The Best German Lessons

Saturday, September 14th

2024 German Lesson Reviews

italki

If you're looking to learn German, consider using italki. This online platform matches you with tutors based on your interests and learning goals. You get to set your pace and duration, and studying about 4 hours a week for 5 weeks is equivalent to a college semester. You can choose from certified teachers or community tutors, and both types have their own strengths. You'll see their profiles, watch their intro videos, and read reviews from other students to make your choice. You get to try out three tutors with low-cost trial lessons. You can also buy lesson packages for a discount or use italki credits to save on service fees. There's even a community area for free learning resources. Whether you're learning German for school, work, or as a hobby, italki helps you focus on what you really want to learn. We give these German lessons a perfect 5-star rating.

Ouino

Ouino is a recent but promising language learning platform that does what so many others fail to do - teach you grammar. On Ouino, which was lovingly created by certified language nerds, you'll practice German writing, reading, pronunciation, and listening comprehension through audio- and text-based lessons. You can use the recommended learning path or skip around in the 450+ lessons. You can test out the platform with a free demo. There are subscription options for 3, 6, or 12 months and prices fluctuate from $6.99 to $12.99 per month, depending on your commitment level. If you're not completely satisfied, they'll give you your money back. Ouino earns an excellent rating in our review of German lessons.

Memrise

Memrise is a fun app created by masters of memory that can help you learn German effectively. It offers a free version with some limitations, and a Pro version (starting at $23 a month) that gives you full access to all lessons and features. You can learn at your own pace, see real-life videos of German speakers, and even practice speaking with a chatbot. However, they've stopped allowing lessons to be downloaded for offline use and removed community-made courses. Despite these changes, Memrise is still a fantastic tool for learning German, and we recommend giving it a try.

Rocket Languages

Rocket Languages teaches you German through a three-level course. Each level consists of interactive podcast-like lessons with friendly hosts guiding you through real-world conversations. The course includes activities like quizzes and writing practice for reinforcement, a leaderboard, and a forum for discussions. If you plan to visit Germany soon, you might find the Survival Kit lessons useful. The pricing, ranging from $99.95 to $259.90, depends on how many levels you buy and the length of access you choose. There's a generous 60-day money-back guarantee, though. Rocket Languages is a solid choice for German lessons despite not being our top pick.

Fluenz

Fluenz, created by travel vlogger and entrepreneur Sonia Gil, is a language learning platform that helps you learn German in a way that leans on your knowledge of English. It doesn't offer a free trial, so you'll have to rely on user reviews and screenshots to decide if it's right for you. Your tutor, Nora Naatz, will guide you through activities and explain German grammar in relation to English. There are five levels to the program, each advancing in difficulty and complexity. You can buy the complete program for $398, but individual levels are available for purchase too. Some users have said that the sentences can be repetitive, but overall, Fluenz gets positive feedback for helping students achieve conversational German.

Busuu

Busuu is an online platform that you can use to learn German from scratch. They offer several themed courses starting from beginner level (A1) to upper intermediate (B2). Using Busuu, you'll engage in activities like watching videos of native speakers, listening exercises, and writing tasks. You'll also learn important grammar concepts and German cultural nuances. We especially like the community feedback feature. However, we think their lessons could be a little more challenging. You can do some things with Basic, but the Premium subscription includes benefits like faster feedback and offline access. It costs between $4.17 to $13.99 per month, based on the duration of your subscription. Although Busuu is a great tool for beginners, you may need to use other resources like books and media to reach fluency in German.

Babbel

Babbel is a well-known language learning platform that you might have heard of. If you want to learn German, Babbel has you covered. They'll ask you a few questions to understand your goals and knowledge level, then you can pick between learning by yourself or taking live classes. The self-study option starts at $17.95 per month, while Babbel Live begins at $99 a month. The lessons include activities like matching words to pictures and filling in sentence blanks, and they use a technique called "spaced repetition" to help you remember new words. If you're busy but need to get in speaking practice, Babbel Live could work well for you because it offers drop-in classes. Unfortunately, we find their prices too steep to recommend them more highly.

Duolingo

Duolingo is the most popular app for learning languages, offering many free features and a premium option called Duolingo Super for $7 a month, which removes ads and gives extra benefits like unlimited access to Stories. The app is fun to use and has tools like basic grammar guides, level tests, and competitive leaderboards. However, it might make you feel more confident in your language skills than is merited. Duolingo focuses on translating sentences rather than teaching you to form your own, and it doesn't explain grammar very well. Also, it teaches vocabulary that isn't very useful in everyday life. Duolingo is good for beginners who want to make language learning a daily habit, but if you want to truly master a language, especially German, you'll need more than what Duolingo offers.

Mondly

Mondly is an app you can use to learn new languages like German. The free version gives you access to daily lessons and a few categories, but it's limited. You might want to try the 7-day free trial of the premium version, which gives you access to all the lesson categories and unlimited daily lessons. They also offer lessons on professional and educational topics, and a search function to find specific lessons. Their lessons are pretty standard, and if you're looking for detailed grammar lessons, Mondly will disappoint. They do offer a virtual reality feature where you can practice German in different scenarios. Their pricing plans range from $9.99 monthly to expensive lifetime access. If you're committed to learning German, there are honestly better options out there than Mondly.

Rosetta Stone

Short When you think about learning German, you might consider Rosetta Stone, well-known for its "immersive” teaching method. However, instead of true immersion where you're part of a community speaking the language, you'll be working with a computer program using pictures, sounds, and text in German, which is not the same. Learning as an adult is different from how you learned as a kid, and having translations can actually help you understand new words and grammar rules faster. You'll find 20 different units of German lessons on the platform, but the stories and lessons are likely to leave you confused and frustrated. Plus, Rosetta Stone is expensive compared to other programs that offer more interactive, engaging, and effective features. So, if you're serious about learning German, it may be better to consider another, more affordable option that fits your learning style.

German Pod 101

GermanPod101 is an online platform for learning German, created by Innovative Language Learning. This platform covers all levels, from beginners to advanced learners. Their lessons are made up of audio conversations and lesson notes, with other learning aids like vocabulary lists, flashcards, and quizzes.