The simplest start in Austrian German is short lessons you can mostly follow, with help next to every line. A lot of German material comes from Germany, so Austrian lessons take extra searching. Bubblegum is a language app: give your AI tutor, Poppy, your level and a topic, and she writes an Austrian German lesson to match.
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.
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.
- Lessons are in Austrian German, with Austrian words and places, like Jänner for January and Paradeiser for tomatoes.
- 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™
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For a show or a newspaper you've already chosen, use a tool that lets you add it yourself. For speaking, a tutor or a friend from Austria works best.
Austrian German shares its grammar with all standard German, and it keeps the ß. The differences are mostly a few everyday words. Many Austrians also speak a local dialect at home. For class hours, see the German study-time guide.
- A Different MonthAustrians say Jänner where Germany says Januar.
- Austrian Food WordsAustria says Paradeiser for tomatoes and Erdäpfel for potatoes. When Austria joined the EU, 23 Austrian food words got the same legal status as the German ones.
- News in Plain GermanORF writes new articles in plain German every day, and ORF III shows plain-German news on weekdays.
- Ask for an Austrian LessonTell Poppy your level and a topic, like a Vienna coffee house or a market stall.
- Read With the Audio OnListen as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Peek Only When StuckShow the translation when a line stops you, then hide it again.
- Ask About Austrian WordsWhen a word looks unusual, ask Poppy whether Germany uses it too.
- Save Words You LikeRegenerative Review™ brings saved words into new lessons.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a short line aloud, like asking for Erdäpfel at a market.
A good week has three to five hours of this, in sittings of 15–30 minutes or more. Longer lessons can come once short ones feel smooth.
Each of these softens when you meet it in short scenes you can mostly follow.
| What Feels Hard | The Easy Fix |
|---|---|
| Three words for "the" | Keep each noun with its der, die or das as you read and review. |
| Words Germany doesn't use | Learn them in scenes, like Paradeiser, and ask Poppy when a word looks unusual. |
| Spoken past tense | In speech, Austrians use the perfect tense more than the simple past. Read lessons with audio to get used to it. |
| A local dialect at home | Learn the standard language first. It's what you'll read and hear on the news. |
Short, clear German about something you like works as comprehensible input.
| What | Why It's Easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Lessons about food and greetings | Level 1, Bubblegum's easiest level, uses short lines with audio and a translation. | A German lesson on this site |
| Sprachportal | Free German courses from A1 to B2 on topics from life in Austria. | sprachportal.at |
| ORF in plain German | New articles every day, written in short, simple sentences. | orf.at |
| Nicos Weg | Deutsche Welle's free video course follows Nico, who moves to Germany, and starts at A1. | learngerman.dw.com |
If you stop understanding a text, choose a shorter one.
Should I Learn the Most Common 500 Words First?
It sounds like a good idea, but it isn't. A word on a list doesn't show you how to use it or how to build a sentence around it, and a word with no context is harder to remember. Learn each word inside a short line you read and hear, then save the line for review.
Is Austrian German a Different Language From German?
No. It's standard German with its own words and a few grammar habits, and Austria's own dictionary, the Österreichisches Wörterbuch, has listed Austrian words since 1951.
Will Germany's German and Austrian German Get Mixed Up?
A little at first, and that's fine. Most of the grammar is shared, and the differences are mostly words, which you sort out by reading plenty of Austrian German.
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. For courses, news, and tutors from Austria, see our Austrian German resource guide.
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)
- Wikipedia, German alphabet (the 26 letters of English plus ä, ö, ü and ß)
- ORF: Einfache Sprache (daily articles on news.ORF.at, ORF III news on weekdays at 19:25, daily Teletext news)
- Sprachportal: free German for Austria from the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF)
- Deutsche Welle, Learn German (Nicos Weg, a free video course starting at A1)
