Austrian German is the one to learn if you're moving to Vienna or elsewhere in Austria, studying there, or talking with Austrians. It's standard German with its own words, like Jänner for January. Few apps say which German they teach, so here is what we found that helps with the Austrian kind.
Below, you'll find what each app is good for and whether it teaches Austrian German at all. Our Austrian German resource guide covers tutors, free Austrian courses, and video, and our German app comparison covers apps for any kind of German.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn German. You learn from German you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Austrian German lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
To learn it in Bubblegum, pick German, then German (Austria). Try asking Poppy why Austrians say Jänner for January.
Bubblegum is more about reading and listening than speaking. For conversation with people from Austria, the tutors and language partners below can help.
- Lessons are in Austrian German, with Austrian words, like Jänner for January and Erdäpfel for potatoes.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Lessons are read aloud in standard German, not an Austrian accent, so listen to Austrian radio and TV too.
- Lessons teach standard Austrian German and don't cover local dialects, which many Austrians speak at home.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
- Sprachportal: Free live online German courses from A1 to B2 from the Austrian Integration Fund, plus practice exercises and downloads. Its topics come from life in Austria, like a doctor's visit and a Viennese coffee house.
- Österreich Spiegel: A learner's newspaper from the Österreich Institut with real Austrian articles, audio reports, and exercises from A1 to C2. It's a paid subscription, with some free trial pages.
- ORF ON: Streaming from Austria's public broadcaster ORF, with livestreams, shows, films, series, news, and archive material.
Sprachportal is the closest thing to an Austrian German course, and you can start it for free. Because its topics come from life in Austria, you meet Austrian words while you learn the basics.
These courses teach German in general. Their German pages don't say they teach Austrian words, so use them for grammar and basic words, and learn the Austrian ones from Austrian lessons and media.
Duolingo
Duolingo suits learners who like small goals and game-like exercises while the basics settle in. Its German page doesn't mention Austrian words.
- A free course with short, game-like lessons.
- Duolingo Stories in German cover the A1, A2, and B1 levels.
MobileWeb
Busuu
Busuu teaches reading, writing, speaking, and listening, with grammar and vocabulary lessons. Its course teaches German in general, so pair it with Austrian material for words like Erdäpfel.
- More than 420 lessons in the Complete German course.
- Live group lessons and certificates for German from A1 to B2.
MobileWeb
Babbel
Babbel's lessons are built around real-life conversations for travel and work, and the app explains grammar when you need it. Its page says German is official in Austria but doesn't list an Austrian course.
- Short lessons with review exercises.
- Speech recognition helps you practice pronunciation.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Preply
Ask a tutor from Austria to role-play ordering at a Vienna coffee house or calling your landlord, so you hear the words people use there.
- Preply's German page links to Austrian German classes.
- Filter tutors by country of birth, and look for Austria.
MobileWeb
italki
Tell your teacher you want Austrian German, so the examples fit the people you'll talk to.
- Use the Teachers from filter to look for German teachers from Austria.
- Pick a lesson time that suits you both.
MobileWeb
Tandem
On Tandem, you help someone with your language while they help you with German. Pick Austria when you choose your partner's variety.
- Find a partner in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland and choose the variety you want to learn.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video.
MobileWeb
Bubblegum is the only app here with lessons written in Austrian German. The rest teach German in general, are free Austrian courses, or help you find people.
| App | Lessons in Austrian German | What It Helps With |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Reading and listening at your level |
| Sprachportal | PartlyTopics from life in Austria | Live online German courses, A1 to B2 |
| Österreich Spiegel | PartlyReal Austrian articles | Reading with audio and exercises |
| ORF ON | No, Austrian TV | Watching Austrian shows and news |
| Duolingo | No, German in general | Short, game-like lessons |
| Busuu | No, German in general | A course from A1 to B2 |
| Babbel | No, German in general | Conversation-based lessons |
| Preply | PartlyWith a tutor from Austria | Speaking with feedback |
| italki | PartlyWith a teacher from Austria | Speaking with feedback |
| Tandem | PartlyWith a partner from Austria | Conversation practice |
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. |
| Duolingo | Free | Every Duolingo course is free. Super Duolingo removes ads and adds extras such as Unlimited Energy, and you can try it free for 14 days. |
| Busuu | Free version | Many Busuu features are free. Busuu Premium gives you all of them. |
| Babbel | Some lessons free | The first lesson of every Babbel course is free, and some languages have more free lessons. The full course needs a subscription. |
| Preply | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each tutor sets their own price. If your first tutor isn't a good fit, you can try two more for free. |
| italki | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each teacher sets their own price. Practicing with the community and taking the level test are free. |
| Tandem | Free version | Signing up is free, and Tandem reviews each new member first. Many features are free, and Tandem Pro gives you all of them. |
Try one lesson in your language before you pay. Each number is how many languages you can use the app in, including script variants.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Full list
|
| Duolingo | 33 | Full list |
| Busuu | 15 | Full list |
| Babbel | 9 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
Which Austrian German app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning German, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Sprachportal if you'd like free German practice about life in Austria.
Is Austrian German a different language from German?
No. It's standard German with its own words and a few grammar habits. Austrians say Jänner where Germany says Januar, and in speech they use the perfect tense more than the simple past. Many Austrians also speak a local dialect at home.
Will a German course teach me Austrian words?
Only a few. Austria's own Österreichisches Wörterbuch has listed Austrian words since 1951, and when Austria joined the EU in 1995, 23 food words, like Erdäpfel for potatoes, got the same legal status as the German ones. Learn them from Austrian material.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Austrian German (Österreichisches Wörterbuch since 1951; Protocol No. 10 gave 23 food terms the same legal status; Jänner, Paradeiser, Erdapfel)
- Bubblegum: German (Austria)
- Sprachportal: free German for Austria from the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF)
- Österreich Institut: Sprachportal, a joint platform with the ÖIF
- Österreich Spiegel: German-learning newspaper with Austrian media articles
- ORF ON: ORF's video streaming platform
- Duolingo: Learn German
- Duolingo: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Busuu: Learn German online (Complete German course, more than 420 lessons, ends at B2)
- Busuu: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Babbel: German (first lesson free; full courses need a subscription)
- Babbel: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Preply: German tutors (country of birth filter; Austrian German classes link)
- Preply: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: German teachers (Teachers from filter)
- italki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tandem: learn German online (find a partner in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland and choose the variety)
- Tandem: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Duolingo: what's free
- Busuu: what's free
- Babbel: what the paid plan adds
- italki: what's free
- Tandem: what's free
- Bubblegum
- Babbel
