Resources

 

Learning German can be a tough nut and at times it’s really hard to remember the gender of “Mond” or the past participle of “schnorcheln“. In these cases, it can be helpful to know where to look at.

But of course you should not only practice your German when you need to know something urgently, but rather one bite size at a time and regularly. Repetition is one very important factor to make progress on your way to be fluent in German!

And so is fun!!!

That’s why I created this

Ultimate List of Helpful & Fun Resources of all kinds for Every German Learner
on and off the computer!

It includes:
– Useful Websites & Apps
– Fun German Learning youTube Channels
– Books to boost your German (amongst others my favorite German books) &
– Other Stuff & Ideas that may help you to learn German…

Just check it out! 🙂

Useful Websites and Apps

The world wide web offers an uncountable variety of content to help you learn German.
Here comes my personal choice of websites and apps that are worth a visit!

 

As we all know, there’s a vast amount of free websites and apps out there which were just designed to help you learn German. But trying to find the real gems of German learning websites in the world wide web can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
That’s why I have a list with my personal website and app recommendations for you right here!

FluentU

One of my favorite language learning websites is FluentU. You should definitely check out their very interesting blog with posts about all aspects of learning German and maybe even sign up for the free weekly newsletter. Their main idea of how to learn a language is immersion. That’s why they also offer a paid service on their platform to supply you with German video content with a real world context “that’s fun, timely, and ideal for German learners” (their words). Even though this video service is not free, I totally recommend you to take it in consideration to boost your German as I also believe in this kind of language immersion. 😉

Duolingo

I personally love to use the app Duolingo to work on my own language skills and do totally recommend it to all my German students as well. Not only is it free, but it also adds some fun and motivation to your learning experience. I think it’s particularly great for extending your vocabulary, however it does not explain grammar in detail and should therefore not be considered as a replacement for your real German lessons, but as a great addition to your normal learning routine!

Rosetta Stone

If you’re interested in learning German (or other foreign languages) you have most likely heard of the Rosetta Stone app before. I personally like their immersive teaching method: instead of translating words from your native language to German (or any other target language), the learning content is solely delivered by images, text, sound, and videos –  just the way children acquire languages naturally. I only recommend this app to a certain extent though as it’s not free and actually quite pricey. If you’re on a low budget for your German learning journey, this app may not be the best option for you.

Recommended Youtube Channels

As for most people, watching things helps us a lot to memorise them.
And the best about learning with youTube: it’s a free resource!

 

Don't trust the Rabbit

You’ve probably already come accross the channel Don’t trust the Rabbit  as it is one of the most popular German learning channels on youTube nowadays. Channel owner Trixi talks in her videos about all kinds of funny stuff related to the German language and culture. I enjoy watching her hilarious videos a lot – and surely so will you!

GermanPod101.com

GermanPod101.com is another great youtube channel for German learners. Here you’ll find loads of lessons about different topics with a whole bunch of different German teachers, all of whom very likeable. In my opinion, these videos are of high didactic worth! Check ’em out, they upload new videos all the time. (Besides, the channel exists for many other languages as well.)

Deutsch fĂŒr Euch

Deutsch fĂŒr Euch with Katja has been on for a long time and still uploads new videos on a regular base. Just as Trixi from Don’t Trust The Rabbit, Katja uses humor and fun to deliver knowledge in a huge variety of videos mainly about different grammatical aspects of the German language. Grammar doesn’t need to be boring!

Easy Peasy German

And last but not least, don’t forget to check out my own youTube channel Easy Peasy German where you can find all my fun video lessons that help you learning the German language!
Because German has never been easy-peasier! 😉

Recommended Books

Because you already spend enough time in front of the screen.
Grab a good, old-fashioned book and improve your German the traditional way ! 😉

 

Learning German can be boring if you’re reading dry grammar books or dreary conversational course books.
Instead, why not read some cool books written by native German authors?

(Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means when you click on a link that I recommend, I may receive a commission. Of course, this is at no extra cost to you, but it does help me running this website. I truly appreciate your support in this way. Thank you!)

 

Children's Books

In particular if you’ve just started learning German and prefer to gain vocabulary by reading interesting stories instead of learning boring vocabulary lists, why don’t you try and read a children’s book? The main advantages are: simple, natural use of language, fun and easy-to-follow-plots and often many illustrations which help you to understand the content. If this is one way that helps children learn a language successfully, why should it not work for you?
Of course, there’s many children’s stories by authors from around the world that have been translated into German, so maybe you could even read your favorite book from your childhood in the German version. Or, go for one of the most famous children’s books ever written by actual Germans:
Even though published a very long time ago, Der Struwwelpeter from 1845 is still known by every child in Germany. And so is Max und Moritz by Wilhelm Busch from the year 1865. These books are a must read for every German learner!
The author Otffried Preußler’s books Das kleine Gespenst, Die kleine Hexe and Der RĂ€uber Hotzenplotz are famous German children’s books from the 60ies. Easy language used, fun to read.
A popular German author from the first half of the 20th century that I personally enjoy reading a lot for his light-hearted and joyful writing style is Erich KĂ€stner. His most popular books include Emil und die Detektive, Das fliegende Klassenzimmer and Das doppelte Lottchen.
Talking about German children’s books, we must eventually not forget to mention Michael Ende. His books Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13, Die unendliche Geschichte (which is a very beautiful fantasy story to me) and Momo can still be called well-known until nowadays.

German Fairytales

Not only children’s books but also fairy tales can be a good read for language learners as they pretty much have the same advantages. However, the language in fairy tales can be a bit old-fashioned and therefore harder to understand, so it may be better if you’re already a bit of an intermediate learner.
Surely you know Schneewittchen (Snow White) and Aschenputtel (Cinderella) as these fairy tales by the brothers Grimm have given the plots for some very famous Disney movies ad joy to many children’s hearts. But do you also know Frau Holle, Rumpelstilzchen (one of the most difficult German words) and König Drosselbart? If not, then it’s time to get one of the brothers Grimm’s fairy tale collections and get to know these and the other over 200 fairy tales.
Another author of German fairy tales was Wilhelm Hauff. Der kleine Muck was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was a child, but many others of his fairy tales are also great, so consider getting a book with all of Hauff’s stories.
My personal recommendation: the great fairy tale collection with 30 amazing fairy tales by the brother’s Grimm, Hauff and other authors. It’s rewritten in a more modern language and therefore easier to understand for German learners.

My favorite book: Die 13 1/2 Leben des KÀpt'n BlaubÀr

One of my absolutely favorite German books is the novel “Die 13 1/2 Leben des KĂ€pt’n BlaubĂ€r” by Walter Moers. Although the title (translated: “The thirteen 1/2 Lifes of Captain Bluebear”) sounds like the name a children’s story, this book is totally recommendable for grown ups. I love the author’s humor and creativity! Beware though, this book is only suitable for advanced German learners (C level) as the language used can be quite “convoluted”. Oh, and plan in some time: this book has over 700 pages! 😉

Even More Ideas to Learn German Faster Than Ever

Besides the internet and books, of course there’s heaps of other things that you can do to practice German the fun way!