German Listening Practice: Tips, Resources, and Best Practice Techniques

Listening is one of the most important language skills that new learners need to master. If you don’t understand what people are saying, you won’t get very far in conversation. That’s why German listening practice is essential.

But how do you get better at German listening? Where do you start? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Here are some of our top tips and resources.

Apps for German Listening Practice

We’re all glued to our phones way more than we should be. So why not use some of that screen time to learn German? Just download one of these useful apps and start working on your listening skills today.

FluentU

FluentU helps you learn a language using clips from movies, music videos, and more. They have a curated library for all language levels. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner, you can use FluentU.

Because FluentU uses videos to teach you new vocabulary, it’s the perfect app for German listening practice. They offer a free 14-day trial, so why not give it a go?

Clozemaster

Clozemaster is perfect for those of you who are past the beginner stage of learning German, but are still not quite ready for native-level content. The app is a lot of fun, easy to use, and has various game modes.

Clozemaster’s Cloze-Listening feature is particularly useful if you want to practice your German listening skills. It lets you hear a sentence recorded by a native speaker. Your goal is then to correctly fill in a missing word from the sentence.

Clozemaster has both a free and a Pro version, and it’s available on iOS and Android. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try it.

Duolingo

Duolingo is one of the most popular language-learning apps for a reason. It’s charming, fun, and educational. One of the benefits of Duolingo is that it offers a variety of listening exercises, which are all incorporated into their bite-sized lessons. It’s the perfect way to get in some German listening practice if you’re on a tight schedule.

Music for German Listening Practice

Music is something that most of us love and enjoy in our spare time. It’s a great way to unwind, but it can also energize you if you need it – all you have to do is find the right song for the right mood.

One way to improve your German listening practice is by listening to German music. It’s perfect if you think about it. You get to broaden your horizons, discover new artists, and improve your German all at the same time.

Whether you’re a fan of Nena, Robin Schulz, or some indie band that no one’s heard of, it doesn’t matter. As long as the lyrics are in German, you’re good to go.

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a German Pop playlist created by the Goethe-Institut.

Another thing you could do is listen to German versions of your favorite songs. For example, if you’re a Disney fan, you might enjoy the German soundtrack of Frozen (or Die Eiskönigin).

Podcasts and Audiobooks

Podcasts and audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular these days – and for good reason. It’s the best way to read a book or learn something new if you’re constantly on the go. Here are some German podcasts and audiobooks that you should try:

Project Gutenberg Audiobooks

Project Gutenberg is an incredible resource. It’s a free online library with tons of German books and audiobooks. If you want to get in some German listening practice but are short on cash, this website’s got you covered.

For example, you can listen to Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther or even Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

Deutsch – warum nicht?

This podcast from Deutsche Welle is perfect for beginners. It follows Andreas and his mysterious ex as they go on adventures. You can listen to Deutsch – warum nicht? for free on Spotify.

Coffee Break German

Coffee Break German is one of the most popular podcasts for learners of German. If you want to combine your German listening practice with learning more about grammar, this is the podcast for you.

Mordlust

If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, then Mordlust is the one for you. Listen to two journalists, Paulina Krasa and Laura Wohlers, discussing some true crime cases from Germany.

This podcast is definitely for more advanced learners, but it’s many people’s favorite for a reason.

News for German Listening Practice

Staying up to date on current affairs is important, but who says you only have to consume English-language news? If you’re someone who likes to know what’s going on around the world, this is the perfect way to do just that and work on your German listening practice at the same time.

The News in Slow German podcast is a great choice for anyone who’s worried about news reporters speaking too fast.

On the other hand, if you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot of spare time, you should try Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden to get all the important news in just around 100 seconds.

YouTube Videos for German Listening Practice

YouTube is a platform with a lot of diverse content. Believe it or not, it’s also the perfect place to learn German. Because it’s a video platform, it’s especially great if you want to improve your listening skills.

But where should you start? Here are two channels that we’d recommend:

Simplicissimus

Simplicissimus publish short video essays on a variety of topics, including science, economics, psychology, and more.

Here’s one of their recent videos all about the truth about caffeine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYXpo03HqmU

Easy German

Easy German is a channel that offers a little bit of everything. They have content for beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners.

Check out this video about asking for directions in slow German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ebH7pms42c

TV and Movies

There’s nothing better than drinking a cup of tea while watching your favorite movie or TV show. But have you considered that you could do this while also getting in some German listening practice? There are a couple of ways to go about this.

German Dubbing

Do you have an all-time favorite movie that you know by heart? Well, why not spice it up a little bit and put on the German-language version?

This is the perfect way to improve your German listening skills. You already know what the characters are talking about, so even if your German isn’t perfect, you won’t get lost in the story.

German Cartoons

If you’re more of a beginner, one way to watch German TV is to watch shows and movies made for children. The language of these is usually much simpler, making it perfect for learners.

You can either watch original German cartoons or try your childhood favorite with German dubbing. The choice is yours.

German Originals

If you’d like to improve your German listening skills and also learn more about German culture, this is the best way to do that. You can put on a classic German movie, such as The Blue Angel with Marlene Dietrich, or watch a more modern German TV show, such as Netflix’s Dark.

There are also many German reality TV shows that you could watch. For example, Netflix has produced Queer Eye: Germany, Too Hot to Handle: Germany, and Nailed It! Germany.

Tip: When watching German TV and movies, try ditching English subtitles. You can either watch completely without subtitles – or, to make it easier, try turning on German subtitles instead.

Other Tips for German Listening Practice

We’ve gone over some of the best places and resources for German listening practice. But there are a couple of other things you should consider trying. These are:

Taking Notes

You don’t have to do this all the time, but it’s good to write things down every now and again. If you hear a word or a phrase that you like or that you find particularly useful, jot it down. You could even make flashcards later and practice those whenever you have the time. That way, you can be sure that at least some of what you learned will stick.

Making Your Chores German

We all have to clean the bathroom, cook dinner, or do the dishes every now and then. These tasks can often be daunting and incredibly boring. One way to make them more fun is to add German listening practice to them.

Are you making curry? Why not put on a German playlist?

Are you mopping the living room? Try listening to a podcast!

This is a great way to practice German and make tedious tasks a little more bearable.

Having Fun

At the end of the day, you should always try to have fun when it comes to German listening practice. If you don’t like a podcast that you started listening to, ditch it and find something new. If listening to music isn’t something you enjoy, that’s okay. Don’t force yourself into something that’s not for you.

The best thing to do is try to find something you’ll be invested in. For example, if you genuinely love a specific TV show, you’ll want to keep watching it. We all know that consistency is key, so find something you’ll want to keep coming back to.

German Listening Practice: Conclusion

Listening is an important skill to master, but the good news is that it can also be really fun. There are so many wonderful resources out there. Just find one that works for you and start listening. You’ll see improvement in no time!