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German, starting with the article, not the alphabet.

A 1,000-word frequency course. You cannot learn a German noun without its article, so this course teaches der, die and das from the first lesson rather than treating gender as an advanced topic.

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Quick taster

3-word session

A quick mix of exercises - recognise, recall, type and build each word. Miss one and it comes back round until it sticks.

Graded reader

Der Mann und das Kind

Only words the course has taught

. : . .

The man is here. The child comes and says: that is good. But we have no time.

Tap any word for its word page

Read German from the first week.

47 graded readers, each written only from words the course has already taught, so you read real German sentences without a dictionary at your elbow.

Browse German stories

Grammar that treats you like an adult.

Der Hund beisst den Mann and den Hund beisst der Mann are different events. The article carries the case, and the case carries the meaning. The guides teach that first.

Explore German grammar

The four cases

der Mann

the man - the article says who does what

subject (nom.): der Mann
object (acc.): den Mann
to, for (dat.): dem Mann
of (gen.): des Mannes

Word order will not save you. Der Hund beißt den Mann: the dog bites the man. Den Hund beißt der Mann: the man bites the dog. Same order, and only the articles tell you who got bitten.

Built for German, specifically

Not one course photocopied six times. Each language gets the tools its own difficulties actually call for.

1,000 words by frequency

Der, die, das, und, sein, in, ein, zu, haben, ich and their neighbours: the words that carry most of any simple German sentence.

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Der, die, das explained properly

Why German has six forms of the where English has one, and why learning a noun without its article is learning nothing.

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The four cases, in priority order

Nominative and accusative first because they carry most of what a beginner reads, dative next, genitive last. Not four equal columns on day one.

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The six modal verbs as a block

Koennen, muessen, duerfen, sollen, wollen, moegen. They misbehave in the same way as each other, so they are cheaper to learn together.

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Graded readers you can actually finish

Every story sits under a strict vocabulary ceiling, so every word in it is a word you have met.

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German by the numbers

Counted from the course, not rounded up for the brochure.

words in the course: 1000
grammar guides: 46
graded readers: 47

Or wander in sideways

The course is the spine, but every part of it stands on its own.

Stories Grammar Games Word lists Pronunciation Teaching resources Books Leaderboard Tools The article system The four cases Start the course

Chapters 1 and 2 free

Keep the German you learn

An account remembers every word you know, builds your daily review, and syncs progress across devices.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all ten languages.

Start learning free

Start German at word one.

Every lesson is free to read, and stays that way. Plus is what remembers them for you: free for a week, then $5 a month - one subscription for every course on the site, not just German.

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