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German

Free German course

German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The course teaches standard German and points out where Austria and Switzerland differ.

Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no German at all.

Start with chapter 1No sign-up needed.
The Plönlein in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, between two old town gates
Hallo! Wie geht's?Hello! How are you?

How the course works

The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.

  1. Listen

    A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.

  2. Understand

    The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.

  3. Practise

    Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.

  4. Check

    A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.

Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.

Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.

Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.

The four levels

The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.

The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course.

Where should I start? If you're new to German, start with Beginner, chapter 1. If you already know some, take the beginner test: it shows which chapters you can skip, and each level has its own test.

Finding your way

The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the German course, wherever you are:

Course →
This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
Grammar →
33 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
Verbs →
Full tables for 48 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
Vocabulary →
Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
Phrasebook →
Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
Review →
Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
Before you start
How the letters are pronounced, with audio:

All chapters

Beginner (A1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Hello and goodbyeHallo und tschüssSay hello and goodbye in German at any time of day, introduce yourself, say where you're from and ask how someone is.
  2. Numbers and pricesZahlen und PreiseCount from 0 to 100 in German, ask what something costs, understand prices in euros and read out phone numbers.
  3. At the caféIm CaféOrder drinks in a German café, ask what you owe, and learn when to say du and when to say Sie.
  4. Getting aroundUnterwegs in der StadtAsk where places are in a German town, ask if there is a pharmacy or supermarket nearby, and understand simple directions.
  5. Family and friendsFamilie und FreundeTalk about your family in German, say how old people are, and use the personal pronouns, haben and sein, and words like mein, dein and Ihr.
  6. My homeMein ZuhauseName the rooms and furniture of a flat in German, say where things are with in, auf, neben and unter, and describe colours.
  7. My dayMein TagDescribe your daily routine in German, tell the time, and use present-tense verbs and separable verbs like aufstehen.
  8. Food and shoppingEssen und EinkaufenBuy food at a German market: say what you'd like, ask for quantities, use den and einen, and form plurals.
  9. Time and datesTage und TermineLearn the days and months in German, say dates, use am, um and im correctly, and make an appointment by phone.
  10. Likes and dislikesWas magst du?Say what you like and don't like in German with mögen and gern, give your opinion, and choose between nicht and kein.
  11. Hobbies and free timeHobbys und FreizeitTalk about hobbies and sports in German, say how often you do things and what you can, must and want to do, and invite a friend.
  12. Your first conversationDein erstes GesprächPut all of A1 German together in a real conversation: introduce yourself, talk about work and free time, and make a plan.

Elementary (A2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Talking about the pastWas hast du gemacht?Say what you did yesterday or at the weekend in German with the Perfekt, choose between haben and sein, and use time words like gestern.
  2. Travel and hotelsIm HotelCheck in at a German hotel, ask about breakfast, make polite requests with Könnten Sie and use the dative after mit, zu and von.
  3. At the doctor'sBeim ArztSay what hurts and since when at a German doctor's, use mir, dir and Ihnen, and understand simple advice like Sie sollten …
  4. Home and housingEine neue WohnungView a flat to rent in German, ask about the rent, and compare places with größer als, so groß wie and am größten.
  5. Work and studiesArbeit und StudiumTalk about your studies and jobs in German, use war, hatte and musste, and say how long you've worked somewhere.
  6. Weather and seasonsDas WetterTalk about the weather and the seasons in German, understand a forecast, and talk about the future with werden and the present.
  7. Clothes and shoppingKleidung kaufenBuy and return clothes in German: ask for sizes, try things on, say what you like with gefallen, and use dieser and ihn, sie, es.
  8. Plans and invitationsPläne und EinladungenMake, accept, decline and change plans in German, give reasons with weil, suggest things with Lass uns … and use sich treffen.
  9. Directions and transportMit der Bahn unterwegsBuy a train ticket in German, ask about platforms, delays and changing trains, and understand and give instructions with the imperative.
  10. Describing peopleWie sieht er aus?Describe what people look like and what they're like in German, use adjective endings after ein, and say what someone was like.
  11. Phone calls and messagesAm TelefonMake a phone call in German, leave a message with dass, spell your name, and say who gets something with ihm, ihr and Ihnen.
  12. A weekend awayEin Wochenende am BodenseePut A2 German together: tell a friend about a weekend trip, compare, give reasons and tips, and talk about future plans.

Intermediate (B1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Stories and memoriesGeschichten und ErinnerungenTell a story about the past in German: the Präteritum of common verbs, the Plusquamperfekt for what had happened before, and als for “when”.
  2. Opinions and reasonsMeinungen und GründeGive your opinion in German, explain your reasons with denn, deshalb and obwohl, and agree or disagree politely.
  3. News and current eventsNachrichten aus der StadtUnderstand simple local news in German: the passive with wird and wurde, and how to report what you read or heard.
  4. Feelings and relationshipsGefühle und BeziehungenTalk about feelings and relationships in German: wenn or als, verbs like sich ärgern über, and uns, euch, sich meaning “each other”.
  5. Hopes and wishesTräume und WünscheTalk about dreams and wishes in German with the Konjunktiv II: würde + infinitive, hätte, wäre and könnte, and say what you hope.
  6. Solving problemsProbleme lösenComplain about something broken and find a solution in German: indirect questions with ob and question words, and real conditions with wenn.
  7. Culture and traditionsFeste und BräucheTalk about customs and festivals in German: relative clauses in the nominative, accusative and dative, and man for what people usually do.
  8. Work and careersBeruf und KarriereHandle a job interview in German: talk about your experience, strengths and weaknesses, and say why you do things with um … zu and damit.
  9. Health and lifestyleGesund lebenTalk about healthy habits in German: zu + infinitive after Es ist wichtig and Ich versuche, advice with du solltest, and adjective endings.
  10. Money and everyday servicesAuf der BankOpen a bank account in German: the genitive with des and der, während and wegen, the passive with modal verbs, and formal requests.
  11. Travel storiesReisegeschichtenTell a travel story in German: mix the past tenses, say what would have happened with hätte and wäre, and react with surprise.
  12. Telling your storyMeine GeschichtePut B1 German together: tell the story of your life, from the past to your plans, and understand someone else's story in an interview.

Upper intermediate (B2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Discussing and debatingDiskutieren und argumentierenArgue a point in German: zwar … aber, einerseits … andererseits, auch wenn and selbst wenn, and how to interrupt and sum up politely.
  2. Work in depthDas JahresgesprächHandle an annual review in German: give and react to feedback, negotiate politely, use modal verbs with nuance and set noun-verb phrases.
  3. Film, books and mediaFilm, Buch und KritikTalk about films and books in German: sum up a plot, give a nuanced opinion, use participles as adjectives and read a review.
  4. Science and technologyWissenschaft und TechnikExplain how something works in German: the passive in the Perfekt and with modal verbs, ist geöffnet vs wird geöffnet, and sich lassen.
  5. Society and the environmentHitze in der StadtDiscuss a local problem and its solutions in German: all types of if-sentences, je … desto, and ways to express concern.
  6. Public lifeAus dem StadtratReport what politicians and others said in German: the Konjunktiv I for reported speech, the Konjunktiv II instead, and neutral formal language.
  7. Education and learningSchule, Studium, AusbildungTalk about school, study and regrets in German: hätte … sollen / können for what you should or could have done, and nouns like der Student, den Studenten.
  8. Idioms and everyday speechRedewendungen im AlltagSound natural in everyday German: modal particles like doch, ja, mal, halt and eben, common idioms, and the short forms of spoken German.
  9. Humour and informal languageLocker gesagtUnderstand colloquial German and everyday humour: common informal words, irony like Na super, and how to switch between casual and polite German.
  10. Formal writingEin formeller BriefWrite a formal complaint in German: letter phrases, a neutral nominal style, aufgrund and trotz, and connectors like sowohl … als auch and weder … noch.
  11. Giving a presentationEine Präsentation haltenGive a presentation in German: structure your talk, guide your listeners, put emphasis where it matters and handle questions calmly.
  12. Final reviewWiedersehen nach zwanzig JahrenReview B2 German in a long conversation at a school reunion, and learn als ob for “as if”: Du siehst aus, als ob du achtzehn wärst.