German is the most widely used mother tongue in Europe. Although it is often deemed to be one of the most difficult languages to master, learning German surely has its perks. Here’s a video explaining top reasons to learn German.
In the current information age, learning a new language isn’t just restricted to studying textbooks. This article will introduce you to several online resources which can make learning German much more fun. It is recommended to use them alongside a regular German language course.
There are no specific rules when it comes to learning a new language. Everyone have their own way of learning. Listed Below is a collection of all the available online resources. Pick a handful of resources which suit best to your personality. Stick with them and use them regularly. You will be fluent in no time!
German Vocabulary
Struggling with memorizing German words? Flashcards and vocabulary games and quizzes will make it more fun. Try these websites.
Memrise: Free vocabulary and language learning tool. You can create memes for words to help you remembering. It also has an achievement system to increase motivation. Besides most courses, feature pronunciations are also free to use.
Nthuleen: German vocabulary worksheets categorized by topics
Babadum: A real fun and cool vocabulary game-quiz
Learnwitholiver: Learn german vocabulary with flashcards
Cram: Learn german vocabulary with flashcards
Languageguide: German words arranged by different topics
Ielanguages:German words arranged by different topics
Syvum: German to English vocabulary quizzes
Lingolia: German words arranged by different topics and many exercises
Quizlet : Flashcards creation and learning
Cerego: A variety of courses and learning with flashcards
Ankiweb: Create your own flashcards and learn using spaced repetition system
German Dictionaries
Dict.cc: Free, English-German online dictionary. You can also download offline version here.
DUDEN: A German-German dictionary. Contains links to audio snippets of the “Aussprachedatenbank der ARD” for correct pronunciations.
Bildwörterbuch: Learn dictionary words with images.
Canoo
: Free German-German dictionary. A good resource for learning grammar which includes conjugation tables as well.DWDS: Free German-German dictionary. A number of usage examples.
Hurraki
: A dictionary for plain language.Wörterbuchnetz: A network of cross-referenced German dictionaries.
Wiktionary: A collaborative project to produce a free-content multilingual dictionary.
Pons: A free online dictionary by a major publisher of dictionaries, includes verb patterns.
LEO dictionary: An excellent online, free multilingual dictionary. includes a great discussion forum and links to audio files for pronunciation.
German Grammar
Learning the correct grammar rules are the most important part of learning a new language. It is still more important when it comes to the German language. These are the best places to systematically learn the German grammar.
Deutschegrammatik20: Grammar exercises
Schubert Grammar: A ton of grammar and vocabulary exercises
Levrai: A ton of grammar exercises
Lingolia: Grammar explanations and exercises
German-grammar: Grammar explanations and exercises
Mein-deutschbuch: Grammar explanations and exercises
Nthuleen Grammar: Grammar worksheets
Grammatiktraining: Grammar exercises
German Listening
Slowgerman: Audio recordings with a text to follow
Mypass: TV shows in German
Kinotx: Hundreds of films and tv series in german
Tivi: Cartoons and shows for children in german
Germanpod101: A youtube channel with listening tasks
Deutschaussprache -Listen to correct pronunciation
Zdf: News in german
Deutsch lernen mit Nachrichten: A live news read in slow speed and having the text to follow
Deutsche Welle: Lots of videos for different levels
Cartoon with subtitles: German Stories in HD for children to read along
Vorleser: mp3 downloads, short stories in German
Ticket nach Berlin: Free online video series from the Goethe-Institut and Deutsche Welle
Podcasts
German Reading
German Newspapers
Zeit: A weekly newspaper best quality news which covers all the topics. However, this may not be suitable for beginners since it is known for its sophisticated language.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): A daily newspaper well known throughout Germany.
Der Spiegel: A well-known weekly newspaper.
Heise Online: This is the publisher of many well-known monthly journals on computing with the best quality journalism.
Handelsblatt: A daily newspaper about business and economy.
Nachrichtenwerk: German news in simple language.
Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ): A famous daily newspapers in Germany.
Bild: Easy to understand but uses an intense language at times. This is a popular yellow press daily newspaper.
Nachrichtenleicht: German news in simple language.
German Blogs
German History
Interested in learning about German history? Check out these websites. You can read it both in English as well as German.
Test your German knowledge
Online Language Exchange
Active Facebook communities for learning German
Join these facebook communities and groups to get up to date information and connect with new people. Take advantage of the best resources are shared for learning German on these communities.
Additional Tips
It is a lot easier if you are already a fluent English speaker. Since both English and German are West Germanic Languages, they have a lot in common.
One of the most effective and fun ways to learn is to watch a German TV series with subtitles. You will not only learn about German language but their lifestyle too.
People are by far the best resource, engage conversations in German whenever possible. Perhaps join WhatsApp, facebook groups (or create one) and connect to people who are also learning German. This will make your task much easier.
Just like any other language, learning German takes a lot of discipline and perseverance. But once you master the language, the benefits far outweigh the efforts you put into learning.
8 thoughts on “Best Resources for Learning German”
I am lucky that I found this web blog, precisely the right information that I was searching for!
Thank you
Amazing list
Thank you
this is amazing website, i have never came across such information hub…..
really good…
Thank you Manjunath, glad that you find it helpful.
Thank you
Great, thanks for this nice article.