We’re living in the age of a million podcasts. Not only are there podcasts about every single topic, but there are multiple podcasts about every single topic. That can make it a bit difficult to choose which podcast will be the best for learning about something — decision paralysis is real. To help you out, we’ve put together an overview of some of our favorite German podcasts for language learning. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking for something more advanced, there’s a podcast out there for you to help as you learn German.
The Best German Podcasts To Learn With
Coffee Break German (Beginner)
Coffee Break is from the Radio Lingua network, which offers podcasts in a whole host of multiple languages. The language lessons are more strictly organized than Slow German’s are, with each episode coming in at about 20 minutes long. It’s hosted by a native speaker, Thomas, who is teaching a student, Mark. With this framework, it mimics the feeling of a classroom setting. To broaden their coverage, they bring on a cultural correspondent and grammar guide to share their own insights on the language. All together, it’s a very well-produced introduction to the German language.
Speaking Of Berlin (Beginner)
In Babbel’s first podcast for English speakers learning German, we look at perhaps the most famous German city of all: Berlin. Each episode follows a different person as they encounter the city, exploring its rich past and present. Each episode is around 15 minutes and links to a transcript, making it a great bite-sized lesson for beginners. Speaking of Berlin is a bilingual podcast, featuring both English and German, but more advanced learners may want to check out So ist Berlin. The episodes are the same, except they’re monolingual, so you can really challenge yourself to understanding what’s going on in German.
Easy German (Beginner)
A lot of German podcasts targeted toward language learners tend to be shorter, but that doesn’t have to be the case. At about an hour each, episodes of Easy German have a lot of material for you to sink your teeth into. Topics range from the meaning of “philosophy” to travel, and the hosts also answer questions from the audience in each episode. If you have trouble following along, they also offer a paid version that provides a full transcript and vocabulary guides to each episode. The podcast is created by the same team that created Easy German on YouTube, which is an excellent language resource for people who prefer to have visuals to look at.
German Stories (Beginner)
A fairly self-explanatory title, German Stories focuses on different German grammar rules through fun and educational storytelling. The episodes are a continuous story of the main character, Paul, that leaves listeners wanting more. The podcast claims to be suitable for learners of all levels. With episodes ranging from 20 to 50 minutes and new episodes every other week, learners have a surplus of content.
News In Slow German (Easy-Intermediate)
Offering slow news in a multitude of languages, including German, this podcast network allows learners to grasp all important aspects of German grammar and expressions while also listening to interesting news stories. Episode speeds are available for both beginners and intermediate level language learners. New episodes are released each week so you’ll never get bored of listening and learning!
Marktplatz (Intermediate)
Maybe, like many people, you’re learning German for business reasons. In that case, you may want to use a different Deutsche Welle show: Marktplatz (“Marketplace”). This show is for people who already have a good command of the basics, but want to learn vocabulary on topics like finance and trade. It’s a pretty quick course with only 26 episodes, but one of the most useful out there.
Elementarfragen (Advanced)
After you’ve learned enough of the language, you’ll be able to start listening to German podcasts that don’t try to teach you grammar or vocabulary at all. There are plenty available, and Elementarfragen is a very good one. The name means “elementary questions,” and it’s a long-form podcast featuring interviews with experts on a variety of topics. One of the episodes is about the relationship between social media and authoritarianism, which gives you a good idea of the kinds of questions the show covers. It can be a bit dark, but it’s always interesting.
Fest & Flauschig (Advanced)
Spotify has been investing heavily in podcasts for a few years now, and it’s not only focussing on English. There are now dozens of German Spotify Original podcasts, including ones that are translations of English Spotify Originals. Fest & Flauschig, German for “Firm & Fluffy,” started as a radio show under a different name, but Spotify brought on hosts Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz in 2016. It’s a weird hybrid of a show, with the two talking about personal, political and cultural events. Like any podcast, your enjoyment of the show will depend on how much you like the people who are on it, but you can listen to hear why this is one of the most successful German podcasts out there.
Warum nicht? (All Levels)
Once you’ve got the basics down, you can start listening to German podcasts that aren’t as explicit in their teaching. Warum nicht? (“Why not?”) was created by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, and it follows a journalism student who works as a doorman through a series of adventures. There’s a whole cast of entertaining characters, and it’s all done in service of teaching you German vocabulary and grammar. All four seasons together make this about 26 hours long, and it’s designed to take you from beginner to expert.