This page provides specific study suggestions and resources. You may also want to consult this General Language Learning Advice.
0B. Review the basics: Pimsleur German
0D. Textbooks and Commercial Language Learning Programs
1a. UofM German 101/102 Current & Legacy Materials
1b. UofM German 221/231/232 Materials: Kernwortschatz & Old Gateway Vocabulary List; Online Grammar
2. Easy German and Super Easy German
3. Duolingo, HelloTalk, Italki, and “real life” – daily practice and German conversation partners
4. Flashcards: Seedlang, Anki, Quizlet etc.
6. UofM Students: Subscribe to Mango or Yabla German via the LRC
7. Reading: Easy/Graded Readers, Dual Language books, Harry Potter etc.
8. German Materials at the Ann Arbor Public Library
9. MORE: Links to Online German Learning Resources; Links by Topic
0A. Gabriel Wyner: Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It; Wyner’s German Pronunciation Videos
Inspiring (and affordable) book by an opera singer who taught himself multiple languages. Read it quickly and write down and implement the ideas you like. Updates and many of the ideas are on the Fluent Forever companion website. Buy it new, look for used copies, or find it in a library. Hartmut has two copies to loan to UofM students, if you want to get an idea of whether you want to buy it.
Wyner has made three excellent German pronunciation videos. Practice making the sounds as you listen. The links are in the first bullet point on this list of pronunciation resources.
0B. Review the basics: Pimsleur German
UofM students can request a free subscription to Pimsleur (and also to Mango or Yabla – see further below). Most public libraries offer access to Pimsleur audio online; they may also still have have Pimsleur CDs.
The Pimsleur method is audio-based, and proceeds via half-hour lessons. Working through some Pimsleur lessons is a great way to review the basics and build fluency in listening and speaking. You may need to use trial and error to figure out where to start (i.e. Level 1, or 2, etc.).
The basic idea is that you are taught how to say a few words, and then systematically asked to form sentences with them, e.g. Say “Let’s meet at half-past five.” There’s a pause for you to say it if you can, then you hear the model answer, then you repeat that, then you’re prompted to say the next sentence, etc. Every few sentences, a new word or phrase is introduced. The method is slow and methodical, but very effective at getting you to actually become comfortable using what you learn. It will only work if you attempt to say each sentence when prompted (and then repeat the model answer). Note their advice to repeat each lesson until you have mastered 80-90% of it before you move on to the next lesson!
If you continue with Pimsleur, I recommend using it in combination with a flashcard program (see below), where you can enter words and phrases you want to be sure to remember, and with an online dictionary. You’ll also want to supplement it with some written materials. If you don’t like Pimsleur, move on to other materials!
Here is a short annotated list of online dictionaries.
0D. Textbooks and Commercial Language Learning Programs
College and high school textbooks are expensive and not designed for self-study. If you do buy one, I recommend either Treffpunkt Deutsch (best for self-study) or Vorsprung (because the legacy materials in item 1 below correlate with it). If money is no object, buy a package including access to the online practice materials; otherwise, look for an affordable used copy and find your own practice materials.
I’m not familiar with commercial self-study textbooks, so cannot make a recommendation. A few possibilities to consider are German for Dummies; The Everything Learning German Book; Language Hacking German; Teach Yourself German; The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning German.
- If you’re looking only for a reading knowledge of German, I recommend German for Reading Knowledge, by Korb (older editions are by Jannach/Korb). I recommend getting an edition for which the companion website (with answers to exercises etc.) is still available.
I’m not sufficiently familiar with commercial self-study programs such as Mango, Rosetta Stone, Tell Me More, Living Language etc. to make a recommendation. Some advice/warnings: (1) Many programs offer you a LOT of resources, but no clear path for how to use them efficiently – or, conversely, force you through a series of steps that may not feel efficient for you (2) Finding a program that works for you is a trial-and-error process. Before committing to a purchase, try to find the program in a library and test it out, or take advantage of “free trial”/”money-back guarantee” offers. (3) The program you are most likely to hear about is Rosetta Stone, as they have spent a LOT of money on marketing, which is reflected in the price. The consensus in the language-learning community seems to be that their marketing is great, but their product is not. Rosetta Stone uses a photo-based learning method (“Which of these pictures represents the word/statement?”) that is initially fun to work with, but that your brain quicky learns to “succeed” in without actually learning much. Here is a detailed and objective negative review of Rosetta Stone from 2016; this negative review of Rosetta Stone from 2024 feels informative and fair, though it may be less objective (the language101 site wants you to consider using language 101). An important takeaway from the second review: if a person is not able to learn much from a product like Rosetta Stone, that does NOT mean they are a poor language learner!
1a. UofM German 101/102 Current & Legacy Materials
Follow the links to access the Winter 2024 German 101 Course Materials and the Winter 2024 German 102 Course Materials, and Kultur & Reisen Materials for BOTH courses. Expand the sidebar in each doc to navigate to:
- Tested Vocabulary Lists (based on the roughly 1.000 most frequent German words, as well as roughly 200 more words/phrases that are particularly useful in our context), and links to Quizlet flashcards
- Reference Vocabulary Lists on a variety of topics
- Grammar resources
- Pronunciation resources
- Practice & Preparation worksheets, with grammar and vocabulary practice for each module
- Overheads for the semester
- Information about course assessments (you could use these to test your progress)
- Full lesson plans for each day
Click here to access the LEGACY German 101/102 overview page (materials from our German 101/102 courses prior to Fall 2023). Scroll past the green vocabulary section at the top. You will see three columns:
- The left-hand column includes links to video lectures summarizing the basics of German grammar. Note the list of topics for each video.
- Pause the video lectures as needed; watch them multiple times.
- Afterwards, make up your own example sentences using the new structures, until they feel easy.
- Make flashcards (e.g. on Quizlet) out of example sentences you find useful!
- The center column includes links to legacy online exercises and worksheets accompanying each video.
- The right-hand column includes links to older vocabulary resources that will only be useful if you are working with/have worked with the textbook Vorsprung.
1b. UofM German 221/231/232 Materials: Kernwortschatz & Old Gateway Vocabulary List; Online Grammar
Students in German 221/231 study the (roughly) 1200 most common German words. You will have seen many of these in German 101/102, but many will be new. To study this “Kernwortschatz” [=core vocabulary], visit the German 231 Quizlet page. (Choose the alphabetical view rather than the default “latest” view!)
- An older “Gateway Vocabulary List” including just under 600 of the most common words and phrases, as well as some usage notes, is here. There is also a link to a simple multiple choice test you can use for practice – but we recommend focusing on forming short, simple sentences with these words, 10-15 minutes at a time (see the last bullet point in the previous section).
Here is an online grammar with additional grammar resources, explanations and examples. Some comments and advice:
- I recommend reviewing the video lectures in the previous section (1a) before working with the online grammar.
- The “Basic Chart” of article and pronoun forms includes mnemonic advice to help you remember these forms, and some mechanical exercises.
- There are two “Case Overviews.” The second one especially may help clarify when to apply which of the various rules you have learned about the cases.
- There is a summary of “Verb Tenses.”
- All the major grammar topics are covered. Most pages include interactive exercises with detailed explanatory feedback. “Practice Exercises” focus on specific subtopics; “Diagnostic Exercises” review the topic as a whole. The “diagnostic exercises” show you 20 questions chosen at random from an item bank each time you attempt them ==> may be worth trying multiple times in order to see more questions.
2. Easy German & Super Easy German: Two great series of videos with enthusiastic hosts (the series began as a high school project) introducing German language and culture in clear, simple German. Access both playlists for free via the Easy German home page. All videos include clear subtitles in German and English. Paying for a membership supports the site and gets you access to additional features.
3. Duolingo, HelloTalk, Italki, and “real life” – daily practice and German conversation partners
Links to Duolingo, HelloTalk, Italki and other resources are here.
- Duolingo is a free app (for Android, iOS and even Windows phones) with the explicit goal of making language learning fun and addictive. Practice vocabulary, grammar, speaking and listening. The app is constantly being improved.
- HelloTalk is a free app (Android and iOS) for finding conversation partners around the world and at home. Enter the language(s) you speak and want to learn, then find partners by language, location etc.
- Italki (“I talk-y”) is a website and app you can use to find conversation partners: “exchange time teaching your native language for time practicing a foreign language.” Enter the language(s) you speak and want to learn, then find partners by language, location etc. You can also use the site to hire a tutor by the hour.
Also: don’t be shy about talking to real people: German-speaking tourists and exchange students, friends and family members who speak German, etc.!
- Here is some information about organized conversation opportunities in and around Ann Arbor.
Finally, you can talk to yourself in German– out loud, or in your head. Tell yourself in German what you’re doing, what you’re seeing, what you’re thinking. It’s fun, makes you more mindful, and will help you learn to talk about the things that are most relevant for you!
4. Flashcards: Seedlang, Anki, Quizlet etc.
I highly recommend making your own electronic flashcards to help you study vocabulary (and grammar!). Some general advice:
- Try to make each card as useful and memorable as you can, as quickly as you can, i.e. without spending too much time on making it. This will typically mean going beyond just writing the word and its English equivalent. Ideas:
- Include one or two sample sentences or phrases. If there’s something you’re likely to want to say using the word/phrase, or something funny it makes you think of, write it on the card!
- Do an image search for the word on google.de (great way to see how some things “look” different in Germany/Austria/Switzerland!) and paste in your favorite image
- If the word is included in the German 101/102 vocabulary (the German 101/102 Semesterplan docs linked above will eventually include a searchable list), select your favorite examples/mnemonics from the right-hand columns of the German 101/102 vocabulary lists
- Record yourself saying the word, or download audio from e.g. forvo.com
- Flashcards can also help you learn grammar (enter one or two representative and memorable sentences for each structure)
- DON’T MAKE TOO MANY CARDS! “Less is more”: having enough time to practice with the cards you’ve made is MUCH more important than making a lot of cards. Psychologically, if you make a small stack of cards and master it, you’re more likely to review it and add to it over time than if you make a big, daunting stack that you never want to open.
There are a lot of great flashcard options available, many of them free. Here are some suggestions.
5. Listening practice: extr@ auf Deutsch; Lernen to Talk Show; “Videos zum Spaß”; German Audio on Netflix; German Series & Movies on Campus and Online
extr@ auf Deutsch is an entertaining soap-opera spoof. The German is simple, clear, and useful, and the videos are captioned to help you follow along. An exaggerated laugh-track lets you know when a joke has been made, and some of the jokes are funny.
The Lernen to Talk Show is a series of 4-7 minute videos filmed once a week by a student who went to Germany for a year in 2011/12, to document his progress in the language. Each episode is carefully subtitled (and often also annotated) in ways that also show you some of the mistakes he makes as he speaks. Click around to find a starting point that matches your current level.
Videos zum Spaß: These videos are loosely organized in accordance with their correlations to the chapters of Vorsprung, but can be useful practice at all levels. The links are accompanied by explanatory notes, ranging from general comments to detailed transcripts with translations. Choose what you like and use the related videos on YouTube to find more!
German Audio on Netflix: For ALL shows produced by Netflix, there is a language menu where you can set the audio and/or the subtitles to German. Initially, you’ll learn the most by setting the language to German and the captions to English and actively correlating what you hear with what you see; time permitting, watch some segments a second time with BOTH the audio and the subtitles set to German. As you progress, this can become your default setting.
- Here are complete lists of Netflix’ current original series and Netflix’ past original series. Many more series are available in German (and with German captions) on Netflix in Germany/Austria/Switzerland, but Netflix is very strict about attempts to fool it into believing you’re in Germany or elsewhere when you’re not.
German Series & Movies on Campus and Online: Lots of German series and movies are easily accessible via Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc. If you’re a UofM student and you’re near Ann Arbor over the summer, you can take advantage of the great selection of German movies at the Askwith Media Library in the UGLi, and in the Language Resource Center (LRC):
- Especially highly recommended series: Dark, Babylon Berlin, Biohackers, and Deutschland 83 (and 86, and 89). For other suggestions as to what to watch, try one of these lists:
- Check the Telescope website for info on German films and series worth watching, including trailers and details on where they are available online.
- Here is a survey of German film series that you can watch in the US, compiled by the Goethe Institute.
- Feli from Germany (2023): 8 German Netflix Shows You NEED To Check Out! The link should take you to 8 min 42 seconds into the video, when she starts discussing these series.
- Here is a 2022 list of German television and shows available on Netflix and Amazon Prime. The rankings seem arbitrary, but the descriptions and availability info are very helpful.
- Lingopie’s Learn German with Netflix Shows: Our 7 Best Picks offers an interesting list of 7 shows. Their selection is focused more specifically on shows that are well-suited for language learning.
- 37 Best German Films for German-Learners A great list, but aging (the newest entry is from 2006)
- On campus: Askwith: German Movies at the Askwith Media Library in the UGLi
- On campus: LRC: You can also watch lots of great German movies (including various American/British classics dubbed in English, like the original Star Wars trilogy, the Monty Python movies, some of the Harry Potter movies, The Big Lebowski etc.) at the LRC (you need to watch LRC movies in the LRC – which you can do in great comfort in their viewing area). Here’s the list of German Movies in the LRC.
- Here is a page with more info about German-language movies & TV.
6. UofM Students: Subscribe to Mango or Yabla German via the LRC
If you are a UofM student, click here to request a free subscription to Mango or Yabla. This is a great opportunity to access these valuable resources for free.
Mango Languages is an online language learning resource based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Here is a video overview of how Mango works.
Yabla allows you to watch their library of authentic German videos (TV clips, music videos, etc.) with various features to promote listening practice:
- You can slow down the audio. The pitch will be corrected so it still sounds fairly normal.
- All videos are accompanied by German and English captions. For easier texts, hide the English ones. Click on words in the German captions to look them up in an online dictionary.
- The “loop” button allows you to play a certain segment over and over (click “Loop” at the point where you want the loop to end, then click on the progress bar where you want it to start)
- Click “play game” to see some fill-in-the-blank activities based on segments from the video clip.
- New clips are added each week. You can browse their library without signing in to see what’s available.
7. Reading: Easy/Graded Readers, Dual Language books, Harry Potter etc.
Extensive reading is a great way to build vocabulary and learn how the language works. The key to this is to look up as few words as possible, in order to read at close to a normal pace. Look up words only if (a) you’re lost, or (b) you really want to learn that particular word. A few ideas:
- Graded German Reader (by Crossgrove & Crossgrove): Well-thought out progression from texts for complete beginners to anecdotes, stories and fairy tales – but VERY expensive (over $70-130 for a 240-page paperback) ==> look for a used copy, or an older edition!
- Dual Language books in German with a facing page translation. Entering “Dual Language German” or “Parallel Text German” on Amazon will show you various options.
- German versions of easy-to-read books you like and have already read – e.g. Harry Potter. Here is a page with links to vocabulary lists and chapter outlines for the Harry Potter series, which can help you read this book more efficiently.
8. German Materials at the Ann Arbor Public Library
The Ann Arbor Public Library has an outstanding collection of German materials. There is a large selection of DVDs and books, and of language learning materials. There are also hundreds of CDs. There are even some graphic novels (mostly Asterix and Tintin cartoons translated from the original French (but very popular in Germany), but also e.g. a German version of “V is for Vendetta.”
To find these materials, go to the Ann Arbor Library’s World Languages Page and click on the headings under “German.” Within each category of search results, you will then see additional options to refine your results, e.g. “By Age” (especially useful for books if you’re looking for something easier to read).
Many of the items are listed as unavailable, but getting a library card and setting up an online account are easy to do, and then you can simply request materials to be held for you at your preferred location when they come in.
The Ann Arbor District Library is located downtown at the intersection of Fifth & William; there are also several branch locations where you can have materials delivered for pickup.
Note that the downtown library also has an ongoing book sale, where you can pick up German books for $2 or less.
9. MORE: Links to Online German Learning Resources; Links by Topic
Here is a list of links to MANY more resources: to online German courses and lessons, to humor sites, news sites, music sites etc.