The best way to learn German is a mix: mostly German you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. German you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning German Work Best?
Reading and listening to German at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Shows, podcasts and the news | Natural, everyday German | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works, such as the case a noun is in | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn German for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Watch German ShowsPut most of your time into listening, starting with videos made for learners and moving on to series like Dark with German subtitles.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel to GermanySpend most of your time on short dialogues about ordering food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Pass a Goethe ExamRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the free exam training from the Goethe-Institut as the test gets close.
- Move to GermanyRead and hear German about everyday life most of the time, and once you arrive, join a German class at a Volkshochschule, an adult education center.
- Work in GermanRead and hear German about your field most of the time, and practice the formal Sie with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn German.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Nicos Weg for a first course or Anki for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes German lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A first course | Nicos Weg, a video course from Deutsche Welle that goes from A1 to B1 | Busuu, whose course goes from A1 to B2 |
| Reading and listening at your level | Bubblegum's German lessons on this site | Bubblegum, Readle or Seedlang |
| Shows, podcasts and news | Language Reactor for shows, Nachrichtenleicht for news in plain German | LingQ for books, podcasts and videos you choose |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk or Tandem | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar | Exercises from A1 to C2 on the Goethe-Institut's Deutsch für dich | LingoDeer, a course that puts grammar first |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real German sentences you can follow.
- Reading German Like EnglishLetters like w and ie have their own sounds in German, as in Wein (wine) and Bier (beer), so play the audio as you read.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each noun comes with its der, die or das and an example of how it is used.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave German series for when you can follow an episode with German subtitles on, and watch Easy German's street interviews before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn German with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn German grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the German you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after Ich rufe dich an (I'll call you) and Der Zug kommt um acht an (The train arrives at eight), the verb that splits in two is easy to spot.
Which kind of German should I learn first?
Learn standard German, the German of the news and of most courses. Switzerland also has its own spoken German, and Pimsleur, Drops and uTalk each teach it in a separate course if you need it later.
Which German app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning German, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our German app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The German lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- Goethe-Institut, German examinations A1 to C2 (Goethe-Zertifikat and free exam training)
- Deutsche Welle, Learn German (Nicos Weg, a free video course from A1 to B1)
- Goethe-Institut, Deutsch für dich (free exercises from A1 to C2)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- HelloTalk, German language exchange partners
- Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband, German and integration courses at adult education centers
