Five ways to learn German for free in Munich

Go to the Gasteig on a Tuesday evening

The German Language Café at the Gasteig HP8 cultural centre in the Sendling district of the city offers casual conversation and chats in German on a wide range of topics every Tuesday from 6 pm to 7 pm.

It's open to everyone, regardless of age or nationality and students learning to teach German as a foreign language can help you actively improve your spoken German and get to know people in the process.

Join a library

While not exactly free, a library card in Munich costs only €20 (which works out at less than 40 cents per week) and allows you to take out as many German language learning materials as you want, from exercise books to language learning audio CDs and DVDs.

Not only that, but you can also participate in Language Cafés at some of the libraries, too. 

The Stadbibliothek Sendling hosts a language café every Tuesday at 5 pm and the Stadbibliothek Moosach hosts the café every Wednesday at 5 pm.

Get a tandem partner

Finding a tandem partner is a great way to learn German for free and also to find friends (or even romance) in Munich.

On free websites such as tandem.net or erstenachhilfe.de you can browse for native German speakers who want to learn your native language and you can arrange to meet up with them to practice speaking in each other's languages.

Go to a meetup

A quick search on the platform Meetup.de reveals a whole world of German practising opportunities in the Bavarian capital. Many of these, such as the A1/A2 meet and read meetup, in which you can watch small German video scenes, read and understand the subtitles and practice small dialogues with other language learners, are completely free. 

Others, such as the German Brunch meetup, in which you can chat and play language games over breakfast, cost only €2.

Become a volunteer

It can be very difficult to put your German language skills into practice in everyday life in the city when a vast number of its residents speak good English. If your job also doesn't require you to speak any German, then it can become difficult to find the motivation to try to speak German at all.

READ ALSO: Is it 'arrogant' to live in Germany and not speak German?

So a good way to improve your language skills is to throw yourself into a situation which forces you to use whatever German knowledge you have.

Volunteering in Munich not only opens the door to such situations but also helps you to give back and feel like part of the community. 

Via the website Freilich Bayern you can find a vast number of volunteering opportunities in and around Munich, from getting involved in keeping the city clean to helping to take care of disabled children.