Resources for Learning German Online
I spent a month studying German, before a trip to Berlin. I had only planned on a short-term relationship with this language, 'but I've kind of fallen for it now!
Here are some resources I can recommend if you're interested in tackling this fascinating language!
Online Asynchronous Courses
German Uncovered by Olly Richards and Kerstin Cable
This course can be done on your own time and was created by two well-known Polyglots (Olly Richards and Kerstin Cable). It is designed to teach you grammar covertly rather than overtly - through stories, leaving you at a B1 level by the end of the course.
This course is ideal for A2/B1 learners of German, especially those that might feel a bit blocked or like they are facing a plateau in their learning. There aren't that many resources out there for this in-between level, but this one has gotten a lot of positive feedback in the learning community.
Spoken German with Susanne Richter
This course for total beginners can be done on your own time (I put in 15-45 minutes a day for about a month to complete the course) and is a great way to keep yourself on track with a teacher that really knows what she is doing.
Audiobooks
Still my go-to for getting acquainted with the sounds of a language and learning important set phrases. Most importantly, this is a great way to make use of dead time (getting ready in the morning, commuting, etc.)
Pronunciation Practice
A boring but incredibly effective way to improve your pronunciation. I try to do at least 15 minutes per day.
Mobile Apps
Innovative Language's GermanPod101
I love that you can use this app on your browser or phone, it has useful dialogues that you can listen to and/or read, a handy flashcard section, and you can skip around to whatever topics are most useful to you.
Mondly German
An alternative to Duolingo, not as pretty design, but much more efficient language learning.
Drops
Fun way to keep up your vocabulary.
Tutors
A MUST when studying any language. There are lots of great German teachers on here...Even though classes are on skype, I was still happy to find a tutor based in Vietnam, so that we could easily work in my Asia timezone.
Reading Practice
Wow, where has this site been all my life? The site lets you click on words not only to get definitions, but to file them away as "known" or "need to review". It then remembers those words for all future texts you read, including texts you import yourself, although it also has hundreds of great texts that have been pre-vetted for the different levels. It takes a bit of clicking around to get used to the interface, but trust me, it is worth it.
Do you have any great German resources you can recommend? Please let us know in the comments!
This page contains affiliate links, but I only recommend products I have used myself and believe to be useful for your language learning!
