THE BEST RESOURCES TO LEARN GERMAN
Check out our list of the best resources to learn German for free online. We've organized the websites and apps we chose by category to make them easier to navigate. Browse through them and click on a title or image to try one out and start learning German today.
Our German teacher, Magda, even made a video about the MosaLingua team's favorite resources for practicing German in case you don't know where to start. Watching it is a great way to practice your listening skills, since the video is in German! There are subtitles in English or German if you need them, and you can slow down the video speed by clicking the gear icon in the bottom corner (set the playback speed to 0.5x or 0.75x). Enjoy, and happy learning!
Memorizing Vocabulary
Techniques and apps for learning words and phrases
A good translation dictionary is a must for anyone who wants to learn a language, whether they are at the beginning or advanced stages of doing so. But not every German to English dictionary is created equal. Here is a list of the 5 best German to English online dictionaries to make the choosing process easy for you!
Linguee is a fantastic online German-to-English dictionary for German language learners. It provides examples from authentic Internet sources. Editors review every source to ensure that they are excellent examples of the words in their right context. Mouse over the speaker button to hear a word pronounced in German.
Free German<->English (+ 7 other languages) online dictionary. There's also a Leo app for iPhone in case you need to look up words on the go.
This online monolingual German dictionary features definitions, audio clips to help with your pronunciation, and information about word frequency. Duden also produces a German podcast about language and have developed a writing assistant tool that's free to try.
Listening Comprehension
Techniques for improving listening skills
"MosaSeries: Der Mann ohne Namen" is a MosaLingua original audio series that's totally in German, and designed to help learners work on their listening skills. It's also a great German resource for vocab acquisition and learning grammar through exposure. Plus, you'll get hooked on the story!
Podcasts are wonderful German learning tools. Some are designed specifically with English-speaking learners in mind, but if you have a more advanced level of German, feel free to listen to podcasts for native speakers. We made a list of some of the best podcasts for learning and practicing German.
Maybe it's obvious, but the best way to learn German is with your favorite fun activities. Like watching movies! We've picked out a few German movies that are first and foremost good cinema, but that can also help you improve your listening comprehension skills and vocabulary.
In this article, we put together a list of the best TV shows to learn German and discover a little more about German culture. Bonus: you'll also work on your listening skills! If you're wondering how to become fluent in German fast, series are great tools.
Take a look around our YouTube channel for tons of smart tips, hacks, and resources for learning German – and other languages, too! We publish new videos every Tuesday. Don't forget to turn on your notifications (click the little bell when you subscribe), because you won't want to miss a single second!
Learn German with Anja has videos and playlists categorized by difficulty, mostly at the A1-A2 level (beginners). Anja, the host, makes videos on topics like German pronunciation and everyday conversation. She's funny, energetic, and, to borrow her words, "teaches German in an un-German way."
Different YouTube channel, different teaching style. Jenny approaches learning German from a more serious perspective, but she's a great teacher. Her new company, Lingoni, is working on developing channels for other languages, too.
Grammar, pronunciation, and German lessons for learners at every level. Katja's channel is another one that's full of good quality content for people who are learning German online. Which one of these three German teachers is your favorite?
ZDF, channel 2, is one of the most watched basic cable networks in Germany. You can watch shows, movies, and news reports, as well as live TV on its website.
ARD is a public-service broadcasting company in Germany. Das Erste means "the first" (which makes sense, since it's channel 1) and ARD stands for "Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Rundfunkanstalten Deutschlands."
Deutsche Welle has a good platform for German learners, including this mini course for learning German with hiphop songs and music videos. Includes 40 video diary-style clips about the group's tour.
Speaking
Online speaking courses
An 8-unit course designed to help you improve your German pronunciation fluency, and confidence, so that you can actually enjoy talking to native German speakers and get more out of your conversations.
Language exchanges and tutoring
Chatting with a language partner online might be the most entertaining and overall best way to learn German. Work on various skills, from speaking and pronunciation to vocab and listening, and even culture and confidence. We tested the most popular language exchange websites and created a guide to help you decide which one is best for you.
Find lots of German speakers who are interested in forming language tandems—partner up and chat with someone who wants to learn your native language in exchange for teaching you German.
Book affordable paid lessons with a tutor. Over 15,000 teachers are registered on the app and website, and you can even book a trial session to make sure you click with the tutor before you commit to a full German lesson.
Guides and tools for conversation and pronunciation
Download our free German conversation phrasebook. Inside, you'll find the most useful words and phrases so that you can start speaking in German right away. It's definitely something you'll want to have handy on your next trip to a German-speaking country!
With Forvo, learn how to pronounce nearly any German word you can think of! Native speakers volunteer to record themselves, so that all you have to do is search for and click on a word to hear it pronounced. Sometimes there are even several recordings for the same word, so you can listen to the accent you want to learn.
Reading and Writing
Newspapers and other media
The most-read daily paper in Germany, Bild-Zeitung is a tabloid that reports on scandals, crimes, affairs and politics. It's perhaps not the most reliable news source, but that doesn't stop it from reaching over 2.9 million readers each day.
A national newspaper that leans center left, and the second largest daily paper in Germany by circulation.
FAZ is a daily newspaper which has about 360,000 readers per day. Politically, it leans a little more towards the center-right but is known for excellent reporting.
This German newspaper sells about 190,000 copies a day.
A well known liberal news source. The "Tageszeitung" means "the daily paper" in German.
This article has a list of some good books for people who are learning German (Spanish and French, too) and want to improve their reading comprehension skills, and it even includes links to some free German ebooks.
Grammar tools
You don't need to start learning German grammar right away. But it can be a great tool for intermediate learners who want to take their skills to the next level and learn to write German correctly. Our free German grammar guide has easy-to-use lessons and videos on various grammar topics, including conjugation and tenses.
Other Useful German Resources and Guides
How to Learn German Fast
Our best tips, plus some extra resources for learning German. Check it out if you want to know how to learn German on your own, and as quickly as possible.
MosaTraining: How to Learn Any Language
This course was designed to give you the tools, techniques, and best resources for learning German (or any other language!). Learn the secret techniques used by polyglots, practice the most effective learning methods, and stock your proverbial toolbox with every resource you could possibly need to learn German quickly and have fun doing it.
BBC Learn German
The BBC has lots of activities for learning the basics of German. They are pretty comprehensive and practical!
We hope these free online resources for learning German will be of a big help to you. We’re constantly searching for the best resources to help you improve your German skills and updating this page, so be sure to come back from time to time. And finally, if there are any great German tools or resources we didn’t mention but that deserve to be on the list, click here to let us know about them.