Rosetta Stone Review: German Lessons

When you hear "Rosetta Stone," it might conjure images of dusty Egyptian artifacts, but in the world of language learning, it's synonymous with immersive teaching methods. Famous for software that plunges you directly into a new language without any translation "crutch", Rosetta Stone has built its reputation on the idea that immersion is the key to fluency. It uses images, text, sound, and video to mimic the natural language acquisition process. However, Rosetta Stone's idea of "immersion" might not be the best way for adults to learn a new language. Keep reading to find out why.

Rosetta Stone isn't really immersive

Rosetta Stone calls its language learning approach "immersion," but what you get isn't quite the full immersion experience. True immersion means being part of a community where everyone speaks the language naturally, pushing you to constantly use and adapt to the language in real situations. Instead, Rosetta Stone has you working with a computer program that uses pictures, audio clips, and text in the target language, trying to mimic real-life use. For example, you might be asked to match words to pictures or respond to simple prompts, but you won't actually talk with native speakers in real-time, which is crucial for authentic immersion.

Translations help adults learn faster, not slower

Moreover, as an adult who already speaks one language fluently, you might find that learning without translations makes things harder. Adults usually pick up new languages better when they can link new words and grammar to what they already know. Translations help make new language concepts clearer and easier to remember, especially when dealing with complex ideas or technical topics that pictures alone can't explain. Rosetta Stone does their best to give you the context clues you need to decipher a sentence - for example, the phrase, "Der Supermarkt ist in der Nähe der Brücke" is accompanied by images of a supermarket produce section and a bridge superimposed over a map - but you'll still need to do some deciphering, which is time-consuming.

20 German units

When you check out "Explore All Content," you'll find 20 different sections of German lessons, from basic language to community and family topics. There are also a few short On-Demand videos, along with some stories.

Stories leave you in the dark

In the story "Der neue Schüler," you read about Mateo joining a soccer team at his new school. Your options are to read the story, listen to it, or read it out loud. However, there's no option for translation. Occasionally, certain words are highlighted in blue. If you hover over these words, an image appears to help explain the word's meaning. For example, when you hover over Gymnasium, an image of a high school appears (not a gym!). But what if you need help with some of the verbs, like beitreten, or you're not sure what belegtes Brot is? You're left with two options: look it up independently or remain confused.

Not equipped to teach complicated German grammar

Learning complex German grammar can be tough with Rosetta Stone's teaching style. German grammar includes intricate rules that change words based on gender and the case (nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive) being used. For instance, "Ich gebe der Frau das Buch" means "I give the woman the book." If you know some basics, you might wonder why a feminine noun (die Frau) suddenly has a masculine article here (der Frau) - and Rosetta Stone wouldn't explain that "der Frau" is the dative form for "the woman" based on the German rule that nouns change their articles according to their grammatical role, a concept foreign to English speakers who don't use article changes to indicate cases. Adults learning a new language need clear grammar explanations. While kids can learn a new language by immersion and repetition, adults often struggle because they try to apply their native language's grammar rules. This can lead to confusion and slow down learning, especially when the new language's structure is very different from their first language, like English and German.

A pricey set of flashcards

So how much would it cost to supposedly learn like a kid?

• 3 Months: $15.99/month, totaling $47.97 (for one language)
• Lifetime Access: $199 one-time fee, reduced from $399 (access to all 25 languages)
• 12 Months: $10.50/month, previously $13.99, for a total of $126 (one language)

We don't think this is a good deal. When you look at the monthly subscription rate, there are other programs out there that provide more interactive features for about half the price. Some past users said Rosetta Stone was like a $250 set of flashcards and was too boring to continue using.

Choose a different service

If you're thinking about learning German, Rosetta Stone isn't the best way to do it. It tries to teach you "the natural way" (by making you guess meanings), but it's really just a gimmicky waste of time. Adults can (and should) use their first language as a springboard to gain fluency in foreign languages. Rosetta Stone is pretty expensive, too. We'd recommend you try one of our higher ranked options, which tend to be more engaging, effective, and affordable.

Learn More  ➜

On the Rosetta Stone website