The Best German Lessons

Tuesday, December 5th

2023 German Lesson Reviews

Busuu

Have you wanted to learn German phrases so that you can actually communicate with others? Have you wanted to write or speak and know for sure that you'll be understood? What about having a real native speaker of German evaluate your speaking and writing to know if they understand you, and can tell you if that's what they really say in Germany? Busuu is an excellent, communicative way to learn German. You can even tell Busuu how much time you have per day or week to study German, and they will let you know how long it will take to meet your goal. This service earns our highest recommendation among online providers of German lessons.

Memrise

Are you ready for a German-lesson program that is just a little different? Memrise may look like other online programs, but it is fun while using higher-order thinking skills to help you learn and retain German and feel comfortable in a conversational setting. It's the fun that brings you in, and the creative learning technique that keeps you coming for more.

Babbel

Have you ever dabbled in online language courses and learned material, but nothing that might help you actually have a conversation? Babbel starts out conversationally, offers lessons from beginning to advanced levels, uses innovative speech-recognition technology, and uses a teaching method that English speakers feel comfortable with. Babbel. It's a very good program, only lacking in lessons and practice at the advanced levels.

italki

Italki is a unique program where you have one-on-one lessons from a live instructor. You choose your own instructor based on their profile, experience, fee, and reviews, then sign up for classes online. You can take one class or several; you can keep the same instructor, change after a while, or mix it up with different instructors to get different accents and teaching styles. There's no other way to get German lessons that can deliver conversational fluency quite like italki, earning this platform one of our strongest recommendations.

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is often the first program that appears in our minds when we think of language courses. We think of the first-rate reputation, coupled with the bulky set of audio CDs and the exorbitant price tag. It's now time to update and upgrade your perception of Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone maintains its high reputation, is now online (no bulky CD package), there's a three-day trial period, and you can choose which subscription plan, and thus, which price tag you are willing to pay. It has become one of our preferred platforms for taking German lessons.

Ouino

Ouino German (pronounced "We Know German" - clever!) has a unique approach to learning German. Rather than following a regimented order of lessons, the student can choose their order, if they want, maybe because certain vocabulary themes are more appealing at the time. Or, you can follow Ouino's suggested order of lessons. There are many lessons to choose from. The practice exercises are plenty, but repetitive. You can apply what you learn by reading stories or watching videos related to your topic of study, and earn prizes for your efforts. Ouino is still worth a look, and see if the repetition of exercises bothers you or not.

Rocket Languages

Rocket Languages has a streamlined format: they offer exercises in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and add culture. There is plenty of audio to help you understand native German speakers, and they have a speech-recognition system to help you know if you'd be understood in German. I t can even help you correct your pronunciation.

Mondly

Mondly makes learning German fun with its interactive and motivating game-like lessons. The lifetime access membership is nominal and offers full access to German; plus, if you're motivated while learning German, there are 40 more languages available to you. The monthly subscription may be challenging to cancel, if you choose that route. That said, Mondly is still more technologically advanced than many of its competitors, keeping the student motivated to keep learning more.

Fluenz

Have you dabbled in online language classes and found them impersonal? Are you tired of learning via games, and would you just like a real person teaching you for a change? Try Fluenz! In Fluenz, a real person teaches you via video. They know how English speakers process language, and base their German lessons on that processing, making it relatable and easy to learn.

Lingoda

Do you want to learn German but need a little structure, like you had when you attended live classes in the past? Do you wish you had a live person teach you so that you could ask questions? If you would like to learn German in a small-class setting, on Zoom, with a live instructor, Lingoda is what you are looking for. But, students looking for any other type of instruction format - app-based games and exercises, comprehensive lessons with a one-time cost, and so on - will need to choose a different platform for their German lessons.

German Pod 101

GermanPod101 is a refreshing way to learn German. The lessons have quite a bit of vocabulary, and there's a video lesson portion that even adds humor. You can take the lessons in the suggested order, or you can bounce each day to a topic that suits your fancy. GermanPod101 is great for beginners, but is short on material for the intermediate or advanced German learner. Once you become more advanced and want to continue to build your conversational skills, you might find yourself more comfortable in one of our other highly suggested online German lesson programs. Still, we think GermanPod101 is a great way to begin to learn German and will keep you motivated to jump to the next lesson.