Low pressure, high content: 5-minute German lessons for beginners.
Learn German the fun, easy way with our new self-paced online course specifically made for English speakers like you. Learn German while you wait for the bus, or for the coffee to get ready in the morning. Short German lessons that you can do anytime, anywhere. Feel yourself progressing rapidly with this complete express course, without stress, and saving a ton of money along the way.
Quickly bring your German skills from zero to hero: Understand what matters right from the start.
Do you know that feeling of just having learned something new and you immediately start noticing it everywhere? It's exactly like that with the Deutschable Beginner German course - from the very first content-packed lesson no time is wasted as we gradually realize our goal: To get you to understand and be understood - and to use German flexibly any way you need to.
It's so simple (and that's why it works):
This course was designed to be as simple and straightforward as possible. There are no complicated menus, no admin, no distractions and no decisions: Start with lesson one. Move on to the next lesson when you're done. Repeat. We'll introduce new concepts and recycle them throughout the course. No need to backtrack. Kick back and rest assured that you're learning exactly what you need at the time.
Each of these short German lessons has three parts (representing the ultra-effective APU method: Absorb, Practice, Use.)
Part 1: Watch a short explainer video
At Deutschable, not a single video is longer than five minutes. We're all busy and often don't have the necessary time or attention span for sitcom-length grammar presentations. But five minutes can be watched anytime, even while waiting for the bus.
With these snappy, short German lessons even the most "difficult" or "complex" aspects of German are efficiently broken down and explained in clear English. You don't need to know anything about grammar or other languages to make sense of it. Pause, rewind, slow down, rewatch as you like. And absorb knowledge like a sponge.
Part 2: Take the smart practice quiz
Each video is followed by an unassumingly short quiz that's actually got a lot under the hood. Like having a private language teacher, the quiz prompts you conversationally to engage with the material you just learned. And when your answer's not correct, it'll tell you exactly why and how to improve.
The quizzes also serve to recylcle concepts that you learned in previous lessons, making sure they stay fresh in your mind and that you can use them anytime.
Part 3: Move on or interact with the community
After completing the quiz you're done with that lesson and can take your new-found skills on the road - impress your new German friends and colleagues by saying stuff they never expected from a beginner.
At this point you can move on to the next lesson. You can re-do each lesson as often as you want, if you feel the need. If you have any questions or comments, each of these short German lessons features a comment section where other students and the teacher can discuss any aspect of what was just learned, like having an optional classroom experience whenever you want.
Meet the teacher.
Stephan started teaching languages when the movie "Lost in Translation" hit theaters, and "Hey Ya!" from Outkast was at the top of the charts. If you don't know what any of that means, you're kinda missing out... and making him feel old.
The point is this: Stephan has been an English and German teacher for a surprisingly long time - and has finally made his professional dreams come true: to bundle all of this experience and create this unique course.
Outside of the classroom itself, Stephan has spent most of his time as a teacher-trainer and language school manager in Berlin, with a focus on quality control and educational product development. He knows what works , and what doesn't. What keeps students engaged, and what makes them leave their courses. He knows what makes a good teacher, good material, and good exercises.
He quit his job in order to develop Deutschable, a program based on the simple premise that students who already know English can fast-track learning German without needing a classroom environment or expensive private teacher.
He's excited to have you try out the course and start speaking German today!
What Deutschable's students are saying:
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Kweku
Ghana
I have struggled to really grasp the concept until I found your website on Google. The videos are concise. The practice sessions feel personalized and are challenging. You explain in my native language (English) which makes it easier to relate. Thanks to you, I feel more confident by the day.
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Leonardo
Brazil
Deutschable is the most amazing German course I've ever found for beginners! The teacher Stephan explains very well and has a good methodology to teach us! He doesn't beat around the bush while teaching! I'm enjoying the course a lot and learning too!
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Fortis
Germany
II tried the Volkshochschule, but the process was slow! had three different teachers for one A1.1 course! And each one had a different teaching style, which did not make the experience pleasant.
I am actually an English teacher. So I say this in all sincerity, this is probably the best course I have taken. I like that your videos are only 5 minutes. I try to do one module per day.
Here's what happens when you enroll:
Once you purchase access, you can begin learning right away - no wait time. You can either buy a year's access just to this course by itself, or as part of a full premium membership along with access to all other courses on this site. You'll receive an email with your user name and password to login anytime. You have complete access to all modules and lessons (completing A1.1+), and can interact with Stephan and the other students in each lesson's comment section if you want. And you receive access to any new lessons that are added during your membership, at no extra charge. If you spend less than 15 minutes a day with this course, you will complete the level within two months. This course was designed as a stand-alone, but you can also use it as a prep course for a language school class, or to accompany or refresh your German skills while you're enrolled in any A1 or A2 German course at a language school.
Loads of lessons to grow German skills you can actually use!
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These are the core course modules (covering level A1.1+) - and more short German lessons are created all the time. Click on any one of them to expand and see the lessons, and try out any lesson in Module 1 for free (and without needing to log in) right now to see if it fits your learning style. Enjoy!
Module 2 - Mastering Basics: Pronunciation, Core Vocabulary, and Gender Tips
Premium course
Module 3 - Getting Active: Meeting People and Using Verbs
Premium course
Module 4 - Exploring the Past: Motion, Change, and Everyday Vocabulary
Premium course
Module 5 - Everyday German: Counting, Eating, and Plurals
Premium course
Module 6 - Formalities and Possessions: Addressing, Pricing, and Describing
Premium course
Module 7 - Personal and Professional: Family, Jobs, and Preferences
Premium course
Module 8 - Expressing Desires and Abilities: Professions, Cases, and Frequencies
Premium course
Module 9 - Time and Place: Understanding Temporal and Spatial Concepts
Premium course
Module 10 - Personal Details and Comparisons: Mastering Separable Verbs
Premium course
Module 11 - Past Tense Mastery: Special Vocabulary for Recounting Events
Premium course
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BONUS: Check out the other courses included in the Premium Membership:
German Reality Classroom - Sit in on a Real Beginner Course - PREMIUM
This is a 100% real, filmed beginner German course, with real students and a live teacher - for you to stream anytime. It includes all 15 sessions and goes just beyond level A1.1. If you want the real German classroom experience but you're shy, introverted, far from a language school, on a tight budget or got a busy schedule, this is the course for you. (read more)
How German Grammar Works - PREMIUM
We've heard it a thousand times before - German grammar is too hard! But it doesn't have to be. Understand everything you need to know about the German case system, sentence structure, how to tell what gender a word is, and more - in just a few hours! Fun and ultra-informative, finally have it all "click" - even if you hate grammar. (read more)
Vocabulary Builder: The 1000 Most Frequently Used Nouns in German - FREE
Imagine spending about 15 minutes a day on something, and within a month your German vocabulary has increased by up to 1000 words! In this FREE German vocabulary building course for ALL LEVELS, we will discover, practice and learn the most frequently used 1000 nouns in German! Includes a free illustrated PDF ebook with example sentences. (read more)
For some perspective:
€15 - €75
is what it might cost you to use a standard language-learning app for one month, regardless of progress.
€200 - €500
is what you would pay to take an A1.1 group course in a Berlin language school.
€900 - €1200
is what you would be charged to cover the contents of A1.1 with a decent private one-to-one teacher.
You can skip all that and save money: Start learning German with Deutschable.
Our program includes 100% of content from standard German course materials and language school curricula. But it goes far beyond that, fast-tracking important conversational elements and adding words that actual Germans use most frequently. Save loads of time, money, and hassle with Deutschable's short German lessons.
Single Course
365-day full access to this PREMIUM online course
€29.99
+VAT (depending on your country)
Premium Membership
365-day full access to ALL PREMIUM online courses
€59.99
+VAT (depending on your country)
100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
If, for any reason, you don't like this course, you can get a full refund anytime within 30 days after your initial purchase. You can opt out for any reason in the first month. We want every one of our students to be 100% happy with their course.
More testimonials:
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I started with Duolingo to try it out. But I realized that there was not enough information. I started looking for some training without being tied to a tutor and accidentally came across this course. What attracted me was the clear division into modules. This means that I won’t have to think about where to start. I can move from topic to topic. I like that each lesson lasts no more than 5 minutes. This means that I can always find time, even while working.
Katya - Georgia
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This course is very useful for me, and my vocabulary has greatly improved. In particular, I enjoyed the lesson on deciphering the gender articles from the spelling of the words, I find this very useful and I regularly go back to revise that lesson. Thank you for that, as I did not learn it in my paid German class. I will be happy to share it with other expats within my circle who are learning German, because it has really helped me.
Priscilla - Germany
FAQ
If you're not able to afford the course, please email me and I will give it to you for free. Use the contact form below (under "Support") or email me at hello (at) deutschable (dot) com.
This course does not include active speaking components. This was a conscious decision. The idea is that this course will help bring you to a level in which you will get much more out of speaking practice than in the very beginning, because it will allow you to have actual meaningful conversations with your friend/(tandem-)partner/in-laws/cute person at the cafe/co-workers, rather than hollow phrases.
Speaking time is actually a secret problem in language schools, that boils down to simple math: in a 90-minute lesson where the teacher speaks half the time (if you're lucky), your speaking time will be 45 minutes divided by the amount of students (if all student are the same level of extroversion), leaving you with what? Five minutes of speaking? You may also end up speaking in pair or group work, which I always found to be counterproductive and as a teacher I never had my classes do those activities. I could go on and on about that - but suffice it to say here in the Deutschable course you will receive all the pronunciation practice you'll need to understand, and we'll train your brain to effortlessly produce German, even if the mouth isn't always involved as much.
Obviously, you're highly encouraged to speak along with the lessons whenever your environment allows it :-) Remember also that your goal should always be to be understood first - and having a bit of an accent actually helps Germans understand you better as a learner because they'll be prepared for mistakes.
Hey, that's not a question. This isn't Frequently Expressed Sentiments! But all that aside, it's 100% true that this course may not be right for you, and I highly encourage everyone to check out the demo lesson above before making the decision to buy. However, I would also say that, especially for beginners, given the types of relevant topics introduced in various contexts, and the wide variety of teaching styles employed, and the flexibility in terms of learning speed, that this course should be incredibly useful to a huge variety of learner types. And again, consider the alternative: Unless you get a private teacher, you'll end up in a class where the contents and speed will almost certainly conform to a denominator other than you.
That's great! It is likely that this course won't contain much new information. You will probably have heard many of the these concepts before. But if you feel like you could use a refresher, or if there are things that are still unclear and haven't quite clicked, or could use a dose of more vocabulary, this might be the perfect way to do it - as opposed to having to go back to class, hiring an expensive private teacher, or puzzling over your old course books. It's worth noting that the grammar elements schools teach in A2 are the "trickiest" and most important for learning to speak and understand German - the concepts of the higher levels are mostly just fancy, so it's worth ensuring that you have a firm grounding in the A levels, if nothing else. (If you're unsure about your level, consider taking a placement test to find out)
I think this is a good argument not to take this course, at least not on its own. You might benefit from first doing this course before starting a class, then breezing through it, or using this course as an addition, to augment what you're learning in school (I like to think this: When going on a trip, rather than having a spare tire in your car, it's like having a mountain bike hooked to the back, along for the ride and allowing you a completely different way of exploring the landscape on your trip.)
This is one of those myths that no one really benefits from, except perhaps language schools who want to stretch out their incessant dancing-around-the-grammar-bush routine and keep charging you for it, or people who have mastered German and want to gloat about it. The thing is this: You can actually speak German and be perfectly understood without using German grammar at all. I'm serious, you can just use German words and use them like you would in an English sentence. Not only will you be understood just fine (and I know many people like this), you'll even be completely correct a lot of the time.
Number two is that no one expects foreigners to have perfect sentences. If you have even a trace of an accent, Germans just see incorrect grammar as part of the package and don't bat an eye. So you don't have to stress out about it.
But the most important point is this: The grammar is not actually hard, and in the allegedly most challenging topics I make a strong case that your brain already knows how to do it all, and has been doing so since you were a baby. In this course you'll drop all your apprehensions and get to actually see language from a mind-blowing new perspective - including English.
I do think this is an issue that's not acknowledged enough and that I think many people can relate to. I believe that, in the way I designed this course, it's an advantage: I want the brain to be relaxed, and on autopilot for these lessons. Through repetition and exposure, you'll absorb the language - and I also believe that when it comes to information, you will likely receive a spark and snap into attention as things finally click and fall into place and you feel the fog lifting. I think this course is unique in this regard: While it does need your eyeballs to be open, and for you not to multitask, in of itself, it doesn't require you to be hyperfocused from the get-go.
I do need to add the caveat that if you're very tired or in a brain-fog, you might need to watch the videos more than once for the initial information to sink in. But that's the nice thing about a video course with a long access period: Watch the vids as often as you need!
A long time ago, when I was super motivated and books were totally a thing, I excitedly tried to learn Russian from one. Then, a few weeks later, I actually had an opportunity to go to Russia and was thrilled to try out what I learned. I asked an old lady where the bus was. Simple enough, right? "Gdye avtobus?" She had literally NO clue at all what I was trying to say. Not even close.
Now I know that my pronunciation was so bad that I might as well have been speaking Welsh to her. Specifically, the emphasis was on the wrong syllable and I added an extra letter between "g" and "d"... anyway, the point of the story is that out of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing, "listening" is absolutely important if you actually want to communicate with people. And there's no way books can do that. As supplements they can be great, of course.
No. Self-paced courses can't be certified because it's almost impossible to prove that the person whose name is on the certificate is actually the person who took the course. Beware of anyone offering certificates for self-study online courses - they are likely a scam and those certificates are unlikely to be accepted in Germany.
It's super important when deciding how to learn German to know that language proficiency is a skill, and NOT knowledge. In other words, even if you had all "information" about the language downloaded into your brain and readily available, it will be an incredible grind to transform that into actual real-time communication. What you need is not information, but guidance and practice. All three of which you will get in this course - allowing you to communicate freely and effortlessly.
In my experience, this is a common sentiment, especially for expats living in Berlin, whose friends and coworkers all speak English, and live in place where English is spoken in every venue they like to go to. But at some point people realize that it's limiting and also a bit embarassing, especially as they settle in and the years start going by. No matter what your (lack of) motivation level is, with Deutschable I aim to make learning fun, not a slog. Not only do I aim to take the fear out of it, but also the boredom - it's a cool language that allows you a whole new level of expression, and a whole new dimension of interacting with your environment. With Deutschable, this process is effortless, quick, fun, and if I did my job right, will ignite a curiosity, and maybe even a passion for German in you that will sustain a healthy appetite for further learning. It'll be an exciting feeling of growth and allow you to step out of your comfort zone ("The Ring" in Berlin).
This course is quite consciously NOT designed for test-takers. It does not include test-taking strategies or address the specific question-types of German tests. The Deutschable course is made for people who want to use the language for communication. That having been said, this course WILL improve your German and give you an excellent understanding of the structures that are likely being tested for, as well as a very broad range of vocabulary. You will likely find that this course will be immensely helpful for your test, but I can't guarantee it. My personal advice for these formal tests is: Make sure you take a course that goes up to (or, better yet, beyond) the level that the test is for (for example, TestDaF tests at a much higher level of proficiency than the scope of the Deutschable course) and then get a book with practice tests for this specific tests (with an answer section, of course).
Yes, each lesson has a comment section in which students can talk to each other and the teacher (me) and ask questions and discuss the topic of the lesson.
No, you don't have to be a native speaker. But you do have to know English, since this is the reference language of the course.
It's not the best way to learn a language for everyone, but it might be the best way for YOU. It certainly is the best way for me, and I really hope that more courses for other things like this pop up in the future so that I can benefit from them as well. This course here is literally the kind of course I would have always wished for myself.
There are hundreds of beautiful ways to learn a language, and many of them work really well for some people but not for others. So try this out and see if this works for you and finally puts a stop to playing Angry Birds or pacing around the room, imagining how amazing everything would be if you could learn German.
In its current state of development (40+ lessons, July 2024), this course includes (and exceeds) all contents typically taught in A1.1 (CEFR) level German courses. In other words, after finishing this course, you're well set-up to skip level A1.1 and join an A1.2 course at a language school. It is the development plan for Deutschable to include all topics from levels A1+A2 by Q1 2025. By registering for this course, you automatically receive instant access to all additional lessons that may be created in the future during your one-year access period. No additional money will be charged beyond your initial one-time payment (or initial monthly subscription price), even if the course price steadily increases as new lessons are added.
A final word from stephan.
Why today matters.
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This might not be the course for you. Everyone has a different learning style, and this might not be a good fit. Even if I were speaking to you in person right now I would not try to convince you that it is. But I would desperately try to convince you to try it out and know for sure.
Learning a language is life-changing. It opens doors you never knew were closed to begin with. It allows for a life of independence, of opportunity, of new friends, new jobs, new horizons. And how you get there is entirely up to you.
Not in an abstract sense. In a very real, immediate sense: You can make a decision right now to set you on a path that might change your whole life.
Or I'm just being dramatic. :-) This might not be the course for you. But I'd happily rather give 100 refunds to people who've tried and know for sure, than to miss out on one student for whom this might make all the difference.
With the 7-day trial and the 30-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose. Take a chance and try these short German lessons for yourself today.
See you in class!
Stephan
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