Nothing beats language classes or lessons from a qualified language teacher, especially when you're first starting out on your German learning journey. But not everyone has the time or money to enrol in daily or weekly in-person classes.
With the right mix of tools, and a good dose of self-discipline and focus, it's certainly possible to level-up your German skills through self-study. And with the rise of online language-learning platforms, it seems there are more free resources for learning German now than ever before.
Here are some of the most-recommended free websites and online platforms for learning German, along with a few newer options worth trying.
Before diving in, it's worth considering what kind of resources you actually need. There are many different ways to approach learning German, but most proven strategies focus on three core pillars: vocabulary, grammar and exposure.
Building vocabulary – and reinforcing it regularly with flashcards – is essential for beginners. The idea being that first you need the words, and then you can start to put them together.
Grammar is equally important, as it allows you to put the words you've learned into sentences. It can be more difficult to pick up on your own, which is why many learners turn to structured courses. Fortunately there are some good free options to get started with.
Lastly, exposure – hearing and reading German on a regular basis – helps make all that studying fall into place.
To learn German effectively you'll want to find a resource, or resources, that support each of these pillars. So having a flashcard app, a course for grammar lessons to follow and some German language media that you watch or listen to regularly is a good place to start.
The tools listed here are grouped accordingly.
Vocabulary:
Starter language-learning apps like Duolingo or Babbel are popular with beginners because they make entry-level learning easy. Simply download the app and get started. They come with easy-to-follow language lessons that introduce basic German vocabulary and also introduce a bit of grammar along the way.
Both apps offer a limited amount of use for free users. Lessons in Babbel feel a bit more practical, versus Duolingo which is notorious for its emphasis on less-than-practical phrases like 'The cat drinks milk'. But free users in Babbel wont get very far before needing to sign-up for a paid subscription.
More specifically for vocabulary, Drops is good tool for learning and drilling German words. The main issue with the free version of Drops is that it limits your use to one five minute lesson per day.
Good old fashioned make-them-yourself flashcards are arguably the best free tool for learning new vocabulary. If you'd prefer to keep your flashcards saved on your phone, rather than flipping through a deck of notecards on the go, there are also apps designed to let you do exactly that.
For example, Anki allows you to write your own flashcards and drill them in the app. You can create different decks and the app's review function ensures that the words you stumble over come up more often.
In a similar vein is Quizlet, which comes with pre-made German flashcard sets but also allows you to make your own.
And of course members of The Local can read through our 'Word of the day' articles as well as our other articles on the topic of learning German.
READ ALSO: Five things to say instead of 'bitte' when someone thanks you in German
Grammar:
Trying to learn German grammar on your own can quickly become overwhelming, which is why finding a class or online course that works for you is the top-line advice here.
Of the courses freely available online, "Nico's Weg" by German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) is among the most commonly recommended. It's a video series that follows a German learner's journey from the moment he arrives in the country. The natural progression of the lessons, and the balance of video and listening content with quiz questions makes the series a great place to start.
You can find the course on DW's 'Learn German' website (or mobile app), along with other free study materials from A1 to C2 levels.
Another helpful website is Wasdas.com which can be particularly helpful for learning specific grammar concepts, and German.net which has a good variety of text-book style exercises to get into.
As The Local recently reported, German non-profit Socialbee has partnered with language learning platform GoFLUENT to offer free online German lessons. To get on the platform, you'll need to first register with Socialbee as a job-seeker in Germany, which can take a couple of days, but a spokesperson for the non-profit confirmed that anyone looking to improve their German can do so.
Exposure:
Once you've learned a bit of vocabulary, and taken a few steps into the unending labyrinth that is German grammar, making a habit of getting regular German exposure will do wonders for helping improve your comprehension over time.
Youtube is an excellent resource here, and in particular Easy German, which primarily focuses on real-life conversations through street interviews, is a highly recommended channel to follow.
A couple other good channels to start with are Learn German with Anja and Benjamin - Der Deutschlehrer.
You might also consider resources like Tagesschau's daily 'news in simple language' (in Einfacher Sprache) clips.
Watching German language movies and TV shows, or listening to German music are also great ways to gain more exposure. Let this be the fun part of your language learning efforts: find shows or movies that you enjoy watching, and just sit back and take it all in.
READ ALSO:
- 10 must-see films and series to help you improve your German
- Ten of the best podcasts to learn German
Lastly, it's worth noting that some learners find AI tools to be useful for language learning, for example by practicing talking to, or messaging with, chatbots in German. There are AI-based tools specifically designed for language learning, such as PingoAI, which can be useful for speaking practice, especially if you don't have native speakers around to practice with.
The above tools should be more than enough to get your started, but if you're keen to find even more free tools for learning German, take a look at what else is listed here.
Have you managed to improve your German skills with some of the resources mentioned above or others? Share your experience, or other useful tools to know, in the comments below.
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