Rocket Languages Review: German Lessons

Rocket Languages offers you courses in languages like Italian, French, Korean, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Sign Language, English, and of course, German. Using interactive podcasts, their lessons get you speaking right from the start. You'll also learn about German culture and everyday life. Download your audio lessons for offline listening and play them on any device. If you want to learn more about Rocket Languages, the first best place to look is this review. The second best place is their free trial - all you need is an email address to get started.

Friendly German and American hosts

There are three levels of Rocket Languages' German course, each with between 64 and 75 lessons. No confusing layout or unclear learning paths here - hop right into the intro module with the first lesson called "Let's Get Started!" It's a 30-minute audio lesson - essentially a podcast. Your host for the German course is Rachel from the USA, joined in the first level by Lena from Hamburg and Paul from Munich. You'll hear them go back and forth in a basic, scripted German conversation and there will be audio cues to encourage you to practice speaking aloud. This type of lesson is best to complete somewhere you won't mind being heard, like while driving or out for a walk mit dem Hund. As you progress, the German gets more complicated, but Rachel is always there to break down what you're hearing in English. We love that Rocket Languages teaches you grammar right alongside new vocabulary, which, puzzlingly, isn't a given with all German lessons.

Language and culture lessons teach you about life in Germany

Our favorite thing about Rocket Languages is their Language & Culture Lessons. A lot of people have negative associations with text-based classroom language learning, which might be why gamified language apps have become so popular. But those apps leave some important things out. You need a middle ground - something that's not so dry as a textbook and not so light as a game that may as well be junk food for your brain. In the first Language & Culture lesson, you'll hear the nuances of German vowels and that tricky "R", and learn about the proper way to greet someone new in Germany. Don't be startled if a storekeeper says "Guten Tag" to you when you enter the store - Germans have a reputation for being unfriendly, but in reality, they're quite polite.

Extra activities to help you retain information

After you complete an Audio or Language & Culture lesson, you'll have a few activities available to reinforce your learning, like flashcards, writing exercises, quizzes, and pronunciation practice. We tested each of these out and have a few pointers for you. In a writing exercise, you'll listen to a phrase and type what you hear. Just make sure you don't miss any special characters like the Eszett (ß) - using a double S here will cost you some points. You don't need to go out and buy a new keyboard, though - special character buttons are provided. When practicing your pronunciation, you should know that Rocket Languages will grade your speech automatically. It's mostly accurate. For instance, if you don't get the "ch" sound in "nicht" just right, and pronounce it as "nickt", Rocket will call you out on it. However, we got away with a terribly exaggerated American accent on "sehr gut". To really nail your accent, you should use the provided features to replay the example audio and your own attempts. Keep re-recording yourself until you sound exactly like the example. All the points you earn in these activities contribute to your ranking on the leaderboard.

Leaderboard and forums for friendly competition

If you missed the leaderboard, don't worry, you're not alone. It's easy to overlook. Click on the wrench icon over "Tools". Here, you'll find the leaderboard where you can compare yourself to others and see your streak status. Any vocab you've saved can also be found here. There's also a forum for discussing all things German language and culture with other students and tutors.

Survival Kit for quick travel vocab

The last thing in Rocket's offerings are the Survival Kit lessons. These follow the same format of audio and text as the other lessons, but the topics are all things someone traveling to Germany in the near future might find useful.

60 days to get your money back

Rocket Languages is generally liked on the internet, but they don't have as many user reviews as some of our higher-rated picks. One critique from a user was about the course not consistently teaching the gender of nouns, which is important in German as it can change the way other words in a sentence are formed. That user still gave Rocket 4 stars, though, because when they requested a refund within the 60-day window, it was completed the next day.

Priced from $99.95 to $259.90

Rocket's pricing structure works differently than some other German lesson sites we've included in this review. They charge you by level, or you can opt for a one-time payment for a six-month plan that gives you access to all 3 levels. However, it's all billed at the same time, even for a monthly plan. That means the minimum you'll be paying for Rocket Languages' German lessons is $100. Here's the breakdown:

• All three levels (Beginner to Advanced): Normally $449.85, often discounted to $259.90
• First two levels (to a strong conversational level): Usually $299.90, often lowered to $249.90
• First level (to a good conversational level): Typically $149.95, usually on sale for $99.95
• 6 months of access to all 3 levels: charged as a one-time payment of $282

We like them, but they're not our favorite

We've reviewed Rocket Languages a few times now, and we have to admit that their German course isn't our favorite. Some users have felt that the podcasts are a bit dry and seem too scripted, but that could be because they have a lot of information to include in a way that's friendly to absolute beginners. We think the oversight of not including articles with nouns is a bit odd, and raises questions about what the advanced lessons are like. Also, we'd like to see a lower-priced subscription option comparable to competitors. Overall, we would still recommend Rocket Languages' German lessons, but not as our first choice.

Learn More  ➜

On the Rocket Languages website