The best podcasts to learn German

Here are our tips for learning German with podcasts and being entertained at the same time. Podcasts improve your listening comprehension, an important skill in language learning.

  1. How to Learn Languages ​​by Listening
  2. Why you can learn German with podcasts
  3. Popular Podcasts for Learning German
    1. Podcasts for German Learners
    2. Podcasts for native speakers

1. How to learn languages ​​​​by listening

So-called listening comprehension is an important aspect of language learning . After all, listening is an important part of life and crucial for communication between people. In conversations, you don’t want to be a marginal figure and want to understand as much as possible. By listening, you get used to the pronunciation and sentence melody of the target language.

If you have a certain basic knowledge of the foreign language, listening is very important for further learning . By listening, you learn new words , sometimes quite effortlessly. By listening to native speakers, you also unconsciously learn or consolidate your sentence structure and ultimately grammar . Certain phrases or frequently repeated sentences are automatically remembered by frequent listening, which often even saves you the effort of thinking: With this “copy & paste system” you don’t even have to think about things like “accusative or dative?” or “der, die or das?” .

2. Why you can learn German with podcasts

The big advantage of podcasts is that they are available on a wide range of topics. As with reading, it is very helpful when listening if you are interested in the topic. This makes learning more enjoyable and makes every language more accessible: sports fans, for example, enjoy a football podcast or people interested in politics enjoy a news podcast – there is something for (almost) everyone.

One advantage of podcasts over audiobooks is their length: some only last a few minutes. This means there is less potential for frustration, especially at levels up to B1 . Advanced learners from B2 onwards can of course also listen to longer podcasts and of course there are also podcasts in German that are at a high technical level ( C1 & C2 ) without being too long-winded.

Country-specific knowledge can be acquired through podcasts: information about culture, history, politics or sports from podcasts can be valuable in many small talk situations or even in serious conversations. The large number of “chat podcasts” also brings you into contact with actually spoken German. If you have less time for social contact with native speakers, you can also get to grips with colloquial language via podcasts .

With the right apps (Spotify, Audible, Apple Podcasts , etc.) or via the browser, podcasts are practically always with you. Most people always have their cell phone in their pocket anyway, so podcasts are available at any time. In addition, the cost factor is a big plus: the majority of podcasts are available free of charge.

3. Popular podcasts for learning German

In our following tips, we distinguish between two groups: Under point 1 you will find podcasts that are specifically aimed at German learners . Here you will usually also find the well-known level information ( A1 – C2). The advantage of these podcasts is obvious: Due to the less extensive vocabulary and simpler sentence structures, even German learners at lower levels, eg A2.1 , are reached. The selection of topics is also based on less prior knowledge (people that every Austrian knows are often completely unknown abroad and are “introduced” accordingly).

The other recommendations are podcasts for people at native speaker level , so also suitable for high learner levels (from B2 onwards). Although the advantages mentioned above do not apply, the selection is of course much larger and more interesting. In addition, these podcasts use authentic language and thus prepare you better for everyday communication in German-speaking countries. Just click through our tips:

1. Podcasts for German Learners

As a German learner, you have probably already come across some of these sources: A popular site for learning German is “DW Deutsch lernen” which offers videos, texts and exercises as well as podcasts and audio texts. We recommend: “Top-Thema” – current news (B1) “Wort der Woche” (B2), “Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten” (B1/B2), “Das sagt man so!” – German phrases & proverbs (B2) and “Alltagsdeutsch” – audio reports for learning German (C1/C2). The big advantage: If listening alone is too difficult, you can also fall back on the text. All content is free.

Many of you are sure to know the magazine “Deutsch perfekt” (which we also highly recommend!), which also offers some audio texts for free. Under “Deutsch Hören” you will find short reports, news and language tips in the categories easy, medium and difficult. Another well-known source of material is the Goethe Institute , which publishes a large number of podcasts. We would like to recommend the “Popcast” – current music from Germany & “kurz & bündig” – reports with vocabulary lists and exercises (including solutions). This way you can also prepare well for the listening part of your German exams (as with many DW contents).

The YouTube fans among you are surely familiar with the videos from “Easy German” , but did you know that a free podcast is also available? Here, topics from German-speaking countries are discussed twice a week and expressions and words are explained. A (paid) membership also includes bonus material such as vocabulary lists and transcripts.

Further tips:

2. Podcasts for native speakers

If you already feel very confident in German (from about B2), you can of course also try free podcasts, e.g. on Spotify, that are aimed at native speakers. Here are our tips with a focus on Austria:

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Now you have a lot to listen to. Feel free to write us your listening tips ( office@dialog-wien.at )! There is certainly still a lot to discover on the various platforms. If you want to try out your new vocabulary or share your new knowledge in German, book a conversation course , for example ! We look forward to your inquiries .

October 2024