Here are my most highly recommended resources for learning the German language.
I frequently refer to them in many of the articles I write on this site because I know they’re fantastic and they’ve been crucial to my own learning.
From time to time I use affiliate links for paid products on this site which means I get a small commission for referrals. It doesn’t affect the price of anything but doing so has helped me continue to maintain and improve this site over the last 10+ years as a helpful resource for language learners.
This is one of my favorite online courses which has some of the highest quality German dialogue material available.
Rocket German doesn’t follow a ‘cookie cutter’ approach like other well-known programs such as Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur, and it has a tonne of excellent audio content for all levels ranging from beginner to advanced.
An extremely well-made and very unique German course aimed at teaching German through a unique “story method” (StoryLearning).
If you’re looking for a full German curriculum that leads you all the way through to fluency, and are facing difficulties getting your head around how German works, this will definitely help you.
Arguably the most detailed and comprehensive downloadable German course currently available. Ouino is highly customizable and personalized, and covers all German skills. It’s also the best option for German homeschooling.
This is an excellent German course in the form of audio podcasts and downloadable lessons.
As well as podcast-style lessons, you’ll find videos, a vocabulary database and dictionary, grammar explanations and various other useful features.
Use code MEZZOGUILD for 25% off any of their course options.
Wunderbla is a really unique and highly popular course for German that offers ‘personalized’ lessons which adapt to your needs and skill level.
You receive corrections and exciting new content sent to you daily. Highly recommend this one.
LingoPie is an outstanding library of high quality, interactive TV shows in 6 major European languages, including German.
If you enjoy learning from your favorite sitcoms and other genres, this is your best option.
This is an excellent site for using video to learn German where you can control the speed of playback and select words from the subtitles for definitions.
Yabla has recently had some major improvements and new video content added making it well worth a try (I wrote a Yabla review too).
This is a fantastic tool for learning German using subtitled video (read my review of FluentU).
It has many of the same features as Yabla but a wider array of video content to choose from.
Pimsleur is a household name and one of the most famous German courses ever made.
It’s a research-backed, proven method that is audio-only and gets you speaking quickly through spaced-repetition of situational phrases.
One of my personal favorites.
Read my Pimsleur review.
This is another very unique product that improves your fluency through a highly repetitive ‘listen and repeat’ approach.
It is, in my opinion, one of the the most useful resources I’ve seen for training German listening comprehension. Definitely not a conventional course but you’ll be amazed at how effective it is at improving your German fluency if you use it daily (read my Glossika review).
Mondly is a beautifully designed learning platform (also available as a mobile app) in 33 different languages including German.
It also teaches conversation in a Rosetta Stone-style way.
Not too long ago it was really difficult or impossible to practice German without actually traveling to Germany.
Thankfully, tools like italki have made it possible to connect with native speakers from all over the world to practice or to take personalized lessons over Skype (read my italki review).
The great news is, German lessons over Skype through italki are incredibly cheap compared to most teachers in person. All the frustration of payments and scheduling is handled brilliantly by italki too which makes it very easy and stress free to arrange sessions.
Lingoda’s an excellent alternative to italki if you’re learning German and want more “structured” lesson control and feedback.
You have the option of choosing one-on-one lessons or small classes, and each lesson is topic-based and highly practical.
It’s very inexpensive too (monthly recurring subscription).
SmarterGerman: One of the most popular German course options currently available. There are multiple, outstanding free courses to choose from depending on your CEFR level (there are options for absolute beginners at A1 right up to advance C1 level).
Memrise: This is an outstanding online vocabulary training tool that lets you select German ‘courses’ to study (or create one yourself). Many of the courses also include audio.
AnkiSRS: A highly versatile flashcard app.
Forvo: If there’s ever a German word or expression that you’ve seen written but don’t know how to pronounce, you can search for it here (or request it) and hear a native speaker pronounce it for you.
Duolingo German: Duolingo is a fun, free and effective way to study German grammar.
