The easiest way to learn German is to read and listen to short, easy German about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Leave case tables and long word lists for later, because easy German keeps showing you the most common words and endings. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy German to start with.
Is German Easy to Learn?
German is easy to start, and it takes a while to learn well. The cases and the der, die or das of each noun take the longest, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts German in Category II, the second of its four groups for English speakers. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- An Alphabet You Already KnowGerman uses the same 26 letters as English, plus ä, ö, ü and ß.
- Words You Already KnowMany German words look like English ones, such as Wasser (water) and Apfel (apple).
- Long Words Made of Short OnesMany long words are short ones joined together, so Handschuh (glove) is Hand (hand) plus Schuh (shoe).
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is with greetings and other short German you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Start With GreetingsBegin with lines you can use right away, like Guten Morgen (good morning) and Danke (thank you).
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep, and save each noun with its der, die or das.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like an order you want to use at a bakery.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to German at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more German.
What Makes German Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of German feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy German.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Three words for "the" | Easy German shows you the same nouns many times, like der Kaffee (the coffee) and die Milch (the milk), so each one starts to sound right with its der, die or das. |
| The four cases | Easy dialogues use the same few forms again and again, as in Ich nehme einen Kaffee (I'll have a coffee), so they feel familiar first. Open a table of endings only when one form confuses you. |
| The verb at the end of the sentence | Short lines like Ich möchte Deutsch lernen (I'd like to learn German) put the second verb last, and after many of them the order starts to feel normal. |
| Fast speech in shows | Listen to slow, clear audio made for learners first. Words you already know are much easier to catch in fast speech. |
What Is Easy German to Start With?
Easy German to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy.
| 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. | Free on this site |
| Nicos Weg | Deutsche Welle's free video course follows Nico, who moves to Germany, and starts at A1. | learngerman.dw.com |
| Super Easy German | Easy German's slower street interviews come with subtitles in German and English. | easygerman.org |
| Nachrichtenleicht | Short news stories in plain German come with the hard words explained, once you know some German. | nachrichtenleicht.de |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is German pronunciation hard?
Most of it is easy to learn, because German spells most words the way they sound. Once you know that ei sounds like the English word eye and ie sounds like ee, you can read mein (my) and Liebe (love) out loud. Sounds that English doesn't have, like the ü in für (for), take more listening.
Can I learn German just by watching German shows?
Not at the start, because most of an episode goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Shows help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with German subtitles on. The tagesschau, the TV news of the public broadcaster ARD, has a slower edition in plain German from Monday to Friday, and it makes a good first show.
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. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of German apps.
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.
