how German verbs work, then use the ones you'd actually say.
You're ready to climb when…
Watch out
Trying to swallow the whole grammar book. This is the skeleton, not the whole body. Listening fills in the rest.
Nice one
Skeleton built. Not pretty yet, but very much standing.
2Block 1.2 · Vocabulary
Building block
The Word Vault
Stock up on the words German uses most, filed into folders your memory can actually find again.
Block 2 of 5
Block 1.2 · Vocabulary
Building block
The Word Vault
Stock up on the words German uses most, filed into folders your memory can actually find again.
By type
Sort words into verbs, adjectives, nouns and the little connectors that glue sentences together.
By topic
Group them by theme: feelings, home, weather, food, work.
Review
Run them through flashcards or a quiz game, and let old decks come back for a visit.
You're ready to climb when…
Watch out
Collecting words like stickers and never using them. Every new word deserves a sentence (that's the next card).
Nice one
The vault is open. Make a deposit whenever you like.
3Block 1.3 · Sentences
Building block
Your Personal Phrasebook
Turn your words into sentences about you: your work, your people, your plans, what you like to eat.
Block 3 of 5
Block 1.3 · Sentences
Building block
Your Personal Phrasebook
Turn your words into sentences about you: your work, your people, your plans, what you like to eat.
Write
Write sentences you'd really say about your own life.
Borrow
Find real example sentences and remix them until they're true for you.
Say it
Read them out loud and keep them handy for your next chat.
You're ready to climb when…
Watch out
Memorising textbook lines nobody says. If it isn't true for you, rewrite it until it is.
Nice one
Your phrasebook now speaks fluent you.
4Block 1.4 · Listening & watching
Building block
Ears On
Soak up German you can mostly follow: comprehensible input, YouTube lessons and stories, podcasts, then films and series.
Block 4 of 5
Block 1.4 · Listening & watching
Building block
Ears On
Soak up German you can mostly follow: comprehensible input, YouTube lessons and stories, podcasts, then films and series.
Comprehensible input
Start with videos made for learners, where you follow most of what's said.
Podcasts
Add podcasts at your level for walks, chores and commutes.
Films and series
Bring in films and series once learner videos feel comfortable (the method says from B1).
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Picking something far too hard and calling it immersion. Lost every other sentence? Drop a level.
Nice one
Press play. That counts as studying. Officially.
5Block 1.5 · Speaking
Building block
Echo, Then Chat
Get your mouth moving: echo what you hear, talk with real people, and practise with a conversation app when nobody's around.
Block 5 of 5
Block 1.5 · Speaking
Building block
Echo, Then Chat
Get your mouth moving: echo what you hear, talk with real people, and practise with a conversation app when nobody's around.
Echo
Listen and repeat words, phrases and whole sentences out loud.
Chat
Talk with people who speak German, one confident step at a time.
App practice
No one to talk to yet? An AI conversation app fills the gap.
You're ready to climb when…
Watch out
Waiting until you feel ready. Nobody feels ready. Echo first and the rest follows.
Nice one
Mistakes mean you're talking. Talking means you're learning.
Method #1 is the roll-up-your-sleeves route. Instead of climbing level by level, you build five things side by side: the grammar skeleton, a big core vocabulary, a personal phrasebook, a listening habit and a speaking habit. Plenty of active effort, and you get to use German early.
Card 1.1 · Grammar sprint: the skeleton
What: a short, focused grammar sprint before anything else. It covers three things only: how sentences are put together (word order), the formal and informal ways of speaking (du or Sie), and the basics of conjugating verbs.
Why it's here: these three show up in nearly every sentence you'll hear or say. Get the skeleton in place and everything else has something to hang on.
How:
- Learn where the verb goes in a simple sentence and build a few of your own.
- Learn when to use du and when to use Sie.
- Learn the basic verb endings and conjugate a few verbs you'll actually use.
- Practise each new noun with der, die or das while you're at it.
Tools: Lingolia grammar, The secrets of German grammar (playlist), Grimm Grammar (UT Austin) and nthuleen.com grammar worksheets.
Watch out: trying to master all of grammar in the sprint. This is a skeleton, not the whole body. The rest arrives through listening.
You're ready when…
- ☐ You've gone through word order, formal vs informal speech and basic conjugation.
- ☐ You've written a few simple sentences of your own.
- ☐ You know when you'd say du and when you'd say Sie.
Skeleton built. It's not pretty yet, but neither is anyone's skeleton.
Card 1.2 · Core vocabulary: the big word bank
What: learn the most common words in German, split into bite-size sections. Sort them two ways: by word type (adjectives, verbs, nouns and the little connecting words that glue sentences together) and by topic (emotions, furniture, weather, time and so on).
Why it's here: common words are the ones you'll meet again and again. Sorting them gives your memory folders instead of a junk drawer.
How:
- Pick one category or topic per session.
- Learn every noun with its article, as a package deal.
- Revisit the old decks.
- Mix the categories now and then so your brain can't cheat.
Tools: Language Reactor (vocabulary lists while you watch), classic flashcards, Anki, Memrise or Kahoot.
Watch out: learning Tisch without der. Package deals only.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Your word bank is sorted by word type and by topic.
- ☐ Your nouns come with their articles.
- ☐ You review older sections, not just the newest.
Every word is a key. You're building a very large keyring.
Card 1.3 · Your personal phrasebook
What: learn a big set of ready-made sentences and phrases, grouped by the topics of your life: work, family, hobbies, food, the stuff you actually talk about.
Why it's here: whole sentences carry grammar and vocabulary together. Personal ones are the ones you'll need first, and the ones you'll remember.
How:
- List your life's topics.
- Write or collect phrases for each.
- Say them out loud.
- Add to the list whenever life throws a new situation at you.
Tools: Tatoeba (German sentences) for real example sentences.
Watch out: copying generic textbook phrases about the weather in places you'll never go. Personalise ruthlessly.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Every main topic in your life has its own phrase list.
- ☐ You can say your most-used phrases without reading them.
You're not learning a language. You're learning your language.
Card 1.4 · Listening & watching: the input engine
What: lots of listening, layered by level: comprehensible input (Natürlich German, Deutsch Verstehen), YouTube courses from A1 to B2 and short stories (My German Short Stories), Language Player, podcasts at any level from A1 to C2 and, from B1 up, films and series.
Why it's here: active study gives you the parts. Listening shows you how they move in real speech.
How:
- Keep a regular listening slot, starting with learner content.
- Once you reach B1, start mixing in a film or an episode of a series.
Tools: the Listen & watch shelf in the toolkit below.
Watch out: jumping straight into a fast-paced thriller at A1 and deciding German is "impossible". It isn't; the thriller is. Save it for B1+.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Listening is a regular habit, not an occasional treat.
- ☐ You've moved from learner videos towards podcasts at your level.
- ☐ You're at B1 or above before films and series become your main input.
Press play. That counts as studying. Officially.
Card 1.5 · Speaking: from echo to conversation
What: three stages. First, listen and repeat words, phrases and sentences out loud, copying the pronunciation. Then, talk with people who speak German, gaining confidence step by step. Finally, if you don't know anyone yet, practise with an AI conversation app.
Why it's here: your mouth needs practice as much as your brain does, and confidence grows with every exchange.
How:
- Echo a few phrases after each listening session.
- Arrange a chat when you're ready.
- Fill the gaps with an app chat.
Tools: LingoLooper (AI conversation app) and Tandem (language exchange).
Watch out: waiting until you're "ready" to speak. Nobody feels ready. Start by echoing, and the rest follows.
You're ready when…
- ☐ You repeat out loud as part of your routine.
- ☐ You've had at least one real conversation, with a person or an app.
- ☐ Each chat feels a little less like a job interview.
Mistakes mean you're talking. Talking means you're learning.
Method #2: slow, easy, passive then active. Levels built on comprehensible input. Start on the level that feels a little easy, and climb when you tick every box.
Method #2 goes level by level. Each level starts with lots of listening and watching, and grows into reading, speaking and writing as you climb. At the top, learner material makes way for the real thing.
One level at a time
1Level 1
Before A1 · our rough guide
Warm-Up Lap
Make friends with German first: songs, films and series with subtitles, and culture channels.
Level 1 of 6
Level 1
Before A1 · our rough guide
Warm-Up Lap
Make friends with German first: songs, films and series with subtitles, and culture channels.
Listen
Build a German songs playlist.
Watch
Films and series with subtitles: Die Welle, Good bye, Lenin!, Bibi und Tina, Bernd das Brot and more, plus culture YouTube and Kika.
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Skipping the fun stuff to get to the 'real' learning. This is real learning.
Nice one
Warm-up done. German already sounds friendlier.
2Level 2
A1 · our rough guide
Erste Schritte
First steps: an A1 course, slow podcasts, learner videos, easy news and your first journal.
Level 2 of 6
Level 2
A1 · our rough guide
Erste Schritte
First steps: an A1 course, slow podcasts, learner videos, easy news and your first journal.
Learn
An A1 course for vocab, grammar and pronunciation; Language Reactor and LingQ for words and reading.
Listen
Beginner podcasts such as Coffee Break German and Warum Nicht.
Watch
Language Player A1 content, Nicos Weg (A1 part), Easy German and more.
Read
Learner sites and Nachrichtenleicht, news in easy German.
Speak
LingoLooper conversations.
Write
A personal journal: sentences to yourself, new words, the date on top.
Test
A1.1 and A1.2: take all the online tests you can find.
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Fighting der, die, das one word at a time. Learn every noun with its article and move on.
Nice one
Erste Schritte: geschafft.
3Level 3
A2 · our rough guide
Gaining Ground
More podcasts, the A2 part of Nicos Weg, and reading that grows with you.
Level 3 of 6
Level 3
A2 · our rough guide
Gaining Ground
More podcasts, the A2 part of Nicos Weg, and reading that grows with you.
Learn
The A2 course plus Language Reactor and LingQ.
Listen
Coffee Break German, Warum Nicht and Slow German.
Watch
Language Player A2 content, Nicos Weg (A2 part), Easy German and more.
Read
Learner sites, Sloeful, German Learners Write and Nachrichtenleicht.
Speak
LingoLooper conversations.
Write
Your journal: favourite phrases, sentences and new words.
Test
A2.1 and A2.2: take all the online tests you can find.
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Translating every sentence in your head. Let the context do some of the work.
Nice one
Ground gained. Wunderbar.
4Level 4
B1 · our rough guide
Real Conversations
The middle of the mountain: native-ish YouTube, real news and your first talks with people who speak German.
Level 4 of 6
Level 4
B1 · our rough guide
Real Conversations
The middle of the mountain: native-ish YouTube, real news and your first talks with people who speak German.
Learn
The B1 course plus Language Reactor and LingQ.
Listen
Easy German, Slow German, Coffee Break and Warum Nicht.
Watch
Language Player B1 content, Nicos Weg (B1 part), Deutsch mit Marija, Fröhlich Deutsch.
Read
Learner sites, Lingolia, German Learners Write, plus ARD and taz news.
Speak
LingoLooper, and talking with people who speak German.
Write
Diary-style paragraphs on different topics, and short stories.
Test
B1.1 and B1.2: take all the online tests you can find.
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Saving speaking for 'later'. Later is now; start small.
Nice one
You talked to a human in German. Huge.
5Level 5
B2 · our rough guide
The Long Words
Big-kid German: radio podcasts, news from DW, Spiegel and Zeit, and writing that does real work.
Level 5 of 6
Level 5
B2 · our rough guide
The Long Words
Big-kid German: radio podcasts, news from DW, Spiegel and Zeit, and writing that does real work.
Learn
Language Reactor and LingQ; keep vocab, pronunciation and listening in practice.
Listen
Easy German, SWR podcasts, Deutschlandfunk, Jung & Naiv.
Watch
Language Player B2 content, Business Deutsch mit Vasilena Petkova, Deutsch mit Marija.
Read
Learner sites up to B2, plus DW, Spiegel and Die Zeit news.
Speak
Talk with native speakers and keep growing in confidence.
Write
Subject-specific writing: emails, notes, pages on any topic.
Test
B2.1 and B2.2: take all the online tests you can find.
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Avoiding compound nouns. Break them into pieces; they're Lego, not monsters.
Nice one
Donaudampfschifffahrt? Bring it on.
6Level 6
C1 · our rough guide
Gipfel
The summit: explainers, long-form news, German Wikipedia and writing for your own projects.
Level 6 of 6
Level 6
C1 · our rough guide
Gipfel
The summit: explainers, long-form news, German Wikipedia and writing for your own projects.
Listen
SWR podcasts, Deutschlandfunk, Jung & Naiv.
Watch
Business Deutsch, Dinge Erklärt (Kurzgesagt), MrWissen2go.
Read
German Learners Write, German Wikipedia, ARD, taz, DW, Spiegel, Die Zeit, FAZ.
Speak
Talk with native speakers and friends.
Write
Notes and plans, a diary, short stories, essays, and content for your own projects.
You're ready to climb when…
Tools for this step
Watch out
Thinking the summit means you're done. The view is the reward; keep exploring.
Nice one
Gipfel erreicht. Every tick was yours.
Method #2 starts with fun: films, kids' series, reality TV and culture channels. You build a personal connection with German before any course begins. From A1, every level combines the same habits: 📘 Learn with a course, 🎧 Listen to podcasts, 📺 Watch learner videos, 📖 Read stories and then the news, 🗣️ Speak, ✍️ Write in a journal that grows into essays, and ✅ Test yourself before moving up. Near the top, the learner content steps aside and you're reading the national press and writing for work.
Level labels like "A1+" next to a resource are guide notes, not the resource's own claim.
Level 1 · Warm-up: German you'll actually enjoy
Goal: get used to the sound of German and find personal reasons to like it.
What you do:
- 🎧 Listen: songs and playlists.
- 📺 Watch, with subtitles: films such as Die Welle, Hui Buh – Das Schlossgespenst, Lissi und der wilde Kaiser and Good Bye, Lenin!; series such as Meine Freundin Conni, Bibi und Tina and Bernd das Brot; and reality TV with subtitles.
- 📺 YouTube about culture: Don't Trust the Rabbit · Get Germanized.
- 📺 Kids' and youth TV: KiKA.
Why it looks like this: films and cartoons make German something you want, not something you owe.
Watch out: turning film night into a vocab test. On this level, just enjoy it.
You're ready when…
- ☐ You've watched a few of the films or series.
- ☐ You have German songs you like.
- ☐ You've found a culture channel you enjoy.
🎬 Warm-up done. Popcorn counts as study fuel now.
Level 2 · A1: first sentences, first stories
Goal: reach A1 (what does A1 mean? See the Europass CEFR page).
What you do:
- 📘 Learn: Duolingo's A1 course (vocab, grammar, pronunciation), Language Reactor (vocab, chatbot, listening) and LingQ (vocab and reading).
- 🎧 Listen: Coffee Break German (A1+) · Warum nicht? (DW) (A1+).
- 📺 Watch: Language Player at A1 · Nicos Weg (DW) (the A1 part) · Easy German · German with Jenny (Lingoni) · Hallo Deutschschule (dialogues).
- 📖 Read: Lernlaterne · Lingua · nachrichtenleicht (easy-language news).
- 🗣️ Speak: LingoLooper (AI conversation).
- ✍️ Write: a personal journal. Write to yourself: random sentences, new words, and always the date.
- ✅ Test: take every online A1 test you can find (A1.1 and A1.2). Start with DW's placement tests.
Why it looks like this: a course for structure, learner podcasts and videos for sound, simple stories for reading, and a journal so it's yours.
Watch out: skipping the date in your journal. Future you wants the "before" picture.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Duolingo A1 is done.
- ☐ Podcasts and videos are part of your routine.
- ☐ You're reading the easy sites.
- ☐ You've had LingoLooper chats.
- ☐ Your journal has dated entries.
- ☐ You've taken every A1 test you could find.
🎉 A1! Ich kann Deutsch — a little bit, and that's how it starts.
Level 3 · A2: the everyday level
Goal: reach A2.
What you do:
- 📘 Learn: Duolingo A2 · Language Reactor (vocab and chatbot) · LingQ.
- 🎧 Listen: Coffee Break German · Warum nicht? · Slow German (A2+).
- 📺 Watch: Language Player at A2 · Nicos Weg (A2 part) · Easy German · Lingoni German · Hallo Deutschschule.
- 🗣️ Speak: LingoLooper.
- 📖 Read: Lernlaterne · Lingua · Sloeful · German Learners Write (learners' own texts) · nachrichtenleicht (A1–A2).
- ✍️ Write: your journal. Favourite phrases, new words, the date.
- ✅ Test: every online A2 test you can find (A2.1, A2.2), DW's A2 placement test included.
Why it looks like this: same habits, bigger servings. Repetition at a slightly higher level is the whole trick of this way.
Watch out: re-reading only A1 favourites. Pick one text that stretches you.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Duolingo A2 is done.
- ☐ Listening and reading are steady habits.
- ☐ Your journal entries are getting longer.
- ☐ You've taken every A2 test you could find.
🎉 A2. Everyday German is becoming your German.
Level 4 · B1: real people enter the chat
Goal: reach B1.
What you do:
- 📘 Learn: Duolingo B1 · Language Reactor · LingQ.
- 🎧 Listen: Easy German (B1+) · Slow German · Coffee Break German · Warum nicht?
- 📺 Watch: Language Player at B1 · Nicos Weg (B1 part) · Easy German · Deutsch mit Marija (B1+) · fröhlich Deutsch (B1+, pronunciation).
- 🗣️ Speak: LingoLooper, and now people who speak German (Tandem).
- 📖 Read: Lernlaterne · Lingua · Sloeful · Lingolia reading · German Learners Write · ARD · taz (news).
- ✍️ Write: diary-style paragraphs on different topics, and short stories.
- ✅ Test: every online B1 test you can find (B1.1, B1.2), DW's B1 placement test included.
Why it looks like this: this is where real conversations and real news join the mix.
Watch out: the intermediate plateau. Read an old A1 journal entry. You've moved.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Duolingo B1 is done.
- ☐ You've talked with people who speak German.
- ☐ You're reading the news.
- ☐ You've taken every B1 test you could find.
🎉 B1. Halfway up and the view's getting good.
Level 5 · B2: the press and the podcasts
Goal: reach B2.
What you do:
- 📘 Learn: Language Reactor · LingQ · Duolingo for practice (vocab, pronunciation, listening).
- 🎧 Listen: Easy German · SWR podcasts (B2+) · Deutschlandfunk podcasts (B2+) · Jung & Naiv (B2+).
- 📺 Watch: Language Player at B2 · Business Deutsch mit Vasilena Petkova (B2+) · Deutsch mit Marija · fröhlich Deutsch.
- 🗣️ Speak: with native speakers, a bit more confidently each time.
- 📖 Read: Lernlaterne · Sloeful · Lingolia (each up to B2) · German Learners Write · ARD · taz · Deutsche Welle · Spiegel · Die Zeit (B2+).
- ✍️ Write: diary paragraphs; writing for your field (emails, design, business); pages on any topic, work emails, notes.
- ✅ Test: every online B2 test you can find (B2.1, B2.2), including the telc Deutsch B2 mock exam and its audio.
Why it looks like this: the learner content thins out and the real press and real podcasts take over.
Watch out: reading only headlines. Pick one full article a session.
You're ready when…
- ☐ You follow native podcasts at B2+.
- ☐ You read full articles in the national press.
- ☐ You write for work or study.
- ☐ You've taken every B2 test you could find.
🎉 B2. You're reading the actual news. In German. Voluntarily.
Level 6 · C1: living in German
Goal: reach C1.
What you do:
- 🎧 Listen: SWR podcasts · Deutschlandfunk · Jung & Naiv.
- 📺 Watch: Business Deutsch mit Vasilena Petkova · Dinge Erklärt – Kurzgesagt (B2/C1) · MrWissen2go (B2/C1).
- 🗣️ Speak: with native speakers and friends.
- 📖 Read: German Learners Write · Hurraki (easy-language wiki) · German Wikipedia · ARD · taz · Deutsche Welle · Spiegel · Die Zeit · FAZ.
- ✍️ Write: notes and plans for your habits · a diary or log · short stories · essays on topics that matter to you · content for your own business.
Why it looks like this: the learner materials step aside and German becomes a language you live parts of your life in.
Watch out: only consuming. At C1, writing and speaking are where the polish comes from.
You're ready when…
- ☐ Native content is your main input.
- ☐ You write regularly in several formats.
- ☐ You talk with native speakers as a normal part of life.
🏔️ Summit. Herzlichen Glückwunsch.
Tool shelf
Your toolkit, from first listen to fine print
Comprehensible input means listening to and reading things you can mostly follow. Here are the tools for every skill. A level shows up only when the tool itself states it.
What makes German different
Good news first: if you speak English, you already know more German than you think. The two share a lot of family history, and it shows.
- 👪 Family words. German and English share many cognates: some are almost identical (Musik, Kaffee, Tee), others changed sound but can often be guessed (Apfel, helfen, Wasser, trinken) (A Foundation Course in Reading German, University of Wisconsin). A head start on vocabulary from the very first level.
- 🧩 Every noun has a gender. Nouns are masculine, feminine or neuter, and that decides the article: der, die or das. Nouns are also always written with a capital letter (Lingolia: nouns and articles). Learn every noun with its article, as a package deal; and if you spot a capital mid-sentence, you've probably found a noun.
- 🤝 du or Sie? Sie with a capital letter is the formal "you"; du is informal (Lingolia: personal pronouns).
- 🎭 Shakespeare's "thou". English once had a familiar/polite pair too: thou and you, much like du and Sie (Tales of Hi and Bye, Cambridge University Press). If you've read Shakespeare, you've met du already. It was just wearing a ruff.
- 🔀 Word order. WALS Online lists German as having no single dominant subject–object–verb order, where English is SVO (WALS 81A: German · English). Where the verb lands takes practice, and Method #1's grammar sprint starts right there.
- 🧗 The honest bit. The US Foreign Service Institute lists German in Category II; Spanish and French are in Category I, "languages close to English" (FSI). A friendly mountain with a few extra switchbacks.
The tool shelf
Levels appear only when the tool itself states them, or as guide notes marked "method note". When it doesn't say, sample one episode first. Your ears will tell you. 🎧 The "mostly" rule: if you follow most of it, keep going. Lost every other sentence? Drop a level. Too easy? Go up one.
🎧 Listen & watch
- Natürlich German: comprehensible-input videos; the method places it from A1.
- Deutsch Verstehen: animated stories on YouTube playlists; the method places it from A1.
- Eleos Corner: comprehensible-input videos.
- Comprehensible Input German: comprehensible-input playlists.
- Language Player: videos in German at every level, plus a dictionary and vocab lists.
- Nicos Weg (DW): Deutsche Welle's film-based course; Method #2 uses its A1, A2 and B1 parts.
- Coffee Break German: learner podcast; the method places it from A1.
- Warum nicht? (DW): Deutsche Welle's podcast course; the method places it from A1.
- Slow German: podcast and texts; the method places it from A2.
- Easy German: street interviews and lessons on YouTube; Method #2 uses it from A1 and its podcast from B1.
- German with Jenny (Lingoni): YouTube lessons, one bite-size topic at a time.
- Hallo Deutschschule: everyday dialogues on YouTube: listen, then copy the melody.
- Deutsch mit Marija: YouTube lessons; the method places it from B1.
- fröhlich Deutsch: pronunciation on YouTube; the method places it from B1.
- Business Deutsch mit Vasilena Petkova: business German on YouTube; the method places it from B2.
- My German Short Stories: short stories on YouTube; the method places it from B1.
- Dinge Erklärt – Kurzgesagt: animated explainers on many topics; the method places it at B2/C1.
- MrWissen2go: history, politics and current-affairs explainers; the method places it at B2/C1.
- Jung & Naiv: long-form interview show; the method places it from B2.
- Deutschlandfunk podcasts: the national radio station's podcast index, for B2–C1 listening.
- DW Learn German (YouTube): Deutsche Welle's learner channel.
- Language Learning with Netflix & YouTube (Chrome extension): dual subtitles while you watch.
📖 Read
- Lernlaterne: interactive stories and dialogues, A1 to B2.
- Lingua: reading texts, mostly A2 and B1.
- Sloeful: reading, A2 to B2.
- German Learners Write: texts by learners from around the world.
- Lingolia reading: reading for B1–B2, plus themed vocab.
- nachrichtenleicht: news in easy language, A1–A2.
- ARD: public-broadcaster news; the method places it from B1.
- taz: a national newspaper; the method places it from B1.
- Deutsche Welle (DW) news: news in German; the method places it from B2.
- Spiegel: news magazine; the method places it from B2.
- Grimm fairy tales (grimmstories.com): fairy tales; the method places them from B1.
- NDR fairy tales in easy language: fairy tales in Leichte Sprache.
- Hurraki: a wiki in easy language.
- German Wikipedia: rabbit holes, in German.
- Deutschlernerblog: learning material from A1 to C2.
🧠 Vocabulary & sentences
- Language Reactor: vocab lists, an AI chat and dual subtitles for Netflix and YouTube.
- Anki: flashcard app.
- Memrise: vocabulary app.
- Kahoot: game rounds, handy for turning your word bank into a game.
- Tatoeba (German sentences): real German sentences with English translations: phrasebook fuel.
- PONS: online dictionary for quick look-ups.
🔧 Grammar
- Lingolia grammar: grammar explained with examples, topic by topic.
- Grimm Grammar (UT Austin): a grammar reference.
- nthuleen.com grammar worksheets: grammar worksheets.
- The secrets of German grammar (playlist): a YouTube grammar playlist for the sprint.
📘 Learn & 🗣️ speak
- Duolingo: the course behind Method #2's Learn habit, A1 to B1.
- LingQ: read real texts and grow your word bank as you go.
- LingoLooper: AI conversation app for the Speak habit.
- Tandem: language exchange, app and web: find a conversation partner.
- Deutsch Gym: speaking practice, for when your mouth needs a workout.
✅ Test
- DW placement tests: Deutsche Welle's online placement tests for A1, A2 and B1.
- telc Deutsch B2 mock exam: the exam body's B2 page, with a practice test, answer key and audio to download.
🌏 Culture
- KiKA: kids' and youth TV, for the warm-up level.
- ZDF: national public TV: shows, series and news.
- Don't Trust the Rabbit: idioms and everyday culture on YouTube.
- Get Germanized: culture videos on YouTube.
Levels & official exams
German levels follow the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), A1 to C2. The official descriptions are on the Europass CEFR page. Official exams for German include the Goethe-Zertifikat, telc and TestDaF. Exam names are used descriptively only; no affiliation, no promised results.
Culture behind the words
The culture behind the words is on its way, sources and all.
Links last checked: 2026-10-19. Spotted a mistake? Email us at hello@cultedge.org.
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