by Jakob Straub
Updated on October 11, 2024
The best podcasts to learn German
Listening to a language in spoken word and conversation is a great way for picking up on essentials and how a living language is used. You can use German podcasts to sharpen your listening comprehension skills and improve your pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. We present you with the best podcasts to learn German: the top five with actual German language lessons, and another five top German podcasts for acquiring the language from native speakers with a range of topics.
The free German language learning podcast is Coffee Break German targets beginners and intermediate language learners. You can choose from a wide array of free audio content with lessons of 15 to 20 minutes in length. Other episodes feature life in Germany, highlight important details of the country’s history, or talk about an aspect of German culture. So grab that cup of joe and your headphones and get started on your next language learning coffee break!
Deutsche Welle or DW for short is Germany’s international broadcaster and an important media outlet, kind of like a German BBC. They have their own portal for learning German with content for all levels. Among the most popular is Nicos Weg, a podcast with video lessons and exercises which takes you from A1 to B1. Also of interest is Marktplatz, a business-oriented podcast which will teach you Business German. Try it out, it’s one of the best podcasts to learn German!
No, you won’t be slow to learn the language with the Slow German podcast! Despite the title, maker Annik Rubens actually targets intermediate language learners with her episodes. She narrates entirely in German, yet at a slowed-down pace, so you can fully concentrate on the subject and recreate the pronunciation. Podcast transcripts help you with vocabulary and comprehension. There are also lessons for absolute beginners, which are conducted in English and provide a more gentle introduction to German and everyday situations where you’ll need to speak a bit of the language.
On the weekly Easy German podcast, hosts discuss topics typical for Germany as well as global issues. They explain words and expressions, answer questions from listeners and give practical language lessons. Bonus content includes access to interactive transcripts, videos and a vocabulary helper app.
Learn German by Podcast teaches you “real-life German for everyday conversation” with language experts. Thanks to mp3 lesson format, you can listen on a wide range of devices and also have transcripts and lesson guides available. Lessons currently target beginners only.
German Stories lets you follow a story that continues in small steps. As you learn, it will leave you hungry for more, episode after episode. And all the while you get the grammar and vocabulary spoon-fed in very small bits. You will understand fluent day-to-day conversations, and learn all the important words and grammar points in action. It’s a serial podcast that should be listened to from Episode 1 onwards. Suitable for absolute beginners and intermediate learners.
German podcasts don’t have to be about language learning itself in order to teach you German. You can also listen to pop culture, history or science podcasts to learn German and pick up other useful facts and knowledge at the same time. Here are our recommendations for learning the language in this way.
Zeitsprung is a weekly podcast which has been running for more than five years. The exchange between the two historians Daniel Meßner and Richard Hemmer reliably puts the story into history. The clou of each episode is that they never know what the other will talk about, so you can experience their immediate reactions to the subject matter. Past episodes have talked about blood transfusion, Irish whiskey, the Olympic games or the greatest art heist in history.
One of the most successful German-speaking podcasts is SWR2 Wissen. You’ll be presented with daily news regarding research and world affairs or history and education. Each half hour episode is based on thorough research, focuses on important connections and delivers surprising background information. SWR2 Wissen is available on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer as well as national public radio.
Deutschlandfunk Nova is an informational service by the public radio station Deutschlandradio. The programming is free of advertising and features stories, news and interesting guests as well as music. They also have a whole range of podcasts available: Ab 21, Eine Stunde Film, Eine Stunde Medien, Eine Stunde History or Das perfekte Buch für den Moment deal with lifestyle topics, film, media, history or literature and specifically target young listeners.
Satirist Jan Böhmermann and musician Olli Schulz were the hosts of the successful radio show Sanft & Sorgfältig. In 2016 they launched the successor Fest & Flauschig as a podcast on Spotify. Each episode is basically a ranting dialog between the two hosts. Conversations can range from current issues in politics and society to personal narrations. There are also guests and recurring elements, such as top five lists. If you want to pick up some German while trying to understand this oddity called German humor, this is the podcast for you.
