It’s kind of funny to look back at this 2013 article in The Economist, which asked, “Why do Germans shun Twitter?” Admittedly, German Twitter was pretty weak. Back then, Germany ranked 31st worldwide in the number of public tweets it put out. Angela Merkel didn’t even have a Twitter account in 2013. She still doesn’t today, to be fair, but you can follow Grumpy Merkel to hear from her “evil twin.”
Thankfully, no one stopped trying to make German Twitter happen. And today, there are enough lively accounts with that characteristic droll, wicked humor that you can effectively enlist Twitter as a language-learning aid.
All in all, following a few choice German Twitter accounts is a simple and effective way to fortify your learning. Whether you’re looking for humor, grammar tips or cultural education, add one or more of these accounts to your feed and let the enlightenment multiply like a viral post.
German Twitter Accounts To Follow
1. Der Dings @Aus_der_UBahn
Heute untertags vor dem Fenster. Drei Spatzenküken verfolgen den Vater.
K1: FÜTTER MICH
K2: EY FÜTTER MICH
K3: FÜTTER MICH JETZT
V: *starrt mir durchs Fenster in die Augen*— Der Dings (@Aus_der_UBahn) June 17, 2020
If you’ve ever wanted to get inside the mind of a German metro conductor, here’s your shot. The musings of this “public transport person” often include comical observations from the driver’s seat, as well as droll quips about feeling like a “sweaty Oscar Wilde.”
2. German Quatsch @GermanQuatsch
Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung [certificate proving that you always paid your rent] #longGermanwords
— German Quatsch (@GermanQuatsch) December 4, 2017
For idiom lovers, this account tweets funny German expressions (or just strange and random words that you’ll probably have no real use for, aside from the amusement they’ll provide you with). Because it’s almost always followed by an English translation or explanation, this is a fairly beginner-friendly German Twitter account.
3. Grumpy Merkel @GrumpyMerkel
Vielleicht hätten wir es statt “Corona-App” lieber “Corona Crush” nennen sollen, dann hätten es schon ca 100 Millionen Deutsche installiert.
— Grumpy Merkel (@GrumpyMerkel) April 25, 2020
There’s really nothing like a satire political account to teach you natural-sounding language, help you keep your finger on the pulse of a nation’s politics, and give you lots of important context clues that’ll let you get inside the mind of the average German observing it all go down. Grumpy Merkel is exactly who she sounds like, and you might enjoy her no-filter candor more than the cool professionalism of Actual Angela Merkel.
4. slowgerman @slowgerman
Ich freue mich auf ___ Urlaub.
— slowgerman 🇩🇪 (@slowgerman) June 14, 2020
This is the official German Twitter account of the “Slow German” podcast, which we also count among our German podcast recommendations. Like the show itself, this account is designed to feed you manageable, bite-sized pieces of the language — whether it’s delivered slowly out loud or as tidbits of cultural trivia and German vocabulary with English translations.
5. Learn-German-Easily @LearnXDGerman
🇩🇪 Von all den Dingen, die ich verloren habe, vermisse ich meinen Verstand am meisten 😊
— Learn-German-Easily (@LearnXDGerman) June 23, 2020
Also geared more toward actual language learners, this account will tweet German phrases and then follow up with the English translation a few minutes later. Of course, that means you’ll have to be on your toes — or just try not to read the English before you’ve had a chance to puzzle the German out on your own.
6. DER SPIEGEL @derspiegel
Im Gran Teatre del Liceu erklingt wieder Musik – allerdings erstmal nur für ein stummes Publikum. Vier Musiker spielten Giacomo Puccinis “Crisantemi”. Der Applaus fiel verhalten aus. https://t.co/HRKlsD7fE9 pic.twitter.com/nrYTSvaKIF
— DER SPIEGEL (@derspiegel) June 23, 2020
Not to be overlooked is Der Spiegel, one of Germany’s most prominent publications. If you’re a more intermediate to advanced learner, you can keep up with news and cultural commentary the same way a real German Twitter user would.
7. Juliane Topka @Sprachpingel
Es gibt die Wendungen „meines Wissens“ und „meiner Meinung nach“. Die Kombination „meines Wissens nach“ ist falsches Deutsch.#Sprachtipp #Schreibtipp
— Juliane Topka (@Sprachpingel) May 25, 2020
Juliane is a proofreader for corporate communications, but she’s also your language teacher. Juliane’s account is mostly her educating her followers about common mistakes in ways that are extremely instructive (and amusing) for non-native speakers.