Herr Antrim: TIPPS zum Zuhören

 You don't need to understand everything!



3-5 words often suffice.

Watch video at least 2x.
Second time will change things.

Gearbox -- slows pace down, if you really need this.   Too bad they don't have 75% speed.
You need a Googlechrome option (Reddit).

Practice!  Listen to your teacher.  Your brain picks lots of things up!

A Few Hours/week Aren't Enough: How to Teach yourself German Outside of Class

By lauraharker 

When German class is over, you’re ready to go live the culture vulture lifestyle.
You know, scanning Twitter, clicking through online magazines, binging on Netflix and recipe pinning. You’re dying to go home, sink into the couch, and get online.  Starting even more language practice probably isn’t on the top of your list.
Well, who says you can’t do all of the above?

It’s key to take breaks—they’ll help refresh your brain for the next burst of grammar lessons—but it’s also possible to incorporate German practice into your everyday life at home. And it can be fun too!
Did you know you can be super productive with your language learning outside the classroom?

Now you’ll learn exactly how to make this happen.  In this article, I’ll be showing you tips and tricks for dedicating spare time to German practice.

By lauraharker Comments are closed

5 Excellent Ways to Teach Yourself German Outside of Class

When German class is over, you’re ready to go live the culture vulture lifestyle.
You know, scanning Twitter, clicking through online magazines, binging on Netflix and recipe pinning.
You’re dying to go home, sink into the couch and get online.
Starting even more language practice probably isn’t on the top of your list.
Well, who says you can’t do all of the above?
It’s key to take breaks—they’ll help refresh your brain for the next burst of grammar lessons—but it’s also possible to incorporate German practice into your everyday life at home. And it can be fun too!
Did you know you can be super productive with your language learning outside the classroom?
Now you’ll learn exactly how to make this happen.
In this article, I’ll be showing you tips and tricks for dedicating spare time to German practice.

Why You Should Teach Yourself German Outside of Class

Learning as part of a class with the support of a teacher is a fantastic way to learn the language. It’ll help you really get to grips with the more difficult aspects of the language.  But, put simply: the more you expose yourself to the language, the better you’ll know it. If you’re in class 3 times a week, you’ll only be getting around 3 hours of practice in each week.

That’s not much considering there are 168 hours in a whole week—there’s a load more German practice that can be squeezed in!

What’s great about independent learning is your ability to tailor it to your own needs. Are you struggling with the definite articles, Der, Die, and Das? Well, make sure you focus on those during your practice at home. Are you doing a lot of listening practice in class but would like to improve your speaking?  You can do so at home without any distractions or interruptions from classmates!

Plus, do you even need to be reminded that you can play all your favorite German artists at home for language practice, rather than just using the songs that the teacher provides?

Teach Yourself German: 5 Excellent Methods for Culture Vultures

1. Use German recipes and cookbooks

If you enjoy being a culinary creative in the kitchen, why not start utilizing German recipes?
There are plenty of different German cookbooks that have lots of traditional and innovative dishes for you to make. And while cooking up these tasty treats, you’ll be getting your reading up to a sizzling level!

Recipes are made up of instructions, so you’ll get to see how the imperative tense works. Cookbooks are often written in the polite form, so you’ll get lots of practice with this kind of imperative, for example:  Kneten Sie zu einem Teig!   Knead (You formal)  into a dough!

Not only is this great reading practice, but you’ll be learning by doing once you get set up in the kitchen.
Here are 5 culinary vocab picks to help you cook up a storm:

• braten — to roast / to fry
• Die deutsche Küche — German cuisine
• vor dem Auftragen — before serving ... carrying it out (from the kitchen)
• geschält — peeled
• der Herd — stove

It doesn’t take to long to get into this fun activity. Plus, the element of active learning will help reinforce the language, making it stick in your brain even longer!

2. Tune into German radio stations

There are tons of German radio stations out there, so you can’t use the excuse that there isn’t one that suits your tastes! Many of these are available to listen to online. So that’s the not-being-in-Germany excuse out the window!
It’s pretty obvious that German radio stations provide you with excellent listening practice. Radio stations will help to liven up your practice—after all you’ll be choosing your station, so they’ll be playing your kind of bands and DJs. If you’re more into talk radio, you’ll also be able to tune into one that has programs covering your interests. Much more entertaining than listening exercises with stiff, scripted dialogues in class, right?
Not sure which one to pick? Here’s a speedy roundup of the 5 best stations:

• Deutsche Welle has a great selection of music podcasts that suit all levels of language learners.

• hr3 has some fantastic comedy shows. Time to get used to German humor!

• FluxFM always broadcasts top-notch interviews alongside an excellent selection of alternative indie pop.

• Radio SAW is great for those of you who want to stretch your vocal chords along with some true pop divas!

• Sport1.FM has all the latest games and match results.

3. Add German books and magazines to your stash

Not only will you look über cultured, but you’ll be upping your German reading skill. As I’ve said before, the great thing about independent learning is that you can tailor it to your needs and interests; and not to those of your teacher's supplies, or of your class. 

You’ll probably already have some favorite books and magazines that are available in German. You may even have some favorite written material originally in German!

If not, or if you’re looking for something new, here are my top 5 written resources to learn German with:

• Often compared to Time, Der Spiegel is a weekly roundup of all the latest political happenings in the German-speaking world.

• “Heidi” is a classic Swiss tale of mountains, goats and an idyllic childhood. Find suggestions for abridged classic German novels books here.

• German Vogue is a great option for all you fashionistas who want to learn who’s who in the German fashion world.

• One for the cool kids, Neon offers a trendy take on lifestyle, culture and travel.

• Kafka should be on all advanced learners’ bookcases. Start out with his most famous book, “Die Verwandlung.”

4. Connect with German social media

This one is easy in this day and age. Everyone’s on social media all the time.
If you follow some German Twitter accounts, then you’ll have bite-sized chunks of German delivered to you around the clock. It’s fab reading practice and, once you start to feel really confident, you could even show off and tweet auf Deutsch!

Here’s a brief summary of 5 of the best Twitter accounts to connect to:

• @NeinQuarterly is one of the most popular German Twitter accounts. His philosophical satire is tweeted both in English and German, but his witticisms in German are often a great critique of the language.

• Another one for lovers of satire, @PolizeiBerlin_E is a mock account of the Berlin police force and provides a comical view of life in Berlin.

• @GrumpyMerkel is another parody account, this one based on Chancellor Angela Merkel. Following this account will also keep you up-to-date with international goings on!

• @DieZeit is one of Germany’s favorite broadsheet newspapers so this account will keep you abreast of all current affairs.

• @dw_deutsch is one for all culture vultures and provides links to loads of German multimedia and cultural pieces.

5. Have a German movie night

Why not switch the settings on your favorite DVD and watch the movie in German for a change? The listening practice is unbeatable and, seeing as you’ll already know the story, you’ll be able to keep up easily.

Once you start to get the hang of things you can push your listening to its limits and watch something you’ve never seen before!  Invite all your friends over and pass around the popcorn—you’ll soon see how fun teaching yourself German can be!

Spoiled for movie choice? I’ve narrowed it down for you…

• “Goodbye, Lenin!”: This lighthearted comedy follows an East Berlin family during the fall of The Wall. Alex’s mother—a supporter of the East’s Social Unity Party—wakes up from a coma just after the fall of the wall. How long can Alex pretend that her beloved state no longer exists?

• “Das Leben Der Anderen”: Another movie based in East Berlin, this drama shows the life of a Stasi spy.

• “Die Fette Jahren Sind Vorbei”: A group of rebellious twenty somethings take out their anti-capitalist sentiments on their well-heeled neighbors with disastrous consequences.

• “Der Untergang”: A movie for history aficionados, “Der Untergang” portrays the downfall of Adolf Hitler.

• “Lola Rennt”: An exhilarating race through Berlin. Can Lola find the 100,000 German Marks she needs in order to save her boyfriend’s life? Time is running out…

Hopefully this article has persuaded you to get your German on at home!  You’ll instantly feel the benefits—it’s amazing how far a couple of hours of practice outside the classroom will take your German!

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After studying German and Philosophy at The University of Nottingham, Laura Harker relocated to Berlin in 2012. She now works as a freelance writer and is also assistant editor at Slow Travel Berlin.

10 German Talk Radio Stations

Danke, FluentU

Think radio is just for the latest chart-topping hits? Well, that’s not exactly the case!

There’s a whole world of talk radio which does exactly what it says: It broadcasts shows in which people just talk! That’s it… no music to disrupt, just pure chat.  And it’s not just boring, stuffy old chat. Whether you’re into your sports, cutting edge comedies, or would rather listen to a show about cultural affairs, I can guarantee you’ll find something that’s right up your alley.

So what’s this got to do with your Deutsch?   One word: listening. Just think of all that German listening practice that is waiting for you over on German talk radio.

Why Learn German with Talk Radio?

There are many benefits to learning German with talk radio, including:

• Talk radio covers a varied bunch of programs. It includes news and current affairs shows, comedies, dramas, chat shows and sport programs.

• There’s a show for every level of German learners.

• You can learn regional accents. 

 

How to Use Talk Radio to Your Advantage

It’s one thing to just put on the radio in the background, and another to actively listen and learn. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of German talk radio:

• Listen to shows from different regions. As I mentioned above, using talk radio will expose you to a load of different regional accents and dialects. If you just stick to one area’s radio, you run the risk of getting too bogged down in that one accent. So it’s a good idea to shake things up and ensure you are listening to shows from the whole of Germany.

• Follow up your listening with a newspaper. To fully cement your listening practice while listening to news broadcasts, have a German newspaper or online newspaper website handy. Then, once you’ve finished listening to a report on a current affair you can read about it in the news. This will help you to ensure that you really did understand everything, and you’ll be able to fill in any blanks you might have.

• Add to your vocab list every time you listen. Vocabulary lists are an invaluable tool to use when learning any language. Not sure what the broadcaster just meant? Quickly look up the unknown word in a dictionary and add it to your vocab list. Review your list every day, and use it to test yourself on these new words. Even just five minutes a day will do wonders for your memory—consistency is key. Eventually, you’ll remember them and will be able to effortlessly fit them into your speaking and writing.

Ready to listen?  Here are ten of our favorite German talk radio stations.

10 German Talk Radio Stations for Your Learning and Listening Pleasure

1. ZDF Kultur

For all you culture vultures out there, ZDF Kultur broadcasts a wide range of programs on cultural topics. Their website also features live performances from up-and-coming musicians from around the world. Keep an eye out for the German bands so you can listen and learn at the same time! No matter which show you listen to though, this station will be an awesome boost for your arts-based vocab.

2. Deutsche Welle

This station is a great starter for newcomers. Most of the shows are themed around cultural affairs. For listening on the go, Deutsche Welle’s podcasts are the perfect choice for downloading.

3. WDR

WDR can help you get to know Germany better! It has a lot of news and media shows for you to choose from, helping you to keep up to date in the German-speaking world.

4. MDR

For current info on economic and political affairs, tune into MDR, a Leipzig-based station, which has a strong focus on news of eastern Germany.

5. Sport1

Most of the major sporting events are broadcast from this station with some of the best commentators and sport experts giving their views on match results.

6. Radio Mi Amigo

This is dedicated to everything soccer. All of Germany’s Bundesliga soccer league matches are broadcast live. It also dedicates a lot of its sound waves to Formula 1 racing.

7. DRadio Wissen

The focus here is on arts, politics and pop culture. On their website you’ll often find video interviews of leading names in Germany’s cultural scene—well worth checking out!

8. Kulturradio

This option reviews classical music, operas and literature, and gives you a lot of Hochdeutsch (“High German” – the standard language one learns in class).

9. hr3

This quirky radio station will get you laughing. It's dedicates to comedy shows. They also often include music review shows. (Check the station’s playlist for tunes to your taste!)

10. Any of the state Rundfunk stations --

It never hurts to dabble into local accents and dialects. It’s entertaining for sure! All of Germany’s Bundesländer (federal states) have their own stations; two of my faves are Hessischer Rundfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk.
And there are a lot more German radio talk shows out there too, so enjoy discovering and listening!

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After studying German and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, Laura Harker relocated to Berlin in 2012. She now works as a freelance writer and is also assistant editor at Slow Travel Berlin.

Der Hering: Listen and Understand

DANKE schon wieder, German-is easy!
HIER IST DER EIGENTLICHE LINK

Today’s story is about a fish served with a side of wisdom… and fried potatoes.  So let’s waste no time and train our hearing with some herring:).

The language is nothing too crazy… hold on, let me rephrase that… considering it’s German the language is nothing too crazy but there are a few specific words and phrasings that I think might be useful in advance… so here they are:


der Hering – the herring  (type of fish, super common dish in the north of Germany)
 
der Deich – the dike/levee  (hill-like thingy that keeps the ocean at bay)
 
dösig – drowsy  awake but not really awake

das Nickerchen – the nap (there’s no version without “-chen”, so no “das Nicker”… the origin is the German verb “nicken” which means “to nod”)
 
der Mittagsschlaf – the midday nap  (also called das Mittagsschläfchen)
 
sich aufs Ohr legen – lie down for a nap
(lit.: lie down on the ear. quite common)

der Taler – the thaler (old currency, origin of the word “dollar”)

staunen – feel and/or show amazement/gape (in stories often used as a speech tag like “said” or “shouted”)
 
die Petersilie – the parsley (together with Schnittlauch the most common herb in Germany and part of Kräuterquark… which tells you nothing but you should try it! It’s awesome)

Und jetzt viel Spaß :)!

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Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

____________
Slow version: 
Audio Player

01:03

05:35

Normal speed: Audio Player

Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. (let me know if that is slow enough or too slow) ____________ Script:

Der Hering Vier Ostfriesen, Jan Ohm, Hinnerk, Ole und Malte waren früh zusammen mit dem Boot rausgefahren, um zu fischen. Aber es war kein guter Tag. Nur ein kleiner Hering ging ihnen bis Mittag ins Netz. Jetzt war die Frage, wer von ihnen den Fisch mit nach Hause nehmen und mit Zwiebeln und Bratkartoffeln essen durfte.  Der alte, kluge Jan Ohm hatte eine Idee.  “Wir legen uns alle hin und machen ein Nickerchen. Wer im Traum am reichsten ist, der kriegt den Fisch.” Es war sehr heiß und alle waren ein bisschen dösig. Ein Mittagsschläfchen klang also nach einer guten Idee. Und so waren alle einverstanden. Sie suchten sich ein schattiges Plätzchen hinterm Deich und legten sich aufs Ohr. Als sie ein paar Stunden später aufwachten, rief Ole fröhlich: “Juchuu… Ich habe geownnen. Ich habe geträumt, ich hätte ein Million Taler.” Aber Hinnerk sagte: “Nicht schlecht, aber ich habe geträumt, dass ich der allerreichste Mensch auf der Welt bin.”   “Oh,” staunte Ole, “hmmm…dann kriegst du den Hering.” Doch da sagte Malte:  “Nicht so schnell. Ich habe geträumt, dass mir die ganze Erde gehört. Mit allem, was drauf ist.”   “Oh,” staunte Hinnerk, “das ist reicher. Dann ist der Hering für dich.”   Doch da sagte Jan: “Hey, ihr habt mich vergessen.”   “Was hast du denn geträumt? Wie kannst du denn noch reicher sein als Malte”, fragten die anderen.   “Ich habe gar nichts geträumt. Ich habe eigentlich gar nicht geschlafen. Ich bin mit dem Hering nach Hause gegangen und habe ihn mit meiner Frau zusammen gegessen. Dann bin ich wieder hergekommen und habe mich hingelegt.”   Die anderen waren zunächst wahnsinnig wütend. Aber als sie sahen, dass Jan ihnen allen eine große Portion Bratkartoffeln mit Zwiebeln und Petersilie mitgebracht hatte, legte sich ihr Ärger schnell. Und während sie aßen, dachten sie darüber nach, was sie vom alten Jan Ohm diesmal gelernt hatten… nicht die Träumer bekommen die fetten Bissen. Es sind die hellwachen Leute.

How to Improve Language Listening Skills: 5 Secrets for Success

Why Is Listening So Important?

First, one-way communication is just no fun. It’s all well and good being able to put together a great phrase, but if you’re lost when the reply comes your way, it’s useless. You have become the proverbial brick wall!

And don’t think this just applies to beginners.  Finding the best kind of material is exactly what we’re going to provide you with here. 

The Best Resources for Listening Practice

Textbook dialogues are clearly scripted, so therefore they are not the best example of natural language.  What we need is original, native sources of language.  These can include:

• Movies/TV Series. Check out this guide to listening practice through movies and TV series and the great resources included!

• Podcasts. Entertainment Weekly offers a list of recommended podcasts from 2015 on their site. To find similar lists of recommendations for native podcasts in the language of your choice, try Google searching the phrase “best podcasts” in that language.

• Audiobooks. Instead of reading those books you’re interested in, why not listen to them?

• News channels and radio stations often have great websites with plenty of videos and articles to go with them. Searching “radio stations online in [country]” will give you plenty of options. National Geographic is also a great multilingual resource with a TV channel, subscription magazines and websites in various languages.

• Talks and interviews. The advantage of listening to talks is that the speakers are generally experienced, speak more clearly and stay on subject. If you haven’t already heard about TED Talks, get on the site right now! You can search by subject and language and listen to some of the best public speakers around the world give inspiring speeches on their subjects of expertise, with the advantage of subtitles in many languages and a written transcript if you ever get lost.

• Songs (on Vimeo or YouTube, for example), with or without lyrics.

• People. Go out! Communicate, listen to conversations, etc. If you live in a city, find a language exchange partner who speaks the language you want to learn. You can do this through language exchange groups, such as Mundo Lingo International, which are often organized through Facebook or on Meetup. Attend cultural events, such as cinema nights, theater or book clubs for countries you’re interested in. If you are in a remote location, there is always the option of finding an online language buddy with websites such as Coeffee, Easy Language Exchange, italki and Babel Village.

Are you convinced that listening is the secret to success in language learning?  Hope so!  Read on to learn more about this important, yet generally underestimated and untaught, required skill.

1. Make Listening Regular and Focused

Like anything worthwhile in life, there’s no quick fix. Anyone telling you it’s pure talent—or that you can push some buttons and voila!—is wrong. For me, language learning follows a simple equation:

Interest + Motivation + Effort = Successful learning!

Languages are vast and rich. There is no one (or hardly anyone!) who’s going to be naturally excellent at all skills required to achieve full fluency. There are always parts that come more easily and others that you’ll have to work harder at.

For some, that might mean grammar is a breeze, but producing the sounds of a language is an uphill battle. For others, understanding what others say seems to come naturally, but which verb tense is used where is a mystery.

No one listens to Russian and just immediately knows what’s being said. Improving listening requires repeated exposure. Whether that means watching soap operas, documentaries, talk shows, podcasts, sports radio shows or your favorite bands, the all-important bottom line is that you DO listen, constantly, while paying full attention.

For this, you need to…

Remove Distractions   You know why.All of a sudden that video your friend posted of a puppy running into a glass window just seems so interesting.  We’re all prone to distraction.  So turn off your email/Facebook/Twitter/WhatsApp/Skype alerts on your computer and phone before you start your listening practice.

If you have kids, partners or housemates who love to barge in and start asking for things, let them know you need 15 minutes of alone time or, if that is impossible at home, find a silent workspace in your local cafe, on the train or in a park—wherever works best for you.

In the same vein, try and leave aside your mental to-do list (I know, it’s hard—there’s just so much to do!) that keeps invading your brain space for just a few minutes.

Listening with half a brain on what you’re doing is only going to give you half the practice you need, and the chances of your brain remembering the material you listen to is minimal.

Keep Your Interest Alive!   We can learn through memorization, but to remember and internalize we need to puzzle over something that interests us and that we enjoy.  So forget textbook boredom. Harness your interest by focusing on subject matter you like.

Push Through!  We all have good and bad days.  The learning curve has a sharp spike at the beginning, where development is rapid (albeit with ups and downs of its own), and then there’s a plateau where it gets harder to make progress. It can be a struggle, but getting stuck in is part of the fun and hugely rewarding when you finally do emerge from the tunnel.

Proceed in Small but Regular Bite-sized Chunks  This is the most effective way of warding off boredom and keeping motivated. 15 minutes every day is a hundred times better than a four-hour cram session every two weeks. I’d say 45 minutes is the limit before concentration starts lagging. But for those who are time-starved, even a quick five minutes will help rewire your brain to the sounds of the new language.

 

2. Set Listening Goals

Setting goals will help get you on the right track and feel good when you hit your target.

Of course, don’t get ahead of yourself: Start with small goals, and reward yourself as you go.

For example, at first, aim for recognizing words, or even just sounds. Give yourself a point every time you hear a word beginning with the letter “p” or the sound [dƷ], for instance.

Aim to learn one or a few new words each time you listen to something. Later, move up to bigger goals—understanding a whole conversation, perhaps, or listening to a song and learning to sing along with the chorus.

If you already have a more advanced level, choose more complex material and aim to focus on expressions you haven’t heard before or perfecting your accent by imitating favorite sections of speech.

We’re all still learning in our own language, so in a new one there will never be a lack of things to improve on!

3. See the Big Picture

Listen Purely for Sound 
This is a good technique at the beginning. It gets you used to the melody of the language. Staying speechless and absorbing the sounds, syllables, pauses and rhythm of the language is exactly what babies do in their silent “sponge” period.
Be aware of how language changes when it’s spoken. If you know how the sounds connect, when they’re deleted or inserted, you’ll need much less time to progress!
In English, we don’t necessarily pause between each word. In fact, we often link words and sometimes join sounds to make new sounds.
For example, “What are you going to do?” becomes “Whaddya gonna do?”
One of my favorite tricks is to try to separate the ongoing flow of words by pressing my fingers against a table (or engaging in some other physical expression) every time I hear that a word is accented. When I use this trick with Portuguese, I can actually understand much more. Somehow, attaching a physical representation to the mental process helps the brain to separate the sounds.
Later, you can move on to trying to understand whole chunks of text.
Get Used to Looking for Context 
Do you ever find yourself finishing the sentences of someone you have known for a long time, someone with whom you feel very comfortable?
Of course you do! You may not even realize you’re doing it. We all naturally trail off at the end of sentences, but everyday speech patterns are so common that most of the time we unwittingly fill in the remaining parts in our heads.
Well, with a new language, the situation is similar, but we have to get even more creative and imaginative. 
It takes too long to translate every word in your head. Use logic and good old creative guesswork to conclude what will follow. 
For example, let’s say I see a mother looking in a fridge, holding out car keys for her husband, and I hear this:

“…go…shops…some things we…dinner?”

I can determine from the intonation that it’s a question, and from the context of the situation, I can guess the missing words:

“Can you go to the shops to pick up some things we need for dinner?”

Even if these aren’t the exact words, the context is there and I have understood.
Use Tools to Get Accurate
Once you’ve understood the general context, it’s time to get more accurate.
For example, if I’m not 100% sure of something I’ve heard and want to check, I can repeat that section as many times as I need to.
If I’m still not sure, I can record the section on my phone and download an app such as Audacity (audio only) or VLC (audio and video files) to slow down that section for more clarity. If there are still comprehension problems, I can use a native-speaking friend or find a buddy on a language swap website to ask for help.

4. Add in Cross-training

None of the skills we need to learn a language can be taken in isolation. They’re a giant web of interlocking strings.
So we must listen in combination with reading and speaking.
What does this mean, and how can we do this?

• Use subtitles. First, in your native language to gain an idea of what’s going on. Then switch to subtitles in the same language as the program you’re watching.

• Use lyrics. For songs, listen once without lyrics to get used to the sounds. You can then listen again with the lyrics. You can look up the words you don’t know and repeat sections as many times as you need to recognize the sounds. Then listen all the way through one last time without lyrics, this time trying to recognize all the sounds and words you have just read. 

• Use listening as a way to learn new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. Aim to find new words or expressions each time you watch or listen to something. Look them up in the dictionary, find them in context—in newspaper articles online, for example—and try to make some sentences of your own.

• Use mimicking to better understand sounds and sound combinations, and to improve pronunciation. 

• Use your inner voice. We all have a voice in our head that provides us with a running commentary of life. Don’t forget to use that, too (in the language you’re learning).

The great challenge is to be able to think in that language. So repeating things you’ve heard that you liked in your head is practice, too! Chat to yourself about what you just listened to—but try, as much as possible, to think those thoughts IN that language.
The wonderful thing is that in your own head, there’s no one judging you!

5. Crank Up the Difficulty Progressively

Choose your material carefully. It needs to be comprehensible. If you understand nothing, you will simply not listen. Generally, a slight step up from your current level will be stimulating enough for you to learn new things but not so hard that you end up confused and dejected.
Listen to short sections at first, and repeat many times. Listen to a recording once. First to understand the gist, then again (and again, if necessary) to get the details. Slow the recording down if you need to.
You can move on to larger sections of speech once you feel comfortable, repeating the same process. Here are some resources to check out for finding level-appropriate material for yourself:

• Songs, programs and computer games for kids contain the simplest language and often come with very explicit visuals, making them easy to understand.

• Documentaries are great as the speakers are often chosen for their slow, clear speech. The narrator is also often describing something that is happening on screen, so you have visuals to provide you with context.

• Talks, talk shows and interviews can be found on YouTube, TED, online radio channels and podcasts. You can find almost any subject, so you will always be able to listen to something that interests you.

• TV series provide great entertainment and come mostly in nice short episodes that often have a repetitive “formula.”

• Finally, we mustn’t forget about films. We all love them! There is so much we can learn about other cultures through films, so get curious and get watching! As a rule of thumb, slapstick comedy tends to be a simpler genre. You can start there and move on to action, and then drama and dark comedy on the more advanced end.

Of course, if you’re tired of watching strange cultures and unknown actors and just want to relax, you can also always find your favorite Hollywood films dubbed into almost any language out there. Another advantage here is that the speech used for dubbing is often clearer than in original-language films.

Keep these 5 secrets in mind, and you’ll be reaping the benefits of awesome language listening skills in no time!

19 Engaging Resources to Listen to German Audio All Day, Every Day

When it comes to German learning, hearing a person speak German to you is the closest simulation of a real-life scenario that you can get.

When you’re learning German outside of a classroom, it’s hard to get that element of immersion.
I’ve always felt that audio resources work wonders for my own German language learning. Primarily, it’s because I can rotate between audio lessons and other fun stuff, like music and podcasts.

Going into a class has multiple benefits, but at the end of the day, you go into a room, with a teacher and classmates, because of the auditory and visual benefits.  Reading a textbook is fine, but this is often so boring. Where should you start? How about opening up the entire Internet for your audio search?

Why Listening to German Audio Is Often the Best Learning Process

Some folks are visual learners, while others fancy themselves as audio or even immersive learners. What are the benefits behind listening to German audio?

• If you don’t pay attention, it forces you to go back and listen again.

• Many argue that passive listening (not really paying attention, but absorbing the audio) is often just as good as regular learning.

• You can listen to audio pretty much where ever you go—in a plane, cab, at work, riding a bike, in the library, walking or while cooking dinner.

• You get to hear people pronounce common German phrases, as opposed to just reading the words.

• Many audio guides are supplemented with learning materials like quizzes or worksheets.

The options are endless when learning German with audio resources.

For example, if you have a Spotify, Amazon or Audible account, you can always start by searching these resources to see if anything pops up. I’ve been known to save German Spotify playlists or to purchase German audiobooks (some of the best ones require a VPN).

Regardless, keep reading to learn more about these resources, from German music playlists to radio stations and educational CDs.

German Music Playlists for All Ages

I enjoy compiling my own playlists, since services like Spotify and Pandora can be a little scattered. However, the greatest part of these services is that you can search for other playlists that people have created and shared online.



Start with the German Pop Spotify Playlist, which is from the popular Goethe Institute, a place for German online and offline learning. This playlist includes favorites from artists like Clueso, LOT, Madsen and Ferris Mc. It’s an exciting selection of songs, all of which experienced popularity at some point. I recommend this music if you’re trying to stay upbeat, like when you’re at the gym or while working.



The German Folk Music playlist on Spotify is obviously a little different from the pop extravaganza you listened to above. This playlist is for the purists. Those who want to hear what people were listening to hundreds of years ago in Germany. This list includes around 20 songs, starting with “Echo Der Berge” and ending with “Servus Pfuat Gott und Auf Wiederseh’n.”
It’s also not a bad idea to check out other streaming services. I recommend Traditional German Music from Pandora. All you have to do is click on the Create Station button, and Pandora compiles a beautiful list of classic German folk songs and chants. Every time you create a station you receive new songs, so it’s kind of fun to try it out. TuneIn Radio also has a solid station for similar results.

German Podcasts for Those Boring Work Hours

The best German learning podcast article is a nice place to start when seeking out step-by-step grammar and pronunciation guides, but since we already have that list on FluentU, I want to outline some awesome German podcasts that have no intentions of teaching you German. That doesn’t mean they won’t help though! Topics range from business to cars, or from news to science. You’ll get so lost in the fascinating content that you’ll end up absorbing the German language naturally.


Antenne Dusseldorf is a radio station, but it also features an extensive list of useful podcasts. Antenne Dusseldorf offers a mobile podcast app for downloading the segments to your phone. Much of the radio station plays music, but they also go through opinionated conversations about world news, and you can check out some of the other podcasts like “Fortuna,” a show covering everything in terms of soccer (or football).


Schweiser Radio provides a gigantic list of podcasts for you to choose from, and the best part is that you can listen to most of them directly from you computer. I like grabbing the feed and inserting it into my podcasting phone app, so everything is in one place. There are tons of options, but as a taste, you can listen to a game show called 1 vs. 100, or even check-in with the hosts of Arena, a podcast discussing the economic climate.

The Radio Bremen Podcasts are similar to how NPR releases some affiliated talk shows, making it easy for people to choose from the subjects they want to listen to. For example, Radio Bremen lets you select from options like the Comedy Club podcast, a place to hear jokes and laugh about the world, or the Voll im Film (Full in Film) podcast for your movie fix.


The ARD Radio Tatort Podcast is a favorite, because several known voice actors lend their voices to entertain you, simulating thrilling stories that may or may not have actually happened. If you’re into thrillers, this is your podcast. The shows usually last about an hour and feature a new story every time.

The Braincast Podcast places a hard focus on the study of the brain. It’s a show for people interested in science, as they bring on guests and experts from all over the world. If you’re familiar with the popular Radio Lab podcast, I would recommend you check this one out.

German Audiobooks for Passing Time While Traveling

Audiobooks allow you to immerse yourself into a world of fantasy, science fiction or romance, all with the help of an MP3 player and headphones. Consider listening to your favorite books in German to learn something new.

The LoyalBooks database consists of public domain e-books and audiobooks, meaning you don’t have to pay a dime to listen. Click on the German tab on the left to reveal options like “Die Elixiere des Teufels” (The Devil’s Elixirs), “Michael Kohlhaas” and “Der Schimmelreiter” (The Rider on the White Horse). Listen directly through your computer or download the audiobooks to your device.
Pairing Amazon and the German Audible is a wise choice. Audible is owned by Amazon, so you can find most of the same audiobooks on both. Regardless, try using a VPN to access the best content on the German Audible. Listen to best seller like “Game of Thrones” and “Fifty Shades of Grey,” all in German. Audible provides a handy app for listening on your phone or tablet.

Hoerjuwel has a German category, which you can then break down into subcategories like science fiction, fantasy, children’s books and humor. These audiobooks are not digital, so you must wait for them to get delivered to your home.

German Radio Stations and How to Get Them

Nowadays, podcasts and radio stations are pretty much the same thing. Since a person in the United States or any other country for that matter, would have a tough time finding a German radio station on an FM/AM receiver, I provided a few digital radio stations for fun music, morning talk and other ramblings.

ListenLive offers a huge list of German radio stations, all streamable from your computer. This is the closest thing you can get to tuning your box radio to a station in Germany. Choose from regional locations like Munich, Hannover or Potsdam. You can find everything from pop, top 40, news, adult contemporary and Christmas music.

Last FM German Music is your ultimate source for music produced in Germany or created by German artists. Most of the music you’ll find on here is in German, but the occasional English song is thrown into the mix. Listen to music genres like German speed metal, German jazz, rock and classical.

Deutschlandfunk provides listening options for those who want to feel like they’re reading a regular newspaper. It’s like checking out USA Today or The Huffington Post. Deutschlandfunk covers politics, sports, culture, the economy and more.

Audio Lessons and Courses for a Classroom Environment

If you’re not quite to the level where you can listen to a German podcast without it sounding like gibberish, consider some of the following audio learning resources.


DeutschAkademie provides ten chapters with various lessons a piece. You learn German for free, and all of the resources are given to you in audio form. Start with lessons for German sentence structure, then move onto more advanced lessons covering things like the German participle.


The All Audio German CD serves as a valuable tool for learning in your car or anywhere you go. The six compact discs focus on bringing you to fluency, with short and easy to follow lessons. The CDs tackle areas like grammar, dialogues, culture and vocabulary.

GermanPod101 is my favorite audio resource for learning German, since it has beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The video and audio lessons teach you how to communicate while travelling, while conducting business or simply in order to speak with your German speaking relatives.

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Joe Warnimont is a blogger and adventure-seeker. When not riding his bike around Chicago, you can find him sprucing up his German skills. He has watched “Run Lola Run” about ten too many times.

NOTES AND FURTHER TIPS:  

Dodging Regional Blocks with a Virtual Private Network

Have you ever searched for a German resource on Google, only to find that it redirects you to the English version of what you’re looking for? Just the other day I tried to pull up a popular German podcast (produced and spoken in German,) but Google sent me to a version with English audio dubbed over it. The nerve!

How do you get around this problem? With a virtual private network (VPN) of course! This is a legal way to block your IP address and pretend like you’re browsing from a different country. Here are a few great options to get started doing this:

• TorGuard — This is an anonymous VPN service that starts at only $4.99 per month. The speeds and bandwidth are unlimited, so you don’t have to worry about streaming too much audio or even too much video. The anonymous web proxies let you protect your identity when switching to another IP address, and it works with most web browsers.

• IPVanish — This company focuses on unlocking content from any location, meaning that it’s just right for streaming German audio. It works on Windows, Apple and Android interfaces, and it starts at $6.49 per month.

• Cyber Ghost VPN — This option is free for Windows, Mac and Android, with a few paid plans for faster speeds. It keeps your identity anonymous when tapping into German servers, while not maintaining any logs of your browsing history.

• Private Internet Access — My final suggestion starts at $3.33 per month, and it lets you run the VPN on five devices—you can work with even more devices if you upgrade. The instant setup is nice for beginners, and the unlimited bandwidth is always a bonus for streaming media.

Audio Programs in Review

by FluentU's jenniferyoung

Listen Up: The 5 Best Audio Programs for Learning a Language

It’s time to get back on the right track. As an adult, you might find it frustrating to struggle with language learning while young kids become fluent just like that. Or you've heard people say, "Kids absorb knowledge like a sponge."

So why can’t it be that easy for you?  Well actually, it sort of can.  Maybe not exactly as easy, but close to it. Back when your vocabulary was limited to “mama” and “dada,” listening was how you learned new words and phrases.

Anything you overheard, your brain soaked up, and eventually you repeated it back.
The same method will work for you as an adult, because that’s how your brain is wired to learn a language. There are plenty of other benefits to learning a language through listening, too.

Why Learn a Language Through Listening?

Learning a language by listening can greaty improve your success in speaking like a native and the speed at which you achieve your language goals.  Let’s take a look at some of the reasons for this.

Some of us just learn better that way

Do you learn best by listening?  If so, you’re not the only one. A lot of us are the same.  While some learn most efficiently by reading books and using flashcards, others are more attuned to aural learning (just a fancy term for learning by listening). For these people, using an audio CD or MP3 program is one of their best bets for becoming fluent. It’s also a great way to practice speaking the language by responding to audio prompts.

In fact, for people who learn best by listening, using other methods can be quite frustrating!
So if you know you’re an aural learner, don’t worry—there are plenty of resources out there for you, even if your brain is a little slower than when you were three years old.

It’s a scientifically proven way to learn a language (for all of us)

According to science, listening may be the best way to learn a language for everyone, regardless of their usual preferred language style. So it’s not just those who consider themselves aural learners who can benefit from listening. The rest of us can, to.  Studies have shown that being exposed to the spoken language helps the brain absorb it,  even if you don't understand what's being said!  

Research on how the brain processes language has led to the revelation that hearing a language could very well be the most important aspect of a language learning curriculum. It helps our brains adapt to unfamiliar pronunciations and new grammar structures.  (We may even be able to learn a language in our sleep, just by listening to it!) 

Still, you probably already know that learning a language takes a lot of time and dedication, so it’s important to know you’re putting in time and energy where it’s going to pay off the most. It’s good to realize that learning by listening is sure to bring about results.

There are lots of great resources out there

If an aural language learning experience is what gets you to fluency, then audio CD and MP3 programs are the resources that can take you there. In these programs, you hear words, phrases and sentences spoken to you. Practices and exercises give you the opportunity to use them yourself. These lessons increase in difficulty and complexity in a natural progression. This provides you with constant feedback about how to properly pronounce words and create sentence structures.
The best thing about audio programs is that you can start learning by listening at any level. No experience in the language? No problem! By listening to audio resources, your brain will start to pick it up right away.

You can easily mix audio with other methods

While listening may be a scientifically proven key to learning a language, combining audio programs with other methods will give your brain an extra boost.  A comprehensive language learning curriculum may also include textbooks, written exercises, in-person language practice, TV programs, computer tutorials and others.

FluentU combines audio with elements of all of the above by taking real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turning them into personalized language learning lessons.
 
Using a combination of different approaches forces you think about language in different ways. It helps you master the breadth of language skills, from writing to participating in real conversation. Try different approaches and see what works for you. It’s not necessary to do everything—just what helps you make progress learning the language.

If you want to learn a language with fun videos, then FluentU’s a pretty good bet!

You can learn at home, during your commute or on the go

Learning a language using audio CD and MP3 programs is one of the most convenient ways to boost your fluency. You can listen to them practically anywhere—whether it’s in the car, during your workout or while doing chores around the house.

Bored on your commute? Waiting in line at the DMV? Sitting at home with nothing better to do? Turn on your audio language program and get learning! If you have a CD player, or a mobile device that plays MP3s, you can make the most of your do-nothing time with these programs.
Even if you’re just passively listening, your brain will still pick up the language.
So if you want to learn a new language, you may as well listen to your audio language programs whenever you find yourself idle. You may be surprised how much learning you can squeeze in!

Listen Up: The 5 Best Audio Programs for Learning a Language

At last, we reveal the top audio language learning programs that will skyrocket you to fluency! We carefully considered the options and selected these resources for their value, effectiveness and entertainment.

These audio resources are highly valuable for any type of learner. In order to really understand a language, you have to practice your ability to hear it and speak it, which are exactly the skills that audio programs test you on.

So listen up, and start acing your language now with audio language learning programs!

Pimsleur

The gist of the Pimsleur approach is this:

1. You hear the words and phrases in the target language.
2. You hear them in your mother tongue.
3. You translate the word from your mother tongue to the target language.

The course is based on research by Paul Pimsleur, a linguist who sought to discover the fastest way to learn a language. The length of each course varies from around 15 to 45 hours, depending on the language. The courses are broken up into half-hour sessions. Nearly everything is audio-based, and even the provided reading material is meant to be read along with the audio lessons. More than 50 languages are offered.

Pros: With the Pimsleur method, the pressure is on you to respond with the correct translations. This provides a built-in motivation system that inspires you to do better with every attempt. The material from previous lessons is repeated in subsequent levels, so there’s a lot of reinforcement.
Cons: There’s limited context provided in the lessons. Most of the vocabulary seems to be oriented toward people traveling for business. You’ll learn select words and phrases, but not necessarily those that would be most useful to you.

Levels: There are typically up to three or four levels, with 30 lessons per level.
Cost: Price varies by language and format. German, for example, is $450 for a four-level course on MP3 ($970 on CD). All prices are listed on the Pimsleur website.

iSpeak

iSpeak is an MP3 language learning program from McGraw-Hill that focuses simply on learning new words. The package for each language includes 1500 high-frequency words and phrases, all in MP3 format. Each comes with a visual cue to associate with the word that appears on the screen.
Simply load the program onto your MP3 player and select the word or phrase you want to hear. On an iPod, you’d find this by going to “Artist” and selecting from a list of themes, then to “Audio” and selecting from a list of topics.

Pros: iSpeak is compatible with iPod and most other MP3 players, so no matter your preference of device, you can use iSpeak to help you with your listening skills in the target language. The portability and simplicity of the program make it a perfect choice for travelers.

Cons: The program is limited, with just 1500 words and phrases. It doesn’t do much for improving grammar and building conversation skills. There are only a handful of languages available. Still, it’s a convenient way to pick up new terms in select languages, especially if you’re a beginner.
Levels: There are no distinct levels. Programs focus mainly on beginning-level vocabulary.
Cost: Programs are priced at $7-15.

Michel Thomas

This audio-only method provides an opportunity to learn from a “teacher” who reads a lesson and asks you to repeat it. You’re “in class” with two other students also heard on the recording. The course introduces words and phrases that are explained in detail, which you later (along with the other two students) use to construct simple sentences. The total course for each language consists of 12 hours of audio.

Michel Thomas was a linguist and language teacher who spoke many languages and developed a system for rapid language learning. He was highly successful, with diplomats and celebrities numbering among his clients. These audio CDs are based on his methods.

Pros: Because there are other students recorded on the lessons, you get to feel like you’re really in class, and the progression seems natural. The Michel Thomas method is a more economical alternative to the Pimsleur method. The structure of the course gives you the tools to make real conversation in a short time.

Cons: The Michel Thomas method uses a lot of mnemonic devices to help you remember words and phrases. If this doesn’t work for you, it may seem tedious. For some, the pace might be too slow, since it’s dependent on the progress of the other two “students.”

Levels: There are no distinct levels, but the program progresses to intermediate difficulty.
Cost: The entire series of each language will run you about $75-100.

Living Language Drive Time

The Living Language Method prides itself on giving language lessons that involve multiple senses. Its regular offerings include CDs and a book in multilevel packages that encompass audio, visual, written and interactive approaches to language learning. The company’s Drive Time series is an audio-based program designed for commuters and anyone looking for language lessons on the go.
Each language comes with eight conversational lessons that guide you through vocabulary warm-up exercises, examples and opportunities to practice. You also get a CD of vocabulary words and a listener’s guidebook with vocabulary lists, dialogue scripts and summaries.

Pros: The Drive Time series gives you a lot of bang for your buck. You’ll progress rapidly through increasingly challenging lessons for a fraction of the price of many other programs. If you like thorough explanations of new material, this course is for you.

Cons: It’s not as immersive as some other programs. The structure is very traditional, and with the explanations, there’s a lot of English on the recordings. Some learners may find the pace to be a little on the fast side.

Levels: The entire eight-disc series take you from Beginner to Advanced.
Cost: The price is about $20 for a basic package, and $35 for the Deluxe Package.

Berlitz

A well-known name in the linguistic world, Berlitz offers a variety of language learning programs, including those that focus on audio CDs. The focus of their programs are typically conversation-based and centered around real-life conversation. There’s less focus on vocabulary and grammar lists.


Berlitz has one-CD sets, like Spanish in 30 Days, that can get you started for an upcoming trip, as well as multi-CD sets like Italian Berlitz Basic that give more in-depth lessons. The contents of each CD can be easily downloaded to an iPod or MP3 player.

Pros: There are a lot of different Berlitz products to choose from. Using Berlitz means you’ll be able to get high-quality books published by the company to complement your audio learning. Berlitz uses the “direct” or “natural” method that emphasizes learning a language to be able to communicate. For those who want to start using a language right away, Berlitz gets straight to the point.
Cons: The quality of the materials on the audio language programs can vary from language to language. With more than 30 language offerings, you might not get what you expected.

Levels: Most of their audio-focused products are for beginners. Their Confident series caters to “advanced beginners.” Their textbooks, which come with a CD, come in beginner to advanced levels.
Cost: Price varies widely, but expect to spend $20-30 for one set.

Audio CDs and MP3s for language learning can be the next best thing to a personal tutor.
They’ll talk to you, prompt you and guide you along as you master speaking your new language. Plus, you can take them wherever you go!  Your language learning doesn’t have to stop in the classroom or at home.  Take it with you, increase your practice time and see your efforts pay off!

Hör Zu und Lernen mit dem Goethe-Institut und Deutsch Welle

RADIO D BEGINNT HIER MIT SZENE 1

1. Szene:   Wohin geht es?

2. Szene:   Wer fährt?

3. Szene:   Was macht er zuerst?  Und dann, was trinkt er?

4.  Szene:  ,,Natur pur." (Pure nature)  ,,Schluss jetzt!"  (That's enough!)
 ,,Ja super :  Mistbiene!" (Rotten bees!)

Der Professor hilft uns... Was wissen wir schon?  (= What do we already know? -- We know LOTS!)

Es gibt hier sehr viel Englisch... 



HIER SIND DIE ANDEREN FOLGEN! 

√ on the Episode, then √ on the MP3 file located beneath the heading "Audio und Video zum Thema".

Mein Weg nach Deutschland v. G-I

GOETHE INSTITUT PROJEKT MIT FRAGEN, ÜBUNGEN, SZENEN AUS DEM ALTAG USW.


Hör zu, bei Fotos aus der Fotokiste!  Hier gibt es Gespräche, die wir mit passenden Fotos zuhören können.  Schön!

Und es gibt so viel mehr.

German National Exam Übungen

HIER FINDEST DU EIN PAAR FRAGEN AUS FRÜHEREN EXAMEN.

The audio at the beginning explains the answers to 3- 4 questions.

The links shown at the bottom lead to real questions/answers.


Herr Schwabs AATG National Exam Wortschatz Probe ("Start now")

1. PROBE   Stufe 4  Wortschatz (2008)

2. PROBE   Stufe 3 Wortschatz

3. PROBE    Stufe 3 Wortschatz  (2009)

4. PROBE    Stufe 4 Wortschatz

5. PROBE   Stufe 3 Wortschatz  (2010)

6. PROBE   Stufe 4 Wortschatz

7. PROBE   Stufe 3 Wortschatz (2011)

8. PROBE   Stufe 4 Wortschatz  (2011)

Auch von Herrn Schwab zum Thema Umweltschutz hören wir jetzt hier unten zu:

ZUHÖREN HIER!      (Klick an jedes Gesicht um sie zuzuhören!)


Welche Probe hat dir am meisten geholfen?