German Language Learning Tips and Resources
The more exposure to a language, the easier it is to learn it. Here are a few tips, tricks, and links to help
you practice your German outside of the classroom.
General Tips
While some people just have a knack for learning languages, like other people have a knack for math,
practice is essential for everyone who learns a foreign language, no matter which language he or she is
learning. Be patient with yourself. Practice outside of class. Most importantly, allow yourself to make
mistakes—we all make mistakes, even when we’ve been learning a language for a decade or more.
Realize that the successful language learner is a problem solver and is always eager to learn more. No
one is ever “finished” learning any language, not even the native language. Keep this in mind and keep
yourself open to try your German out at any chance you get. Study abroad does wonders for learning a
language, but since not everyone has the opportunity, try to build a little Germany in your own home
and practice your German every chance you get. This is the best way to improve your language.
Listening
Huh? What’s that, you said? You want to practice your listening skills? Well, students, lend these
sources your ears:
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Kaffeestunde: listen in on (and try to participate too!) conversations being held in German,
every Wednesday night from 7:00-8:30 PM in Espresso Royale on Grand River
Watch German movies. Not a fan of the artsy and “weird” German films? There are plenty of
other movies made in Germany, by Germans, which could easily be confused for typical
Hollywood movies, too. Don’t shut yourself off to German film simply because you think all
German films are weird. If you want a list of some German films that might interest you, give
me a description of the types of movies you like to watch, and I’ll gladly come up with a list of
movies you might like.
o Filmabend: every Tuesday night at 7PM in Wells B-119
German-language Radio: Get practice listening to German-language music or regular speech.
o http://www.listenlive.eu/germany.html I recommend FFH Digital Deutsch Pur if you
want to keep up on all the hip music in Germany, as FFH Digital Deutsch Pur plays
German-language songs exclusively, whereas most other German radio stations play a
lot of American/Canadian/general English-language songs. If you want to practice your
listening comprehension with non-sung words (i.e. regular talking), try a station labeled
“news”.
 Tip: you’ll have to click on the link in the “Listen Live” column to get the radio to
play. Clicking on the name of the radio station usually takes you to the station
webpage.
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http://www.listenlive.eu/austria.html
http://www.listenlive.eu/switzerland.html (Remember, there are 4 official languages in
Switzerland—stay in the “Deutsche Schweiz” list for German)
o http://www.listenlive.eu/liechtenstein.html
German TV: There are several German television stations that stream online or offer podcasts.
You can also find a wide variety of German television shows online.
o Das Erste: http://www.daserste.de/
 Das Erste LIVE: watch Das Erste Live
 Sendungen im Ersten A-Z: Television programs on Das Erste
o Bayerisches Fernsehen: http://www.br.de/fernsehen/bayerisches-fernsehen/index.html
o Hessischer Rundfunk livestream: http://www.hronline.de/website/fernsehen/sendungen/index.jsp?rubrik=30666&key=standard_docu
ment_33394446
o Tagesschau: http://www.tagesschau.de/infoservices/podcast/index.html
o Deutsche Welle TV: http://www.dw.de/programm/s-9093-9800
o Euronews: http://de.euronews.com/nachrichten/livestream/
o Kabel 1: http://www.kabeleins.de/
o MTV Germany: http://www.mtv.de/shows/763-mtv-home
o N-TV live stream: http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/livestream/
o OnlineTVRecorder: http://www.onlinetvrecorder.com/v2/
o ZDF: http://www.zdf.de/
 Live: http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/hauptnavigation/live
 Programs:
http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/hauptnavigation/live#/hauptnavigation/send
ung-a-bis-z
o Pro7: http://www.prosieben.de/video/
o Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg: http://www.rbbonline.de/fernsehen/sendungen_von_a_z/a___z.html
o RTL shows: http://www.rtl.de/cms/sendungen.html
o SAT.1 shows: http://www.sat1.de/tv
o VOX shows: http://www.vox.de/cms/service/tools_navigation/a-z_liste.html
German dubs of American TV: Many American shows have been dubbed into German and can
be found online. Try seeing if there’s a German version of your favorite TV show.
Reading
Reading can take you to magical places, and improve your language skills too!
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Change your Facebook page to German. This doesn’t just work with Facebook. Many other web
services have German sites as well. Google products, for example, can be used in German.
If you play video games, see if your favorite video games can be played in German. Set the
language of your PlayStation to German.
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Read a German-language blog: The blogosphere is rich with German-speakers blogging about a
wide variety of topics. Try some of the German-language blog services, to be sure you’ll find
blogs in German.
Newspapers and magazines: Try this game: read the news in your native language first, and then
see if you can find an article about the same topic in a German newspaper. That way, you’ll
have some background knowledge already, and it makes reading it in German that much easier.
Here are some of the more well-known German-language newspapers, news outlets, and
magazines that publish online:
o Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: http://www.faz.net/
o Frankfurter Rundschau: http://www.fr-online.de/home/1472778,1472778.html
o Süddeutsche Zeitung: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/
o Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung: http://www.derwesten.de/waz-info/
o Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger: http://www.ksta.de/home/15189516,15189516.html
o Die Welt: http://www.welt.de/
o Der Spiegel: http://www.spiegel.de/
o Berliner Morgenpost: http://www.morgenpost.de/
o Die Tageszeitung: http://www.taz.de/
o General Anzeiger (Bonn): http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/
o Der Tagesspiegel: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/
o Bild: http://www.bild.de/
o Die Zeit: http://www.zeit.de/index
o If you want a more exhaustive list of newspapers and magazines, try these links:
 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_deutscher_Zeitungen
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http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_deutschsprachiger_Zeitschriften
Read a German translation of your favorite book
Read German books in the original.
Read German poetry—find a poetry book in the library or search online
o http://gedichte.xbib.de/ (an online library of German poetry)
Writing
The pen is mightier than the sword! Your German writing will be even mightier if you try some of these
tips:
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Blogging: Start a blog about whatever you want, and write in German. Comment on other
people’s blogs. Both Blogspot and Wordpress are popular among Germans and host Germanlanguage blogs, but for extra credit, try starting a blog at a German blog service.
o http://www.blog.de/
o http://www.blogger.de/
o http://www.twoday.net/
o http://www.blogigo.de/
o http://de.wordpress.com/
o
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http://blog.at/
Get a penpal. See the links for language exchange partners under the “Speaking” section.
Grammar
Grammar important is. Improve grammar yours with these tips and resources:
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Learn your native language’s grammar. The more you know about your first language, the
easier it is to learn a second (or third or fourth) language. Try comparing German grammar to
your native language’s grammar.
http://www.german-grammar.de/ This website is a wonderful resource for learning and
practicing grammar. Find the topic you want to learn more about, and you will find lessons and
exercises to practice. This site is also rich with audio clips, which makes it also good for
improving pronunciation and listening comprehension.
Vocabulary
Because using the same 10 words over and over again gets boring…
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Read and listen to German: constant exposure to language will help you learn new words
Keep a notebook specifically for writing down new words as you learn them
Post notecards or Post-It notes with the German names of everyday household items all around
your home.
Associate the familiar with the unfamiliar: try to find a word or phrases in your native language
which sounds like and if possible have a similar meaning to words in German. Example: “die
Vorhänge” (curtains)  sounds kind of like “for hangin’” (if you pronounce “hangin’” without
the ‘n’)  what do you do with curtains? You hang them.  So what are curtains? For hanging
(Vorhänge)
Build mental images or draw pictures of each new word you learn
To help with gender: If you are learning a noun, try to imagine that noun coming to life, like in a
Disney cartoon: is it a girl, boy, or inanimate object (feminine, masculine, neuter)? Give the
noun a name, etc. Example: Tommy, der Tisch—he’s a strong fellow, able to hold many things
on his back. Annette, die Antwort—she’s always right, because she’s a woman, and women are
always right.
Speaking
Say that to my face! If you want practice speaking, try these:
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Kaffeestunde: Wednesday nights from 7:00-8:30 PM in Espresso Royale on Grand River
Find a language exchange partner. I recommend the following sites:
o http://www.livemocha.com
o http://www.italki.com
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http://polyglotclub.com
http://www.sharedtalk.com
http://www.mylanguageexchange.com
http://www.juju.cc
http://www.slf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
http://www.meetup.com
http://www.speakmania.com
http://www.asklingo.com
http://www.scrabbin.com
Pronunciation
I’m sorry, did you say “schon” or “schön”? The following sites can help with your pronunciation:
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=1 (the alphabet)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=2 (specifically discusses pronunciation of umlauts)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=3 (important consonants and consonant clusters)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=4 (‘r’ and ‘ch’)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=5 (Diphthongs and triphthongs)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=6 (final devoicing)
 http://www.german-grammar.de/grammar/content/grammar_1_5.htm#chapter2 (some
important sounds in the German language)
 Try making audio recordings of yourself and playing them back, checking for pronunciation.
Listen to a native speaker say something, and then record yourself trying to say the same thing.
Audacity is a good, free program you can use to record your own voice.
If you want to learn about different dialects, try these:
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=7 (regional dialects in Germany)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=8 (regional dialects in Switzerland)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=9 (regional dialects in Austria)
 http://coerll.utexas.edu/dib/pho.php?k=10 (German dialects in the US)