My 10 Favourite apps to Learn German
Most of us use our smartphone daily, not just once but regularly. Especially when we commute or wait we tend to visit Facebook, Instagram or play games. Some people who study languages use Duolingo to learn new words. But which other apps are out there to improve your German on the go? A little bit of German every day is better than a lot of hours once a week. We will get to the languages routines another time. ;-) So here I have collected my favourite apps to study German on the smartphone.
1. Memrise
Beginner to Proficient
One of my alltime favourites is Memrise. Even though it teaches mainly single words - and I prefer teaching and learning complete sentences – I enjoy the playful way of enlarging the vocabulary. For me the variation of words and game modes are much better than in Duolingo. A big plus is that you cannot just study on your phone but also online on your PC. You can meet friends and co-students in groups and study together. (I created a group for my students. If you want to join, please contact me!)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.memrise.android.memrisecompanion
2. Deutsch perfekt – Wort des Tages
Beginner to Proficient
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. -- A word a day keeps the textbook away. Okay, not exactly. But like I already said: I believe it is better to deal with your targeted language (German?!) every day a little bit than once in a while a lot. This app shows you one German word every day. You can just either read the translation or – even better – write some sentences with the new word.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.spotlight.wordoftheday.deutsch
3. Beelinguapp: Sprachen Lernen durch Hörbücher
Beginner to Intermediate
Reading and listening are essential to improve your German. So why not combining it? Use this app to read German stories and see the translation below. Besides, the story will be read out to you and you will get familiar with the pronounciation.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.david.android.languageswitch
4. Wortsuche
Beginner to Proficient
This app is just an example for several types of this game. You taks is to find as many German words as possible in the crossword. Just do this, or even better: look up the words after you have found them.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edujoy.Word_Search
5. Lernspaß für Kinder
Upper Beginner to Lower Intermediate
Maybe you already guessed it from the name. It is good for practising grammar and your vocabulary. Included are exercises to spelling, nouns, adjectives and more…as a bonus you can win little monsters for mastering the tasks. ;-)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.calliclever.deutsch
6. German Listening
Intermediate to Proficient
Use this app for reading and listening to German texts. You cannot just find texts about broad variation of topics but also slowly spoken news. If you do not understand words in the text you can translate them immediately and have the possibility to create a flashcard. Besides that the app includes a library of idioms.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.luglasoft.deutschlernen
7. Deutsch lernen mit Musik
Beginner to Intermediate
Have you heard about Rammstein or “99 ballons”? Hah, then you already know a little bit about German music. With this app you can extend your vocabulary with some of the most popular German songs. Just click the words and the translation will be shown to you.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paolo.lyricstranslator.learnGerman
8. DW - Breaking World News
Upper Beginner to Proficient
With this app you get access to a rich library of news, not just about Germany but the world. You can read articles, watch videos and listen to audios. The content is not only available in German but in 30 different languages.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.idmedia.android.newsportal
9. Galgenmännchen
Upper Beginner to Proficient
Hang Man is a classic game. Use your waiting time to quiz and learn some new German words. Do not forget to look them up in a dictionary.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nwg.galgenmaennchen
10. FlashAcademy
Beginner to Intermediate
This app is similar to Duolingo and Memrise. It is created for studying vocabulary in a playful way. The games are various here but the recording of some answers might be a little bit akward if you play it in public. Nevertheless, a nice app to get into a playful German mood.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learninglabs.flashsticks
December 20, 2017
