I learnt German intensively for several months and here are the gems I’ve found. I wish I knew these earlier.
In 2021, I’ve challenged myself and started to learn the German language alone and take the Goethe Zertifikat.
During my learning process, I’ve discovered some great resources that you will find useful. I am always drawn to amazing resources online that also have nice aesthetics.
Table of ContentsBooks and websitesExplanations and exercisesBest apps for learning GermanGenius tools you didn’t know aboutTranslators. No, it’s not Google Translate.Smart tools to help learning GermanLearn in a different wayImmersion
Where to learn
Books
I prefer books because they don’t have ads and they have a clear learning path and structure.
I used Menschen from Hueber (general german), Netzwerk from Klett (work based), and Schritte from Hueber. The biggest gem is Learn German fast by Usborne guides. It. is. genius. Never found a book that explains everything so well. You can even find this book in your native language. I found it in Romanian.
When you buy a book, make sure you have the keys to the exercises. Super important. Check if you can find self study based, most are classroom based. Also, these books are way cheaper than courses. 20 dollars instead of 300 dollars course. Ka-ching!
Learn German free online
If you’re not a book fan or not available for that commitment, do it online!
Deutsche Welle courses and the movie series with Nicos Weg are insanely good. Also a little secret, their language level tests seem to be very accurate. I took a B1 Goethe Zertifikat and tested myself first on DW test. Guess what. They guessed my level very well.
This by level or this general testing.
Where to do exercices
Find explanations and do exercices
Lingolia. It explains everything very well and has many exercises. I absolutely love the aesthetics too. When you get the answer right, you get a green highlight flash.
Good quality explanations and clear, peace of mind- visual style with this cool highlight when you fill in your answers. I love it! Also, grades you all the way.
German with Laura declension table
This is amazing and will save your learning German life. I am serious. I was mind blown when I discovered her. She explains in an original, simple way, easy to understand. That declension table? This is going to shake the way we learn German, okay?
With Easy German, you get to learn German language from the streets, in a fun and social context. There’s a reason why everyone is googling “easy german”… ; )
This is the reason I stopped taking paid courses. One day, in the class I couldn’t understand something and I was mind blown when I understood from Learn German! I love the way they explain grammar rules.
This website is for your vocabulary learning. Med school students use it. You can create cards and they show to you in a smart way. Research has been done about this method and is good. So yes, it’s amazing.
Best apps for learning German I’ve found
best app for learn German is…
I am not a fan of apps anymore. That is because they only teach you some phrases and words. Not quite enough if you want to speak like a normal human being.
However… during my years of research and digging, I liked Bussu. It’s just different from all others and I like how it encourages you and their style of teaching and visuals. This is goooood.
Another one I liked is Babbel.
You can use these two both on your phone and on your computer.
Other apps I have
DW Learn German
Deutsch Trainer by Goethe Institut
VokabelTrainer by Goethe Institut
Level up your game with amazing tools
Sites to check German grammar
A huge discovery I’ve made was that there are websites that check if your grammar is correct. For German. I know, I know, I can do this in Microsoft Word. But why am I excited about this?
Are tools that are specialized in THIS! And is from the body that defines the language in Germany.
It’s DUDEN Mentor. Duden is the authority that defines the language. And it’s checking your text for having correct spelling and grammar.
Another one is German Corrector.
Heard of them for the first time from this article.
Excellent German Translators
The best in the world is Deepl. Yes, you read that well, it’s better than Google Translate. And it’s German.
But you know what? Bing Translator never disappointed me and the accuracy and correctness (which is damn hard to achieve as an automated online translator in German!) is always surprising me. So yeah, keep it in mind.
I use all of the three and see which is better. Is like having three people at the table giving their own version and feedback.
Understand everything on the go
Learning from a website or a book and not understanding a word?
Kein Problem! Use the Google translate app. The camera scan feature or instant camera translation is going to slash those language barriers and make you learn from every resource, no matter how hard it looks.
Talking about Google… well… Google Keep, the desktop version (on your computer) can transform your handwriting into digital. I used to do this to transform my written notes into digital text and send it to my teachers or friends.
Also the OCR online helps a ton to copy-paste a printed text onto your computer. Yes. Transform the text from a picture you take, into editable text.
1000 most used words
The most frequent German words by Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan is the best list I’ve found.
Books based on vocabulary learning through stories
It surprised me to discover well-made books that are for people who want to learn German language vocabulary in a relaxed way. They are stories for beginners, intermediate and advanced.
They have their own techniques. For example, first you read the story as it is and guess the meaning of the words you don’t know. Then you read the vocabulary and read the story again. Some books also have grammar explanations in between the stories.
I find them useful for learning new German words and to become accustomed to the German grammar and sentence structures.
Just search for “german stories for beginners” on Amazon. Some are even free! Check for the ones with good reviews.
Work with the German language everyday
I’ve heard people saying they also learnt by translating their thoughts sometimes. How would that sound in German? Use an online translator. You’ll learn new words. Translate everyday most common phrases. You’ll learn them by curiosity in a casual moment.
Watch vloggers and content in German.
ARTE in German is pretty nice. It has artistic documentaries about many life and cultural matters. Give it a check, you may like it. Watch it in German with German/English subtitles on.
DW in German also has a lot of content in German.
Magazines
Check Goethe’s online German written materials subscription, ONLEIHE. Cool magazines, newspapers and books. There are even learn German language materials, how cool is that? And it seems to be free.
Movies
Watch movies based on the level language. Nicos weg is great. Other finds are this playlist. You get the idea.
Drills
Grammar drills books — I didn’t use this yet but I find it useful and interesting to work those grammar muscles.
And last and most important, make time. All these resources won’t help if you don’t take time to create a learning path and make time to use them and study. Don’t underestimate the power of little steps.
Keep exploring.
What other gems do you know?
