What to watch to learn German
Everything 3 working German teachers told us they would actually put in front of a learner, with a note on why each one works and the level it suits.
21
Recommendations
3
Teachers
Standard German
Picked by
Some of these are made for listening practice and some are more didactic: pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar. But the content is all in German, which is the point. If you only want to train your ear, start with Easy German, the DW channel, Falk, Kurzgesagt and 24h Deutsch.
See Laura Linden’s picks
24h Deutsch
The Goethe-Institut's series with Ida, one short subtitled episode per hour of a German day, mixing grammar with the small things nobody teaches you about living here.
Beginner-Intermediate
Deutsch lernen mit der DW
Germany's international broadcaster runs a full A1-to-C1 course on YouTube, including the drama series Nicos Weg, so you can keep climbing without ever leaving the channel.
Beginner-Intermediate
Easy German
Unscripted street interviews with people all over the German-speaking world, dual-subtitled in German and English so you can follow real speech long before you could handle it unaided.
Beginner-Intermediate
Learn German With Falk
Unscripted, slowly spoken monologues about everyday life in clear Hochdeutsch, with gestures and repetition doing the work instead of translation.
Beginner-Intermediate
Deutsch mit Benjamin
Pronunciation and authentic German pulled apart clip by clip, using films, series and news the way a teacher would in a lesson.
Intermediate-Advanced
Deutsch mit Rieke
A German linguist taking on the things that stay hard at B2 and beyond: idioms, register, and writing that sounds like a native wrote it.
Intermediate-Advanced
Deutsch mit Schmidt
Two words an episode, each turned over in four example sentences, with a full transcript and vocabulary list. Slow, deliberate vocabulary building for the stretch above B1.
Intermediate-Advanced
Dinge Erklärt – Kurzgesagt
The German edition of the animated science channel. Made for Germans rather than for learners, but the animation carries so much of the meaning that it stays followable while the narration runs at full speed.
Intermediate-Advanced
Picked by
Six German podcasts to train your listening, from the ones made for children up to the ones nobody slows down for. The levels are my own rough estimate rather than anything official, and most of these put a transcript in the show notes. You can sit down with a pen and paper and write out everything you didn't catch, or just listen while you drive.
See Andrea’s picks
CheckPod — Der Podcast mit Checker Tobi
Tobi works through one knowledge topic per episode with a child asking the questions, at the same gentle pace and clarity as the Maus.
Intermediate
Die Maus zum Hören
The children's classic explaining how the world works — how a toilet is made, how Lego is made — in simple German with unusually clear pronunciation.
Intermediate
Easy German Podcast
Cari and Manuel pick topics for learners and stop to explain the hard words as they go. Transcripts, vocabulary lists and the practice platform sit behind their membership.
Intermediate-Advanced
Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten — Deutsche Welle
The day's news read slowly for learners. You already know what happened, so instead of decoding the meaning you can listen to how it is said.
Intermediate-Advanced
Wissen mit Johnny
Longer general-knowledge episodes made for teenagers and young adults, so you get everyday German and a fair bit of slang along with the facts.
Intermediate-Advanced
Smarter leben — Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel's ideas podcast on the things that shape your daily life, well researched and often with a specialist in the room. Nobody slows down for you here.
Advanced
What to watch to learn Austrian German
Picked by
Irene Malagon-Bisanz
Austrian German
I teach in Vienna, so these lean Austrian German — the German you'll actually hear on the street here.
See Irene Malagon-Bisanz’s picks
ORF — Nachrichten in einfacher Sprache
Austria's public broadcaster reads the daily news in slow, simplified German, ideal listening practice for early learners.
Beginner
Easy German — Austria playlist
Street interviews with real Austrians, subtitled in German and English, so beginners can follow authentic speech.
Beginner-Intermediate
Dialekt lernen
A channel dedicated to Austrian and German dialects, for when standard textbook German meets how people actually talk.
Intermediate
Butti
Austrian short-form comedy reels, colloquial German and current slang.
Intermediate-Advanced
DER STANDARD — Besser leben
The Austrian daily's weekly podcast on living better: sleep, food, exercise, habits. Journalists and experts talk one question through per episode, in clear everyday Austrian German.
Intermediate-Advanced
Ina Jovanovic
Everyday-life reels in casual Austrian German, good for picking up conversational rhythm.
Intermediate-Advanced
Michael Buchinger
Short, funny reels from an Austrian comedian, real everyday German at natural speed.
Intermediate-Advanced
Frequently asked
What can I watch to learn German?
Laura Linden of German with a Linguist recommends 24h Deutsch, Deutsch lernen mit der DW, Easy German and Learn German With Falk, 21 teacher-chosen picks in total (Austrian German). Each links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the right learner level.
What can I watch to learn Austrian German?
Irene Malagon-Bisanz of Malagon-Bisanz (Deutsch in Wien) recommends ORF — Nachrichten in einfacher Sprache, Easy German — Austria playlist, Dialekt lernen and Butti, 7 picks in Austrian German. Each links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the right learner level.
What are the best podcasts to learn German?
Andrea, who teaches German at Language Atelier, recommends CheckPod — Der Podcast mit Checker Tobi, Die Maus zum Hören, Easy German Podcast, Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten — Deutsche Welle, Wissen mit Johnny and Smarter leben — Der Spiegel. Each one links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the level it suits.
What are the best YouTube channels to learn German?
Laura Linden, who teaches German at German with a Linguist, recommends 24h Deutsch, Deutsch lernen mit der DW, Easy German, Learn German With Falk, Deutsch mit Benjamin, Deutsch mit Rieke, Deutsch mit Schmidt and Dinge Erklärt – Kurzgesagt. Each one links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the level it suits.
What shows can I watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime to learn Austrian German?
Irene Malagon-Bisanz, who teaches Austrian German at Malagon-Bisanz (Deutsch in Wien), recommends ORF — Nachrichten in einfacher Sprache. These are all TV series and films, so you will usually find them on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Each one links out to where to watch it, with a note on the level it suits.
What are the best YouTube channels to learn Austrian German?
Irene Malagon-Bisanz, who teaches Austrian German at Malagon-Bisanz (Deutsch in Wien), recommends Easy German — Austria playlist and Dialekt lernen. Each one links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the level it suits.