Germany/AustriaGermanApril 12, 2016 | 6 min read
German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union, the language of Goethe, Kafka, Beethoven, and Einstein, and one of the most in-demand languages in international business and academia. For teachers building a German programme, keeping students engaged between classes is the central challenge. These fourteen tools and approaches make the work lighter.
Learning German in the classroom becomes significantly more effective with the right combination of tools and real-world context for students.
Busuu is a language learning platform recognised by European EdTech organisations as one of the leading tools for independent language study. The free version covers vocabulary and pronunciation through flashcards and structured exercises. The premium version unlocks all twelve languages on the platform, provides grammar review modules, and connects learners with native speakers for conversation practice. For German teachers, Busuu is a reliable recommendation for independent study between classes: the app’s exercise structure mirrors conventional grammar progression closely enough that it reinforces rather than confuses classroom learning.
Babbel’s German course is built around the premise that learners retain language better when it is presented in context rather than in isolation. Lessons are grouped by topic, covering travel, food, the workplace, and daily life, and each introduces vocabulary, grammar structures, and pronunciation within short, digestible units. The app’s speech recognition function evaluates pronunciation in real time.
Is particularly useful for German, where vowel sounds and consonant clusters present consistent difficulty for English speakers.
Duolingo’s game-based structure, with points, streaks, and timed challenges, makes it effective for building daily practice habits, particularly among younger students who respond to the mechanics of games. The German course is comprehensive at the beginner level, covering basic grammar, common vocabulary, and listening comprehension through short exercises. Duolingo works best as a daily warm-up tool: for teachers who want students maintaining contact with the language between lessons, a daily Duolingo streak is a low-effort, high-consistency habit to recommend.
Wie Geht is a free web-based resource offering interactive German lessons across three levels, covering everyday topics including travel, medicine, business, and food. The platform is particularly useful for grammar and verb exercises, and its printable worksheets make it a practical classroom supplement. For teachers looking for free, structured material to assign alongside a textbook, Wie Geht covers a wider range of authentic vocabulary contexts than most printed resources at the same level.
MosaLingua uses a spaced repetition system (SRS) to present vocabulary at the optimal intervals for long-term retention, a method with substantial research support in second language acquisition. The German course covers approximately 3,000 words and phrases organised by frequency and context. Unlike purely game-based apps, MosaLingua prioritises memory efficiency over engagement mechanics.
Makes it a better fit for motivated learners at the intermediate level.
Bravolol is a phrasebook-style app that covers the most commonly used vocabulary and expressions for travellers and beginners. Audio pronunciation for every phrase is provided by native speakers.
Makes it a useful preparation tool for students about to travel to Germany or Austria. It works well in the weeks before departure: students can review relevant vocabulary for airports, hotels, restaurants, and public transport with audio support, rather than relying on phonetic approximations in a printed phrasebook. If you are planning a trip to Germany, Prométour’s Germany: Classic Tour gives students the destination to prepare for.
GermanPod101 is a podcast-based learning platform that offers audio and video lessons for all levels, from absolute beginner to advanced. For teachers, the platform’s vocabulary lists, flashcard sets, and lesson notes are a useful source of supplementary material. For students, the podcast format works well for commuting or travel: passive listening to German dialogue and explanation reinforces listening comprehension in a way that text-based study does not.
Deutsch Info is a free online resource offering grammar lessons, vocabulary exercises, and reading comprehension material across multiple levels. Its coverage of German grammar, including cases, verb conjugation, adjective endings, and subordinating conjunctions, is more systematic than most app-based resources.
Makes it useful for students who need structured grammar review rather than conversation-focused practice.
Nicos Weg is a free, video-based German course produced by Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international public broadcaster. It follows a young Brazilian man navigating daily life in Germany, covering A1 through B1 level content through short video episodes accompanied by exercises, transcripts, and vocabulary lists. The production quality is high, the storyline is engaging, and the language is authentic and contemporary. For classroom use, each episode functions as a self-contained listening and vocabulary lesson. Deutsche Welle also produces Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten, slowly spoken German news broadcasts.
Are among the best free listening resources available for intermediate learners.
Anki is a free, open-source flashcard application built on a spaced repetition algorithm. Unlike pre-built vocabulary apps, Anki allows teachers and students to create their own decks tailored to the specific vocabulary of a curriculum or textbook. This makes it particularly effective for exam preparation and for reinforcing vocabulary from whatever course material the class is already using. A shared class deck.
The teacher adds vocabulary from each unit and students review it independently, is a low-effort way to standardise vocabulary practice outside the classroom.
Authentic media in the target language is one of the most effective tools for developing listening comprehension and cultural literacy simultaneously. For German teachers, several German-language productions are accessible via streaming platforms and appropriate for secondary students: Dark on Netflix is complex and demanding.
Deutschland 83 is a Cold War thriller with strong curriculum connections for 20th century history; and Babylon Berlin is a Weimar-era crime drama that is historically rich. Watching with German subtitles rather than translated ones reinforces reading alongside listening.
Music is among the most durable forms of language input: lyrics are repeated, memorable, and emotionally engaging in a way that grammar exercises are not. German-language music spans classical works, art song (Lieder by Schubert and Schumann), contemporary pop (Herbert Grönemeyer, Mark Forster), and electronic music. Using a German song as a listening exercise, whether transcription, gap-fill, or vocabulary analysis, gives students cultural context alongside language practice.
A structured written exchange with a partner class in Germany or Austria gives students an authentic audience for their German writing and a genuine motivation to communicate accurately. Several organisations facilitate international school exchanges, including ePals and the Goethe-Institut’s network of partner schools. For teachers, a pen pal programme requires initial setup but generates ongoing student work with minimal ongoing preparation.
Every item on this list prepares students to do one thing: use their German in Germany. The apps build vocabulary. The films build listening comprehension. The pen pals build writing confidence. A class trip to Berlin, Munich, Vienna, or Salzburg assembles all of it into a single week or two where students discover that what they learned in class actually works, that people understand them, that they understand people, and that the language is not a school subject but a real and living thing. Prométour builds fully private, custom school group tours to Germany and Austria built around your class level and curriculum. Browse the Germany: Classic Tour, Germany: Adventure Tour, or Austria: Music Tour as a starting point.
When your students are ready to put their German to work, Prométour builds fully private, custom school group tours to Germany and Austria designed around your class level and curriculum. Browse the Germany: Classic Tour, Germany: Adventure Tour, or Austria: Music Tour as a starting point.
For teachers planning a learning german students classroom, the curriculum connections and logistical support available make this one of the most rewarding programmes to build.
