Deutsch (German)

German is spoken by over 100 million native speakers, making it the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. It's the official language of Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein, and one of the official languages of Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Why learn German?

German opens doors to the heart of Europe. It's the language of Goethe, Kafka, and Nietzsche; of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart's librettos; of Freud's psychoanalysis and Einstein's early papers. Today, Germany has the largest economy in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.

What makes German distinctive?

• Compound words — Germans famously create new words by combining existing ones (Handschuh = hand + shoe = glove)
• Three grammatical genders — Nouns are masculine, feminine, or neuter
• Cases — Words change form depending on their role in a sentence
• Verb-second rule — The main verb always comes second in statements
• Clear pronunciation — What you see is largely what you say

How difficult is German?

For English speakers, German is considered moderately challenging. The US Foreign Service Institute rates it as a Category II language, requiring approximately 750 hours of study for professional proficiency. However, English and German share Germanic roots, so you'll recognise many words and structures.

This guide

This guide takes you from zero to a solid foundation in German. You'll learn:

1. The sounds of German — Pronunciation and the alphabet
2. Your first words — Essential vocabulary to start speaking
3. Nouns and gender — Understanding der, die, and das
4. The case system — How German marks grammatical relationships
5. Verbs — Conjugation patterns and common verbs
6. Sentence structure — Building correct German sentences
7. Questions — How to ask and answer
8. Numbers and time — Counting, dates, and telling time
9. Everyday conversations — Practical dialogue patterns
10. Reading German — Understanding written German
11. Common mistakes — Pitfalls to avoid
12. Culture and context — Understanding German-speaking societies
13. Regional differences — German, Austrian, and Swiss German
14. Next steps — Resources for continued learning

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Ready to begin? Start with German sounds →