How to learn German
There are different methods to learn a language. The best method is one that suits you well and keeps you motivated. This is different for everyone. Try out different ways and see what suits you!
We recommend doing as much as possible in German in preparation for your trip to Switzerland. Watch German movies and series on Netflix, listen to German radio stations, follow German groups and pages on social media. Check your school/neighborhood for German courses or order an online German course. In addition, download a language app on your phone and continue practicing when you have a few minutes of nothing to do in between. Once you have established a reasonable foundation, try having conversations in German with someone in your neighborhood or check out the apps Tandem or Speaky to see if you can find someone willing to help you learn German for free.
Apps and websites
Apps you can use to learn German are Duolingo (also the website), Deutsche Welle and Drops. With Drops you can choose a category to learn, for example body parts or pain complaints.
- https://www.duolingo.com/
- https://www.dw.com/en/learn-german/s-2469
- https://languagedrops.com/
- https://learngerman.dw.com/en/overview
Youtube
On Youtube you can look up Lingoni. She explains everything about the German language in English.
Deutsche Welle offers free YouTube courses from Greek, Polish, French, Spanish, Arab and Russian. At A1/A2 level.
Benjamin also offers full German courses on YouTube. It helps to write along with this course.
Podcasts
Listen to specific ‘Learn German’ Podcasts on Spotify or Mixcloud. Or try this playlist from the Goethe institute:
Netflix
German series on Netflix are for example ‘Dark’ and ‘Wir sind die Welle’.
Read and listen
It also helps to read as much German as possible, here you can also use the app Beelinguapp. Listening to German music and grabbing the lyrics is also a nice way to learn more.
Tandem partner
You can also use the app Tandem, Speaky or HelloTalk to find a tandem partner. A tandem partner in this case is a German who would like to learn English or another language
that you speak. Then you can improve each other’s chat messages and learn the language better. If you want you can also call your tandem partner or have a video call.
Learning German with AI
You can also practise German with ChatGPT. You can have conversations with ChatGPT in German. For example, you can reenact a conversation with a patient or a job interview.
Courses
There are different courses, at your local university or language school, online or you can take a trip to study German. Below there are some examples.
Deutschakademie
Offers several courses in Germany and online at reasonable prices. There are many free options such as this audio course:https://www.deutschakademie.de/online-deutschkurs/audiokurs
GermanPod
Learn German through dialogues, flashcards and grammar practice. You can test it for free for 7 days.
Need more options?
Check out this list: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/how-to-learn-german-free/