🏃‍♂️ How to Learn German Online Fast: Complete Overview (2020)

We will show you in this article how you can easily and efficiently learn German online and we will show you exactly how to learn for free and also a paid version, which will bring you faster to the goal of speaking and writing good in German.

This article is specially focused on everybody who wants to or has to learn German no matter their age.
So if you’re looking for the best method for yourself or your child, you are in the right place.

1) How to learn German online free? 🆓

If you’re here to check out how to learn German online free, that is dedicated to you.
Not everybody wants to spend money to learn with a german expert and not everybody has time pressure and needs to learn it in a fast way.

So if you want to learn German just as a hobby and you have no pressure then it could totally fit you to learn it on your own and we will show you how and where you can do that.

In case that you need to learn efficiently and fast check out the fastest method to learn German.

1.1) German learning Apps 📱

A good point to start with is learning apps. For many people this is the first thing, which comes in their mind, but are they worth it?

The good thing about learning Apps for German is that you can learn a bit on the way to work, in the subway or in your bed, when you’re a little bored. So they are indeed a very nice companion for a quick and tiny learning session. We highly recommend them for everybody to start learning some basic vocabulary and get a little feeling for german words.

The bad thing about them is that they are most of the time not so good for a very intensive learning session due to the little screen and the mostly superficial learning exercises like simple vocabs training.

Nevertheless, let's get into some of the best learning apps for German on the market.

List of good Apps for learning German:

This article will go into the details of those apps. Check it out if you want.

1.2) Free Online Courses 💻

Finding a good and solid online course for German, which is entirely free is very hard and mostly you will get a low quality of the teacher or the content. The best courses are paid, but anyway we researched and collected some, which are not too bad to start with.

List of Free Online Courses for German:

1.3) Free Online Exercises 📝

If you have already some basic knowledge and you are searching for a way to consolidate that through exercises, then this is for you. Unlike the free online courses, you can find really solid and good exercises to practice for zero money.

If you are not solid in grammar yet and the basics of German are not mastered, then this might not be for you and you should check out this method.

List of free german online exercises:

1.4) Free Grammar PDF and Ebooks for German 📖

Here are two good and solid PDFs for you. It is a great overview of german grammar and you can learn and repeat it anytime and anywhere with an electronic device such as your smartphone or laptop.

1) A Grammar and Work Book

2) German Grammar for students

Not entirely for free but nearly are ebooks. They are another great way to start your journey successfully and that's why we will show you a few nice examples.
Here we have collected some great little ebooks for you:

• Learn German with funny jokes*
• Easy Reader - Parallel Texts*
• German Short Stories*

Though this article is mainly focused on learning German online, some great workbooks just aren't available as an ebook, so here are a few that we recommend:

• German for Dummies*
• Learn German Easy - Workbook*
• German made simple - Learn to speak and understand German*
• German Work Book*
• The Simple Way to learn German*
• 100 German Short Stories*

1.5) Find a conversation partner 🤝

This is a great method to learn conversation on a more advanced level than all the apps and courses will offer you and the best thing is it is totally free.

Platforms for finding a conversation partner in German:

1. ErsteNachhilfe
2. Tandempartners.org
3. Facebook Group 1
4. Facebook Group 2
   

2.1) How does this work? 💡

Basically, we developed together with real students a concept of online tutoring and made it really simple for everybody who never really thought about online tutoring before.

So first and most importantly this is how it looks:

This is basically the closest you can get to a real-life face-to-face lesson.
You will see each other, talk to each other, write and read with each other like in any other offline german lesson.

While chatting through the videocall you will be in the same document at the same time, so that you can literally write simultaneously. This is great for grammar, text writing, and also for writing things down that you learned during the lesson.

This online concept covers all major fields of German which includes:

1. ✍️ Writing 
2. 🔉  Hearing and listening 
3. 👂  Spelling 
4. 🧠 Vocabulary 
5. 📃 Reading 
6. 💬 Talking and having a conversation 
7. 👨‍🏫 Grammar and language rules 

Secondly, this method was optimized for children and adults at the same time.

The German tutor can check very easily through the video chat if your child is paying attention, unlike any online course or app.
There sits a real tutor who will give you as parents feedback of the lesson if requested so you always know what was going on.

Besides, all the files and exercises which the German tutor and student did, are always available in a cloud, so you can check them and print them if you like.

If you want to start with a personal German tutor, then check out our trial lesson*.

2.2) What do I need for the fastest way to learn German online? 🤷‍♀️

Basically, you just need a laptop, motivation, and a little bit of money to spend on your goal.

To be a little bit more exact:
You don't need to have any knowledge of computers at all.
Just starting it and clicking a link is all it takes to get into a meeting.

In fact, we had retired people in these lessons as well as little primary students.

There is also no specific requirement for the computer/laptop besides a camera would be beneficial but not necessary.

Your internet connection needs to be around 1mb/s up- and download speed.
This isn't a high-speed connection and if you are having no trouble with streaming YouTube you should be fine.
Here you can test this requirement yourself.

And this is it already. You don't need more than that.

2.3) Benefits of this method 🎊

The benefits are huge because you don't need to leave your house anymore to learn German and still have all the advantages of a private tutor or a German language teacher.

Here is, what we think are the most important benefits for you:

✔️ The fastest way to learn a language
✔️ More fun due to conversation with a real person
✔️ Spend less time with more results
✔️ Real conversation practices
✔️ Learn from a mother tongue
✔️ Get help for your specific weaknesses
✔️ Have an expert and coach on your side
✔️ Have it all with a maximum comfort level

Sure there are plenty more, but those might be the main benefits for you or your child.

2.4) How much does this all costs? 💸

The german online lesson starts at a price of 17,80€ for 45 minutes (roundabout 20,90$). Depending on the number of lessons that you will take this can vary a little, but on average it is about 19,80€ (23,30$) per lesson.

So let's say you would take 2 lessons per week then this would make 158€ per month.

Compared to some offline courses which are thousands of euros this is a very good price for the same service if not a better one because it is a 1-to-1 lesson and not a group lesson.

The American leader in online lessons which can be compared to this service (tutor.com) charges 40$ per hour which is basically double and if you want a tutor at home you can easily calculate with 30-80$ per hour.

We offer a free lesson so that you can convince yourself. If you are interested then click here*.

3) Our complete Recommendation 💯

In this chapter, we want to gather together our full recommendation on how to learn German online. Therefore we have chosen two different ways for two different kinds of goals. 

The cheap way and the fast way.

The cheap way is for people with a low budget and no time pressure. It is more for hobby learners or future tourists.

The fast way, on the other hand, is for everybody who needs to learn quickly and efficiently.
We collected what science has proven to be the fastest way to learn a language besides living in Germany and be surrounded by real germans all the time. 

So let us get into it.

3.1) The Cheap Way 😉

The best way to learn a language is through repetition and practice. That's why you should start your journey with some basics and manifest them through repetition.

We recommend starting with 3 things at the same time to ensure a maximum amount of success in the most crucial time, the beginning.

1) Start this course on Udemy: German Made Simple
And practice daily at a fixed time 1 hour with this course. This should fill your first two weeks very well.

2) At the same time, we recommend downloading: Duolingo
All the basics are for free and so you can really build a little foundation in german vocabulary. Also, an App is perfect for using during the day, in a pause, or on the bus. The phone is always with you, so use it.

BONUS: A little vocab session is perfect before falling asleep due to the reason that our brain can remember things way better when you learn it before your good night's sleep.

3) Start reading this ebook: Learn German with jokes*
Learning German and laughing at the same time? Yes, that is possible with this funny little ebook. It is a great thing to start with and keeping your motivation up high. Read a little joke once in a while and practice the vocabs.

BONUS: We highly recommend to start with Brainscape right off the bat. You should gather your vocabulary together and use this vocabulary method.

3.2) The Fast Way  🏃‍♂️

So you need to learn German quickly and efficiently? Then this is what you should do:

1) Get yourself a private tutor from our platform: Tutor Boost* 
With a private tutor, you can build a solid foundation. It is the fastest and most efficient way there is.

2) Learn the vocabulary from the lesson after the lesson alone.
A few hours per week tutoring can help you only so much. For a really fast way, you will need to repeat the vocabulary and other things from the lesson yourself. That way you can easily jump into the next topic in the following lesson.

3) Get yourself Brainscape and ask your tutor to join you.
Your tutor can write all the vocabulary and even the grammar rules on these flashcards. This is the perfect method for you to practice because the algorithm organizes everything for you after difficulty.

4) Repeat in the morning and before sleeping.
There are two times per day when repetition makes the most sense. Before sleeping to get the information in your longterm memory and after waking up so that you will have this information with you all day long.

5) Use Tips & Tricks and study even more alone.
Use some of our bonus tips to really surround yourself with German. The key is to really fill your day with German everywhere so you will have no other choice than learning really quickly. Get a language partner to practice outside of your paid lessons.

You should definitely learn with this vocabulary method:

The Best Vocab Methode

With this method you will be able to connect the dots way faster than ever before.

It is based on multiple principles in your brain and you should definitely check it out.

Download

4) Rules to Follow while Learning German Online

There are a few rules that we would like to give you on your journey before you start, so you can achieve long-term success and be able to really speak German properly.

Rule #1 Learn daily a little ⛅

This might sound easy but it is not. We are all busy and we all have many things to do before we can sit down and learn something.

The thing is that learning a language is super easy if you do it as a routine every day a little bit but super hard if you want to learn only once a week much.

Your brain just functions that way, that a daily repetition is way more crucial than anything else.

So give this rule priority.

Even if it might be just 10 new vocabs every day, this would help a lot.

Rule #2 Commit to the first 20 hours ⌚

This rule comes was inspired by Josh Kaufmann who talks about the first 20 hours very entertaining in his TedTalk.

The point is, that the first 20 hours of learning are crucial.

Many people start to learn something and expect immediate improvement and success, but that's just not how it works.

You should sit down before you start and make a commitment to yourself, write it down.
Commit to 20 power hours of learning, before you are expecting a reward or an improvement.

This helps you a lot to set to tone right.

The first hours of anything are always the most frustrating ones because you are simply very bad at it.

To overcome this absolute beginner state you must commit to a hard time ahead of you before it all gets to be more fun.

Rule #3 Stick to the plan 📊

You will probably sit down, in the beginning, and do a little plan. That's great and if you didn't do it yet, then you should really be doing this to help you stay focused on your goal.

Plans are a great tool to achieve anything which is a little further in the future.

But they only work if you stick to them. Plan your learning journey on a big poster, hang it somewhere visible, and make checklists, which you will look over in the morning and evening.

Keep yourself accountable by putting your money where your mouth is.

A good method for doing this is to tell a friend about your plan and tell him that you will pay him X amount of money if you fail. Choose a number that hurts and you will stick to the plan. Guaranteed.

Rule #4 Have the right mindset 💪

Thinking that an adult is not as capable as a child in learning a language is a misbelief.
Here is a full article about it.
Don't limit yourself with does limiting beliefs. You can literally go ahead and start today to learn German and in a year from now which is only 52 weeks you will be able to have a decent conversation and would consider yourself a medium speaker.

How?

Dedication.
Be serious about it and become obsessed with it and you will make results that you could only dream of.

Rule #5 Combine the learning methods! 🔀

This can't be stressed enough. It is so important to combine methods while learning a language that I would be probably worth it to write an own article about it. 

Let's see why?
We know already that daily learning and dedication is the key to success in learning German.

You can realize this by combining multiple methods like reading an ebook, listening to a german podcast, follow a german YouTube channel, and take online classes with your German tutor.

Only when you surround yourself with the maximum amount of German, you are going to see the learning progress that you wish for yourself.

Rule #6 Use the right techniques 📈

We are going to introduce to most powerful vocabulary method on this planet. This method will make you remember everything. Check it out:

The Best Vocab Methode

With this method you will be able to connect the dots way faster than ever before.

It is based on multiple principles in your brain and you should definitely check it out.

Download

5) BONUS: Tips & Tricks on learning German online 🎁

5.1) Netflix as a Learning Plattform for German? 👀

This is more for people, who don’t really have pressure in learning German and do it as a hobby otherwise, you should check out the method of online tutoring in German.

The title might sound a little confusing, but every person who learned a language fast will tell you the same:

“I watched, listened and spoke much.”

And Netflix or any other music or video streaming service fits perfectly for that.

Beginners Method:

Make the audio the language you want to learn (German) and keep the subtitle in your language.

Advanced Method:

Make the audio and the subtitle in the language you want to learn (German) and don’t be afraid not to understand everything.

Important:

Keep a notebook and a pen next to you and write words which you don’t know on it to research them later.

5.2) Do Audiobooks and Podcasts help to learn German? 👂

Definitely.

You can find plenty of audiobooks for beginners in German on audible or any other platform for audiobooks.
This can help you to boost things up and to get really used to the language and especially the sound and the spelling.
This method might not be the best for grammar or intensive vocab sessions but a great addition.

Here are some free and paid audiobooks/podcasts to learn german online:

• Spotify Playlists
• Learn German with Paul Noble*
• Learn German the easy way*
• German Level 1*
  
• German for Beginners*
• Slow German
  

5.3) Learn German on Youtube 📹

Yes, even YouTube can be a learning source. It is more for the visual learning type and can be very entertaining. Here are the best Channels to learn German on YouTube:

Channels to learn German on YouTube

• Learn German
• German Pod 101
• Youtube Playlist
  

Summary

There are plenty of methods out there where you can learn German alone and for free but keep in mind that these methods are mostly for people who want to learn German as a hobby.

We have collected the major learning apps, online courses, and ebooks so you can have a great easy, and complete overview.

Furthermore, we have presented you with our concept for learning German the fastest way online possible and after that, we have shown you our complete recommendation in a cheap way and a fast way.

We have also shown the best vocabulary method that exists in our little ebook.