Learning German? Wow, let me say this first: you are brave – learning a new language, especially German, is going to be a memorable journey, full of fun, lots of challenges but also big sweet rewards! If you’re just starting out, or stuck somewhere in your German learning journey, this page might just be what you are looking for: all the resources I had and have been using to self-learn German as a full-time office worker in the past 2,5 years to (currently) B2 level, plus some personal tips for your best possible learning experiences.

For Tiếng Việt version: click HERE.

(👀 This page is constantly being updated, as I’ve found new resources to recommend. So bookmark the page, or subscribe to my newsletter to always get the freshest and coolest news on self-learning German!)

Let’s dive in! 🇩🇪✨

MY GERMAN SELF-LEARNING BACKGROUND

A bit of my German background: My German study was (unfortunately) not a long, linear, constant, and cumulative process as English learning.

I actually started learning German back in the summer of 2015, as a mandatory language course for my Bachelor degree. It was an intensive 3-month-long course with one “ambitious” aim: to bring us from absolute 0 of German knowledge to B1 proficiency to meet the EU labor market’s requirements.

So how I first learned German can be summarized as:

  • An intensive 3 hours/day x 5 days/week x 12 weeks course
  • A native German teacher who taught me perfect German alphabet and pronunciation (not so much on grammar though)
  • Speaking fluency is the priority, not so much on grammar drills, listening or reading (we used Menschen as the program’s textbooks and had different class activities though)

After that rigorous 3-month summer course, I did not continue learning anymore German. I also did not have any opportunities to use the language again. As a result, I forgot almost everything 5-6 years after that.

Until 2021…

I wanted to move to Germany by the end of 2022, so I started to pick up German from scratch again. I luckily still remember the alphabet and the classic “nightmare” of der-die-das cases. I self-educated some of the basic grammar rules again, thanks to the past foundation and the “facilitation effect” from knowing English well.

That was how I restarted from A1, but not with an absolute 0 knowledge as I used to be.

It is safe to say that I self-learn German most of my time engaging with this language. With hard-word, some luck and suitable resources, I’ve managed positive results so far:

I would recommend to visit a (good!) language course if possible, when you just start out with Deutsch (especially because it is Deutsch and/or you have never self-learned a new language before). This would help speed up your German self-learning process and build you a hopefully strong foundation to carry out the learning journey alone afterwards.

If you are ready to dive into this endeavour, then let’s start from here and refer to my list of resources I use to (re)start my German self-learning journey. Enjoy!

🌱 STARTER LEVEL: A1–A2

At this level, my main goals were to review (or get used to, if you’re brand new) all the basic grammar and foundational vocabulary, to make simple sentences (like to introduce myself, and order bread at Hauptbahnhof), familiarise myself and to fall in like with the language (again).

📺 Structured Courses

These free online courses of DW were a lifesaver. They are my textbooks and teachers combined. It is such a great way for self-learners, considering it’s free, and for me to dip my toes (back) into the German water.

✅ The storyline is simple but engaging.

✅ Each episode introduces some useful everyday vocabulary and grammar concepts.

✅ Interactive exercises, vocabulary lists and listening transcripts.

❗The only downside is grammar explanations are only in German and there are no drilling exercises, which leads us to the next resource.

📘 Grammar

This is a trilogy grammar book series, that works as a textbook and a workbook. It helps fill in the grammar gaps I have.

  • ✅ Each lesson has a one-page short but clear explanations, followed by exercises.
  • ✅ Lessons followed a good logic to build up knowledge from basic to more intermediate.
  • ❗ Sometimes, the tricky grammar points might be not explained in enough details. (BUT HOLD ON: I will spill some bonus resources at the end that can help your grammar study further!)
German self-learning books: Grammatik Aktiv trilogy series, Deutsch Perfekt magazine and more

📱 Apps

  • Duolingo (A1): Everyone knows and loves Duolingo. It’s great for absolute beginners.
    • ✅ The gamified format helps build a habit, which is extremely important when starting out anything new, especially a language.
    • ❗Eventually the app’s lessons becomes repeatable and plateau (so eventually you should move out and move on for further levels)
  • Quizlet (A1-A2): An app to create flashcards and practice learning vocabulary with
    • ✅ Quick, free and easy to set up and to study with
    • ❗ Eventually it becomes not so fun and effective to study hundreds, if not thousands of words with.

💡 Starting B1 and now B2-C1 levels, I have been using a new tool to ace my vocabulary cramming and retention. Stay tune via MyA5Corner Newsletter as more news on this is coming soon!

For the time being, I have this FREEBIE instead to offer. This 500+ basic A1-A2 must-know vocabulary list will give you a speedy boost into your German study journey.

🎬 Media

  • Extra auf Deutsch: Think “Friends” but in slow German! I used to negate the effects of learning with movies and shows, when one is still at A1-A2 level. However, I find this sitcom-style show is ideal for beginners. It’s light, silly, and full of useful, spoken German in daily scenarios.

🚀 INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: B1–B2

This is where things got exciting, and…more challenging. In this one year of this level, I focus more on improving reading and listening comprehension, refining grammar, and starting to speak and write more regularly.

📺 Structured Courses

✌🏻Material Color Code

  • Digital material: such as online courses and apps
  • Paper-based material: such as books and magazines
  • (Social) Media material: such as YouTube channels, movies, music, etc.
  • Techniques: such as shadowing, journaling, etc.

📘 Grammar

  • Grammatik Aktiv B1+ & Grammatik Aktiv B2–C1: These two books, following the A1-B1 version go deeper into intermediate rules and introduce new advanced topics. These grammar books are the only grammar resources I use and need. They complement nicely to the courses and apps.

📚 Reading

  • Perfekt Deutsch Magazine: These are my favourite reading materials, because:
    • ✅ They are short, digestible articles about various interesting stories in Germany
    • ✅ With glossary & explanations next to the text, so minimum effort to look up dictionary
    • ✅ Review and practice my existing vocab in context, and of course, learn new ones also in context
    • 💕 Perfect for a chill evening in bed to learn German the “relaxing” way while reading about the country’s cultures, travel destinations, economies, trendy topics, etc.
Deutsch Perfekt magazine and books as B1+ reading materials

These magazines are available in both print and digital format.

I got asked so frequently where I get them: it’s Thalia, my go-to-almost-any-other-weekend bookstores. You could also order online as a subscription or get the digital version.

🎧 Listening

  • Deutsche Welle’s Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten: News read at a slower pace. This is such an excellent resource, as it helps me:
    • ✅ Train listening comprehension
    • ✅ Improve my pronunciation and accent, when paired with shadowing technique
    • ✅ Review and practice my existing vocab in context, and of course, learn new ones also in context

🗣️ Speaking & Writing

  • Falou: A speaking-focused app where you can practice conversations out loud with voice recognition. (this Elsa Speak for English)
    • ✅ Excellent to practice speaking in real context of various daily conversations, especially with pronunciation corrections.
    • ✅ Multiple base-language available, such as if you are a Spanish native speaker, you can choose Spanish for translations.
    • ❗Yearly-based subscription only, no lifetime purchase
  • Shadowing: I mimicked native speakers in podcasts or videos. Repeating out loud improved my accent and flow.
  • Journaling: I am using this journaling prompt list from TheCoffeeMonsterzco to build a daily German writing habit, even if it is just a few lines a day. This is going to be so much fun, as it also aligns with my journaling hobby and daily Bullet Journal practices.

🎬 Media

  • Deutsche Welle’s Video Thema: Short news videos with subtitles and vocabulary list. I love learning with these materials after a long day, as it is quite fun and also it helps me:
    • ✅  Train listening and reading comprehension
    • ✅  Interactive exercises to test vocabulary and understanding
    • ✅  Review and practice existing vocab in context, and learn new ones also in context
  • Easy German (YouTube): Street interviews with clear subtitles—ideal for hearing natural, everyday German.
  • Netflix TV Shows: Dark and Die Kaiserin—great for immersion once you’re more comfortable with the language and/or wanting some inspirations to study the language

🎓 ADVANCED LEVEL: C1–C2 (coming soon)

🎁 BONUS RESOURCES

📖 Dictionaries

  • PONS: My go-to for word meanings, verb conjugations, and idioms.
  • DUDEN: Germany’s official dictionary (however, I prefer PONDS much more to DUDEN)

📺 YouTube Channels

For English Speakers:

  • Learn German with Anja: Anja is energetic, fun, and her teaching is incredibly clear. What I love about this channel:
    • ✅  Her playlists are well-organized by proficiency levels (currently, A1, A2 and B1) as well as grammar topics.
    • ✅ Super detailed explanation on German grammar, repeated in both German and English

Final Thoughts

Learning German has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done and one of the most humbling! Progress is rarely linear, and that’s okay.

The key is consistency, curiosity, and finding the right mix of resources that work for you. But also stick to the selected resources and see them through, before deciding to switch.

Whether you’re just starting out or pushing into B-level fluency, I hope this guide gives you a clearer path and some inspiration to keep going.

I will continue to update this resource list as I travel further along this learning path to reach C-levels, so stay connected via MyA5Corner newsletter. I hope to see you around and we can accompany each other.

Viel Erfolg und viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen! 🇩🇪✨

Suani