Courses / German

Hallo!

German for English speakers

Vicki and Daniel speak German as it is spoken in Germany; Ruth, your teacher, explains in English. Read any German word aloud after the Basics: German spelling is regular, once you know its rules.

The courses

• 1

  Basics: letters and sounds

  Free

  How the language is written and said: every letter and sound from a native voice, the few rules that make reading aloud reliable, and short practice checked at once.

  Early access: a native speaker is still checking these 6 lessons.

  1. 1The German alphabet
     The 26 letters plus ä, ö, ü and ß, their names, a word for each, and spelling aloud.
  2. 2Vowels, long and short
     Every vowel long or short, the umlauts, and the endings English speakers drop.
  3. 3Letter pairs
     ei and ie, eu, au, the two sounds of ch, sch, sp and st, and a few more pairs.
  4. 4Consonants unlike English
     w, v, z, j, the buzzing s, the end of a word, the German r, silent h and th.
  5. 5Writing German
     Capital nouns, ß or ss, German quotation marks, typing ä ö ü ß, and compound words.
  6. 6Stress and reading aloud
     Where the beat falls, long words, a tongue twister, and your first paragraph.
• 2

  The main course: A1, then A2 and B1

  Coming next

  From first words to simple conversations. Each unit is one situation and brings its words, one point of grammar and a conversation together.

  • Unit 1: hello, your name, how are you
  • Numbers, days and dates, the time
  • Family, home, food, shopping, directions
  • About 14 units at A1; the first unit free
• 3

  Vocabulary

  Coming

  Words by theme, each said by a native voice, with a sentence that uses it. A short daily review brings back the words you got wrong until you know them.

  • About 30 themed sets of 20 words at A1
  • Listening and spelling practice
  • The first set free
• 4

  Grammar

  Coming

  One rule at a time, explained in plain English with spoken examples, then drills checked at once.

  • Gender and articles; the present tense
  • Word order; questions and the negative
  • The cases, one at a time
  • The first topic free
• 5

  Conversation practice

  Coming

  Real situations: a café, a hotel, asking the way, meeting someone. Hear the conversation, read it, then take one part yourself while the other voice answers.

  • About 20 conversations at A1
  • Hear it, read it, then play a part
  • The first conversation free

Prices

Paid plans open with the main course. Payment by card through Stripe, in US dollars.