Learn German, one useful explanation at a time.
Start with the sounds, build clear sentences, and understand why the endings change. Free guides for English-speaking learners.
Join the German waiting list →How to Choose the Best App to Learn German for Your Goal
The best German-learning app for you should match the job you need: a structured beginner course, vocabulary recall, listening practice or speaking feedback.
How Long Does It Take to Learn German? Hours, Levels and Realistic Goals
How long German takes depends on your starting point, study quality and target skills.
German False Friends: Bekommen, Gift and Other Misleading Familiar Words
German false friends resemble English words but have different meanings.
German Adjective Endings: Ein guter Kaffee or Der gute Kaffee?
German adjectives usually take endings when placed before a noun, but not when used after sein as descriptions: guter Kaffee, Der Kaffee ist gut.
German Prepositions: Fixed Cases and the In/Into Distinction
German prepositions usually require a particular case, while nine common two-way prepositions switch between accusative and dative in spatial uses.
German Perfect Tense: Haben or Sein, Plus the Past Participle
The German perfect tense combines conjugated haben or sein with a past participle: Ich habe gelernt, Ich bin gekommen.
German Separable Verbs: Why Ich rufe dich an Splits in Two
A German separable verb has a prefix that moves away from the conjugated stem in ordinary main clauses: anrufen becomes Ich rufe dich an.
German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Dürfen and What They Really Mean
German modal verbs express ability, necessity, permission, intention or similar attitudes towards an action.
Nicht or Kein? How to Say No and Not in German
Use kein to negate many noun phrases that would otherwise have ein or no article: Ich habe kein Auto.
German Plurals: Why You Should Learn Buch and Bücher Together
German nouns do not share one universal plural ending.
50 Essential German Words for Beginners: Learn Them in Sentences
A useful beginner German vocabulary combines nouns with their articles and plurals, common verbs, question words and connecting words.
25 Useful German Phrases for Everyday Conversations
Useful German phrases should help you continue an exchange, not only open it.
German Numbers 1–100: The Pattern Behind einundzwanzig
German numbers from 21 to 99 normally put the unit before the ten: einundzwanzig means one-and-twenty, or 21.
Sein and Haben: German’s Two Essential Verbs
Sein means to be and haben means to have.
German Present Tense: Regular Endings and Useful Exceptions
The German present tense changes the verb ending to match the subject: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt.
German Word Order: Verb Second, Verb Last and Questions
In an ordinary German main-clause statement, the conjugated verb occupies the second sentence position, after one complete element.
Accusative vs Dative in German: How to Choose
Choose German accusative or dative by checking the verb or preposition that governs the noun phrase.
The Four German Cases Explained: A Beginner’s Map
German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive.
Der, Die or Das? German Articles Explained for Beginners
Der, die and das are the singular nominative forms of German’s definite article: masculine, feminine and neuter.
German Greetings: What to Say and How to Reply
Hallo is a useful general German greeting; Guten Morgen, Guten Tag and Guten Abend suit different times of day.
Is German Hard to Learn for English Speakers?
German gives English speakers familiar vocabulary and a familiar alphabet, but adds grammatical gender, four cases and different verb positions.
German Umlauts: How to Pronounce ä, ö and ü
German ä, ö and ü are vowels with their own sounds, and the dots can change a word’s meaning or grammatical form.
German Pronunciation: The Sounds English Speakers Should Learn First
German pronunciation becomes easier when you learn vowel length, common letter combinations and a few consonant differences from English.
The German Alphabet: Letter Names, Umlauts and ß
The German alphabet uses the 26 Latin letters, with ä, ö, ü and ß as additional spelling characters.
How to Learn German: A Practical Beginner’s Roadmap
To learn German, start with the sounds, useful sentences and nouns together with their articles.