When you look for online for the best resources to learn German, these materials:
- save time
- make learning German fun
- save money
- let you practice your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills
Since you’re reading this post, I assume you’re not a stranger to online learning.
Learning German online can be a fantastic way to start your language journey.
But with so many different German learning resources to choose from, how do you know which blogs, courses, podcasts, and websites will help you achieve your goals?
In this post, you’ll find the best resources to learn German on the internet.
My list includes online German resources for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. But, most importantly, I’ll show you how to use these resources the right way to improve your language proficiency.
By the way, if learning German through rules doesn’t appeal to you, I recommend learning German through stories. My Uncovered German language courses teach you German through StoryLearning®.
Try my fun and engaging language-learning technique for free. Click here to find out more.
You Are Your Most Valuable German Learning Resource
First and foremost, I’d like to remind you that one of the best resources to learn German is you!
Ultimately, your dedication to learning the German language determines how successful you will be. Your level of motivation and time commitment matters more than any online resource, eBook, or other learning aid.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
- Why do I want to learn German?
- What proficiency level do I want to achieve?
- How much time and energy can I commit to learning German?
Learning German with online resources has never been easier. You can find hundreds of resources to learn German for free.
Despite the abundance of resources, the best instructions are useless if you take the wrong approach.
If you want to learn German, commit to frequent and regular practice. The more hours you can invest in learning German, the faster you can become fluent.
Some online resources may appeal to you more than others, depending on your interests and language goals. I recommend creating a bookmarks folder just for your German learning resources and revisiting them frequently in your spare time.
Learning German by yourself online is possible, but ultimately, your long-term commitment will serve as the foundation for your success.
Finding The Best Resources To Learn German For You
Every German language learning journey is unique, shaped by personal experiences, perspectives, mentors, and teachers.
You can learn German from any resource in this guide, but your personal list will be as unique as your language learning path.
Before diving into the best resources to learn German online, I’d like to mention one final tip. Below, you’ll find a checklist that helps you identify the qualities that make a German language learning website or tool right for you.
- How much German do you already know? Are you a complete beginner or ready for intermediate lessons?
- What is your price range? Are you looking for free German language learning resources, or do you want to pay for lessons from a native speaker?
- Do you have a learning style preference? Are you looking for visual instruction, audio examples, or interactive exercises?
- Where do you want to learn? Will you study from home or on the go?
- Are you comfortable learning through self-guided courses?
- How much time do you have to learn German each day?
Evaluating the various German language learning resources becomes a much simpler process when you know what you are looking for.
If you’re unsure about the answers to the questions above, try out different resources to find out what works for you.
As you go through the process, create your own personalized list of online resources that help you the most.
The Top 25 Online German Resources
Next, it’s finally time to show you my favourite online resources for learning German.
Many of these I've used personally, and others were recommended by friends who share my enthusiasm for learning and teaching German.
So here are the must-know types of German resources online:
- Comprehensive German language courses
- Bite-sized German online resources for revision & practice
- Books to improve your German
- German blogs and podcasts
- German YouTube channels
- Online German-speaking partners
- German immersion materials online
- Online German dictionaries
Choose what you need from the list above to get to the section you need quickly.
Comprehensive German Language Courses
A comprehensive German language course is one way to dive straight into your learning journey. Some of the best online courses for learning the German language are listed below.
- #1 German Uncovered: In my German Uncovered course for beginners, you learn German through entertaining stories that improve your listening and reading comprehension. Story-based learning is a motivational way to stay engaged with the language learning process while hearing authentic spoken German.
- #2 Rocket German: Rocket Language’s German course helps you overcome the learning barriers that often prevent you from progressing toward your language goals.
- #3 DeutschAkademie – Get 800 hours of free online lessons and practice your German using over 50,000 grammar exercises. Paid courses are also available with live lessons from online teachers.
Bite-Sized German Online Resources For Revision & Practice
You’re unlikely to become fluent in German if you only use one resource. Instead, try introducing some bite-sized German activities and learning materials that can fit into your daily routine.
- #4 Babbel: Choose a path to learn German depending on your personal language goals. You’ll find resources related to work, travel, and culture-based language skills. Check out my Babbel review for more information.
- #5 LingQ: Find thousands of German audio lessons for topics such as food, travel, culture, entertainment, sports, technology, and more.
- #6 Pimsleur: This online German learning resource focuses on the most frequently used vocabulary and real-world experiences to learn the language naturally.
- #7 German Pod 101: The lesson library includes conversational practice, key phrases, and reading material to put your German knowledge to the test. Check out my review of GermanPod 101.
Books To Improve Your German
Reading German stories is an effective way to improve your German reading and writing skills while naturally gaining fluency.
- #8 Short Stories in German (Beginner & Intermediate) by Olly Richards– Short stories in German offer a welcome break from learning grammar rules and memorizing vocabulary lists. Story-based learning helps you learn German through context and keeps you engaged on an emotional level, boosting your ability to recall information later
- #9 101 Conversations in Simple German & 101 Conversations in Intermediate German by Olly Richards – Building the confidence to speak German can be one of the most challenging aspects of language learning. These real-world conversations help improve your spoken German
- #10 German 30-Day Mastery Books by Olly Richards– Master aspects of the German language and grammar that are notoriously difficult. These books use instant immersion and story-based learning to help you speak German with confidence
German Blogs And Podcasts
German blogs and podcasts are excellent ways to hear spoken German and learn from native speakers. You can get exposure to various German accents and hear German from different regions and countries.
- #11 Coffee Break German: Learn German through a series of free podcasts with easily digestible lessons for beginner and intermediate speakers.
- #12 Easy German: Hear how German is spoken on the streets from this online video series that interviews pedestrians in German cities about daily life.
- #13 Deutsche Welle: Find various podcasts and series to understand more about specific topics in the German language. Content is available for all levels and includes dialogues with sample audio.
If your German is more advanced, you may appreciate the SWR2 Wissen podcast, which features episodes about current affairs, history, politics, education, and science. Otherwise, find more German podcast recommendations here.
German YouTube Channels
Learning German on YouTube is a fun and easy way to improve your spoken German, learn new vocabulary, and hear native speakers.
- #14 Hallo Deutschschule – You can practice along with this channel that helps you improve your German pronunciation through short lessons.
- #15 Lingoni German– This series of 450 videos helps beginner and intermediate German learners progress to the next level.
- #16 Deutsch Verstehen – Learn everyday German through animated videos introducing grammar topics with help from short stories.
Online German Speaking Partners
If you want to learn German, you need to speak it. Luckily, there are plenty of places to find a language partner online so that you can practice your German from home:
- #17 LanguaTalk: This website connects teachers and students that want to teach or learn German. You can search for German tutors in specific locations and filter the results by price. Best of all, you can book free trial sessions with some teachers, making it easy to find the right tutor.
- #18 HelloTalk: You can chat with native German speakers with this language learning app that features real-time video, voice, and text chat functions. Meet German speakers worldwide. One of the most helpful features includes reviewing, correcting, and translating messages via the chat screen interface.
- #19 Tandem – Meet a German speaker that wants to learn your native language while teaching you theirs. This website helps match you with a language exchange partner to improve each other’s fluency.
Online German Immersion Materials
Throughout your German language learning experience, your proficiency will improve and require increasingly more advanced materials. At this point, you can consider content for native German speakers instead of content specifically for German learners.
The resources below can challenge you to take your German fluency to the ultimate level as an intermediate or advanced learner.
- #20 German Conversations: Understand real spoken German with a unique listening comprehension course that teaches you how to keep up with everyday conversations.
- #21 German Grammar Hero: Overcome your fears of German grammar and learn to put your acquired skills to the test in speaking exercises. German grammar will feel like second nature after bridging the gap between theory and practice.
- #22 Deutsche Podcasts – Find a comprehensive list of German podcasts about culture, society, world events, education, health, fitness, arts, sports, history, technology, religion, and many other topics. You’ll find endless hours of audio recordings by native German speakers available in any category that interests you.
Online German Dictionaries
When you need to look up the meaning of a word quickly, a reliable online German dictionary is a must-have. Below are the top German-English dictionaries for fast translations.
- #23 Leo.org – The dictionary of choice for most German language learners is leo.org. You can translate words from or to German from English and many other languages.
- #24 Dict.cc – This dictionary includes translations and shared vocabulary knowledge users contribute to searches.
- #25 Beolingus –You’ll find plenty of phrases in this dictionary that show you how to use each German word in a sentence correctly.
Making The Most Of German Resources Online
There’s no magic resource that will make you fluent in German instantly. Instead, approach the language from your own unique perspective.
Find out what makes your German learning journey unique and which tips, tricks, and tools enable you to make the most progress. Depending on how much time you can invest in learning, your desired fluency level, and dedication to daily practice, your German will improve if you keep at it.
Some of the online resources on the list may work better for you than others. So try every learning option at least once to figure out which methods work best for your language goals.
Your unique learning styles, interests, and preferences will shape your German learning experience. But the most important thing to remember is to stay motivated by selecting resources that encourage you to keep going.
If you’re having difficulty with foreign language anxiety, you’re not alone. Many learners fear speaking German for the first time, but there are effective ways to overcome this barrier. The first one is to know that the fear villain gets to every language learner, but you can overcome her.
I hope these resources help you get closer to your German fluency goals, improve your comprehension, and encourage you to start speaking.
Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearning® Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
