· 7 min read
Learn German for Beginners: Where to Start
By Language Lab editorial team
Learn German for beginners: the free A1 course to follow, first phrases, the grammar to expect, what level A1 means and a first-month plan with self-testing.
The best way to begin German is to follow one complete free course from the first lesson. Deutsche Welle's Nicos Weg is a video course for beginners at level A1, with detailed grammar pages, and its Deutschtrainer adds vocabulary on 100 everyday topics with audio. Alongside the course, learn a dozen phrases aloud and get to know the three things that are new for an English speaker: three grammatical genders, four noun cases and long compound words. German and English are related, so you will also notice similarities. The US State Department places German in Category II, at about 36 weeks or 828 class hours. Your first target is A1: familiar everyday expressions, introducing yourself, and simple questions and answers.
What A1 means
The Goethe-Institut describes A1 as the level at which you can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases, introduce yourself, and ask and answer questions about everyday matters. A2 follows: communicating in routine situations that need a simple, direct exchange of information. There is one Goethe-Institut exam for each level, from A1 to C2.
Step 1: follow one beginners' course
| Resource | Who makes it | Level | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicos Weg | Deutsche Welle | A1 | A video course for beginners with detailed grammar pages |
| Deutschtrainer | Deutsche Welle | A1 | Vocabulary and short sentences on 100 everyday topics, with audio |
| Deutsch für dich | Goethe-Institut | All levels | An online community with more than 260 free exercises |
| Everyday life exercises | Goethe-Institut | A1 to C2 | Free exercises built around life in Germany, such as finding an apartment and shopping for food |
Deutsche Welle says you can learn German with it free of charge, whether you are a beginner or highly proficient, and it has a placement test if you are not starting from zero. Begin with Nicos Weg, which follows Nico from Spain on his adventure in Germany, and do every exercise attached to each video.
Step 2: learn these phrases aloud
| German | Meaning |
|---|---|
| guten Tag | hello |
| auf Wiedersehen | goodbye |
| bitte | please |
| danke | thank you |
| ja | yes |
| nein | no |
| Ich heiße ... | My name is ... |
| Wie geht´s? | How are you? |
| Wie bitte? | pardon? |
| Sprechen Sie Englisch? | Do you speak English? |
These are from the BBC's archived list of basic German phrases. Wie bitte? is the one to have ready when you did not catch what someone said.
Step 3: know what is new
The BBC's guide is frank: German is considered a difficult language to study by English learners. It names the reasons, and each is something a beginner can meet calmly.
- Three grammatical genders. Learn every noun with its article.
- Four noun case endings. Take them one at a time.
- Long words. German builds compounds: der Staubsauger, the vacuum cleaner, is literally a dustsucker, and das Fernsehen, television, is far-watching. Taken apart, they are logical.
- Pronunciation that, in the guide's words, gives every muscle in your mouth a good workout. Repeat after the audio.
The same guide gives the other side: English and German are related, so you will notice similarities, and the grammar is considered quite logical. Just watch for exceptions to the rules.
Step 4: test yourself
A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.
- After each episode, say aloud what happened before you check the text.
- Cover the German and produce it from the meaning.
- Start every session with last time's vocabulary.
- Repeat sentences out loud; watching alone does not train speaking.
A first-month plan
- Monday to Friday, 25 minutes: one episode of Nicos Weg with its exercises.
- Every day, 10 minutes: Deutschtrainer vocabulary, testing yourself on earlier topics first.
- Every day, 5 minutes: the phrases above, aloud.
- Twice a week: one Goethe-Institut exercise on everyday life at A1.
- Once a week: record yourself introducing yourself, and listen back.
What comes next
After A1 comes A2, where Deutsche Welle offers Kurz und leicht, the daily news on video at beginner level. Many learners then aim at B1, the level for everyday situations at work, at school and in leisure: of the 1.1 million German exams taken at Goethe-Institut centres in 2025, 461,000 were B1. For scale, the State Department allows about 36 weeks, or 828 class hours, to reach a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale; at 10 hours a week that is about 83 weeks. Language Lab's German course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can practise speaking from the first week.
Frequently asked
How do I start learning German as a beginner?
Follow one complete beginners' course from the first lesson, such as Deutsche Welle's free Nicos Weg at A1, learn a few phrases aloud and test yourself after every episode.
Is German hard for beginners?
The BBC's guide says German is considered difficult by English learners, because of its genders, cases and long words, but adds that the two languages are related and the grammar is quite logical.
What is A1 German?
The level at which you can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases, introduce yourself and ask and answer simple questions.
Is there a free German course for beginners?
Yes. Deutsche Welle's Nicos Weg and Deutschtrainer are free A1 resources, and the Goethe-Institut publishes free exercises.
How long does it take to learn German?
The US State Department allows about 36 weeks, or 828 class hours, to reach an ILR score of 3 in speaking and listening. At 10 hours a week that is about 83 weeks; A1 and A2 come much sooner.
How many genders and cases does German have?
Three grammatical genders and four noun cases, by the BBC's guide.
Sources: Deutsche Welle, Learn German; Goethe-Institut, Levels A1–C2, German examinations and Practise German for free; BBC Languages, A Guide to German: 10 facts and German Quick Fix (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Neuschwanstein Castle and the Alpsee in autumn, by Dmytro Balkhovitin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
