Learning German With TV Shows: The Most Effective Strategies and Resources for Your Study Routine
Boost your German language learning with TV, podcasts, and radio shows! Discover how to pick the perfect show for your skill level. Say goodbye to dull lessons and hello to rapid vocabulary expansion.
Here's a dream scenario: Watch an hour of German TV every day. Within two months, you will understand everything.
Think that's impossible? Well, you're kind of right. No passive activity is going to give you a huge result if that's all you do.
But working with TV, podcasts and radio shows does deliver excellent results. It's not just a great addition to language learning routines that lack interaction. Using content like this also saves your lessons and study time from terrible dullness.
If you are interested in mastering the German language using podcasts, make sure to take a look at these 9 of the Best Podcasts for Learning German.
Just remember to do your work and think about where these fit into your study routine.
In today's article, I'm sharing recommendations for German shows that fit into your study plan and help you get big results.
Understand German Grammar In Minutes Without Frustration
So How Difficult Should A Show Be?
Opinions vary on how much of your input you should understand in depth for it to count as helpful for your language learning.
Intensive Listening
Intensive listening and watching helps learners develop better listening comprehension. You should want to work more in-depth with your materials, and aim for shows that you understand well. Make sure you are happy to spend an hour or two on the subject. The key expression here is comprehensible input, meaning you work with language that you actually understand.
There is no embarrassment in going for the "this is right for me" label, let’s not be over-ambitious. Slower speeds and easier vocabulary are helpful and mean that you can get the full effect out of the time you put in. Understanding more words is going to help you absorb German grammar naturally.
Extensive Listening
Got no patience for feeling like a learner? Then watch and listen a little above your level. No need to go straight for the intellectual talk rounds, keep it realistic and find a show about what you love.
This approach is best if you’re all gung ho about your learning and want to approach it with zest, speed, and intense practice sessions. You’ll be pushing your boundaries and get a fast sense of progression. The cost? Rapid learning loses thoroughness. The benefits of working with natural input are fast vocabulary expansion.
So pick your level of challenge first. Now, let’s think about the topics and materials that are likely to work for you.
How To Find a Show That Works For You
Millions of language learners have bought books of short stories and graded readers in many languages. Materials that are written for learners help you enjoy a good story while learning a language, and often give you extra vocab help. And what's more motivating than wanting to know what happens next? I think it’s brilliant, and encourage you to look for the kinds of things you enjoy in a foreign language.
Books have a huge advantage: They move at your speed and allow you to pick your own level of engagement. You can skim or speed-read for that immersion effect ("extensive reading"). For "intensive reading", give your text the full study treatment.
Reading and listening are both important, of course. They are two of the four core language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing). If you want to learn more about core language skills and get tips on how to focus on them, check out my book Fluency Made Achievable.
Right now of course, you're not looking for a book. We're ready to listen! I have written an article on The 9 Brilliant German TV Shows and Movies. These shows will offer you enough entertainment in German to keep you on the couch for weeks in German binge-mode. Los geht’s!
Here are my favourite shows to add to your learning routine:
Designed for German Learners:
Learn Out Live Audiobooks
André Klein is awesome, you already know that if you’ve checked out his written materials in the Dino lernt Deutsch and Aschkalon Fantasy book series. Over the last year, André has also worked on adding audio versions of his popular stories. If you like an engaging story, these audiobooks are perfect practice material and the right choice for learners at A2 or higher. The books are read by the author himself and put you right into the middle of the story. The background sounds bring the story to life. André focuses on practice and pronunciation to help you learn German.
Here’s a sample so you can try it for yourself:
I reviewed Yabla here on Fluent Language a little while ago and I'm still ever impressed with their language learning content. The Yabla player offers one of the best multi-media experiences for learning that I've seen so far. Slower speed, multilingual subtitles and regular reports from all walks of life make this more than just one show.
Yabla is the kind of thing you should check out if you wish there was a whole TV channel just for language learners.
Jojo sucht das Glück
With this telenovela, Deutsche Welle has produced something incredible for language learners. The show is a professionally produced telenovela. Its story focuses on the adventures of Brazilian student Jojo as she moves to Germany and starts her new life in Cologne. There’s romance, music, and grocery shopping. It’s great for speakers upwards of B1 level. The website offers worksheets and exercises to make each episode into a full learning experience. If you’re working with a tutor, this is a great one to share. The addictive Jojo effect is good for extensive learning, because every short episode will make you want to watch the next one. German teachers, check out this page for guidance on how to teach with Jojo.
Slow German
Slow German with Annik Rubens is a culture and language podcast narrated by a native German speaker. Annik tells stories about what Germans get up to in everyday life. She talks about current affairs and offers transcripts and exercises in the paid premium edition.
Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten
Ready to engage with German at a higher level? Then this podcast from Deutsche Welle is a great resource. This slow news show comes out every day and offers German learners an insight into current affairs. It's recorded at slow speeds to help you focus on understanding as much as possible. The language is not simplified, so this podcast is suitable for learning levels C1/C2. And if you’re not finding this enough of a challenge, you can check out the same broadcast at the original speed.
Logo
Logo is a kids’ news show that has been going since 1988 and enjoys huge popularity in Germany. The show’s web version features written articles, videos and images to help explain what's going on in the world. I like using Logo’s written articles because they have a great way of explaining current affairs and offering background insights and straightforward answers. If read things like Reddit’s “ELI5” (Explain like I’m Five), this news show is perfect for you.
When listening to radio shows or watching TV in German, remember materials for children are not designed for learners. The speakers will be talking quickly, and sentence structures are not be simplified. These materials don't offer transcripts or exercises, either.
Logo is made for native speakers, but its clear explanations make it a fab choice for German learners.
How To Use Your Time Wisely
No matter which of these programmes you choose to check out, remember the purpose of your activity.
- Are you taking a serious study approach to your material?
- Or is this something you're adding onto basic study to give yourself more motivation?
Each approach is valid. Still, you can't expect great results from minimal input. An hour of watching German TV with English subtitles is fun and keeps you interested. An hour of watching Jojo sucht das Glück while reading the transcript, adding new words to your notebook or flashcard deck, and then working through every exercise? Yep, that's going to deliver a BIG result. It's also going to make you more tired.
The key is for you to think about what you really want. If you want to understand more spoken German, it's pointless to work with materials above your level. That is just not how immersion works.
Ultimately language learning isn't down to genius or age or talent. You do the work and you get the results. There could be nothing simpler in the world, and still it's tough to consider.
What are your views about studying with TV shows and radio?
Which do you use for your own language lessons? And what are YOUR real results from building these into your learning routine?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Learn German Just by Watching TV?
While watching TV can certainly be a helpful supplement to your language learning, it won’t be sufficient on its own to fully learn a language like German. Relying solely on passive activities won't give you a huge result if that's all you do.
However, incorporating TV, podcasts, and radio shows into your language learning routine along with a practice of speaking and reading does deliver excellent results. It's not just a great addition to language learning routines that lack interaction. Using content like this also saves your lessons and study time from terrible dullness.
How Long Does It Take to Learn German on Your Own?
It doesn’t have to take you very long to learn basic German. For example, with my recommended resources, you’ll have the basics down in just a few hours. German is a beautiful language with many words that will be familiar to you as an English speaker, and the people are welcoming and friendly.
Stick to your new routine for 3-4 months and you’ll soon be having your first conversations. Learning a language to the highest level will take many years, but don’t let that put you off, because learning is a lot of fun!
Does Watching German Shows Help You Learn German?
Yes, watching German shows can be a super valuable and enjoyable add-on to supplement your German learning routine. watching German shows, you get exposed to authentic spoken language, helping you become more familiar with the nuances of the language.
The entertainment factor of watching shows in German can make the learning experience more enjoyable and less of a boring and daunting task. Learning a new language can sometimes be challenging, but incorporating fun elements like watching TV can turn it into a rewarding and entertaining activity.
Brilliant German TV Shows and Movies to Turn Up Your Language Immersion
Discover 9 new German TV shows and films that will help you relax and learn both German language and culture.
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Ever since I started teaching myself languages, television has played a big role in my study routine. It’s not always the place where I actively learn a language through deliberate practice. Still, the ongoing exposure to my target language’s culture and sound keep me interested and allow me to test my learning progress by switching subtitles on and off.
And since I am a German teacher who also shares a home with a sporadic German learner, our cosy nights on the coach often feature TV shows in my native language, German.
In this article, I’ve listed 9 shows and films that we loved. These will offer you enough entertainment in German to keep you on the couch for weeks in German binge-mode. Los geht’s!
German TV Shows
More and more amazing shows are pulling in top writers and actors from Germany’s film industry, and there’s something for everyone.
If You Want Spy Drama and Retro Fashion by the Berlin Wall
The Same Sky is centred around the “Romeo” assignment of Lars, a young East German soldier in the 1970s. It’s called “Romeo” because his job is to befriend and seduce a female target who works in a military institution (played by The Bridge’s Sofia Helin!) and move her to reveal secret intel on who’s spying on the East German state.
As Lars embarks on his adventure in the “capitalist snake pit” of 1970s Berlin, a few secrets about his own past come to light.
With great acting, amazing shots of Berlin, and mind-boggling insights into the daily life of citizens in socialist East Germany, The Same Sky belongs on any German learner’s Netflix queue.
If You Wish There Was a German Telenovela
Guess what…there’s a German telenovela! It’s called Verliebt in Berlin (a pun meaning “in love in Berlin” and “in love with Berlin”). I don’t need to explain the plot in too much detail, but rest assured it involves young women and men, various love affairs, and at least one internship in fashion.
If You Wish There Was a German Telenovela for German Learners
German TV really has got it all! The series Jojo sucht das Glück is not a traditional TV show, but a programme developed by Deutsche Welle for German classrooms and learners all around the world.
As you watch the adventures of Jojo, a new student arriving to Cologne from Brazil, you can watch each episode with a full German transcript and follow it up with language exercises.
If You Want German Sci-Fi That is More Confusing Than the German Language
Dark is a gem and a rarity as a Netflix TV show produced by Germans and filmed entirely in German, to be released on the international market. And the gamble has paid off as the show became a fan favourite and won awards and top ratings across the board.
Dark is set in the small German town of Winden, where idyllic town life starts to go wrong as children start to disappear. The events are set in 2019, but very quickly the plot thickens when teenager Jonas discovers a portal that takes him back to Winden in 1986.
Can Jonas change the future? Did the disappeared children travel in time? And what’s the nuclear power station got to do with it all?
Dark is the perfect show for you if you enjoyed the otherworldly mysteries of shows likeStranger Things and don’t mind throwing time travel into the mix.
If You’re a Reality TV Junkie
Most of the big international TV hits have been produced in Germany as well as in other countries. For example, you can watch Das Große Backen if you love the happy world of home baking. Or if you’re an action junkie who wants to cheer on your favourite athlete, check out the German commentary on seasons 1 and 3 of Ultimate Beastmaster which is produced by Sylvester Stallone himself!
German Movies
The German film scene is world class, and here are a few suggestions to get you started.
If You Want an Oscar-Nominated Portrait of Terrorism in Germany
The Baader-Meinhof Komplex. They’re oddly well-dressed for terrorists, aren’t they? This film tells the story of Germany’s notorious Rote Armee Fraktion, a domestic terrorist group that emerged from the 1960s student revolts.
Fired up by rebellion against a generation of parents who let fascism happen on their watch, the young students around Ulrike Meinhof and Andreas Baader start to take action and things become increasingly violent.
This film is a must-see for anyone who wants to start getting an insight into the many ways Germany has had to face and deal with its Nazi past.
If You Think You’re Too Busy to Relax With a German Movie
Allow the bittersweet story of Toni Erdmann to change your mind. The film follows corporate consultant Ines, who is working double time to move her career forward. Her father Winfried misses their relationship and tries to win her attention through practical jokes.
Nothing works until Ines sets off on a company trip..just to find her father has decided to come along and style himself as her life coach. This film is funny and sweet with a genuinely sad undercurrent.
In Toni Erdmann you’ll discover the gentle, so absurd-it’s-serious style of humour that is so typical for Germany.
If You Are Ready to Feel the Heartbreak of Berlin’s Divided History
Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) is an Oscar-winning film about what happens when you work in audio surveillance and listen in on people so much that you end up caring about them.
Lonely Stasi man Gerd is played by Ulrich Mühe in one of his best performances ever. Watching the film, you will feel yourself drawn into his world and the conflicts he has to face between duty and integrity.
Want to Learn German With TV and Cut Out the Subtitles?
If you are an advanced learner and want to try watching without subtitles, don’t miss out on this episode of the Fluent Show with listening expert Cara Leopold.
What is Your Favourite German TV Show?
Comment below and tell me which show you cannot get enough of! I’m looking forward to adding it to my playlist.
Podcast Episode 31: Watching TV in a Foreign Language
Welcome to Episode 31, where Lindsay and I took a deep dive into revealing our TV watching habits and how they aid our language learning. Plus: Listener feedback and over 20 show recommendations.
We are sponsored today by Savvy Brand Academy, a mastermind & brand course for onlinte teachers, as part of our "podcasters are doin' it for themselves month".
1) What type of TV do you watch?
- Listener Colin likes to watch with the whole family
- Chris Stewart who likes watching reality tv like “Come dine with me”
- For me: Serials
- For Lindsay: youtube as part of a routine
- My student Randy: Tagesschau
2) HOW do you watch?
Is there such a thing as guilty learning vs. not-guilty learning?
Should you watch with subtitles or without? Subtitles in your own language or the other language? Immersion or full understand mode?
Big debate: How can TV count as "deliberate study time"?
Where can you find shows that are appropriate for your level?
What makes TV for kids a good choice?
3) Where can you find cool things to watch? (Big Link Collection)
YouTube and Yabla:
- Yabla - curated videos for language learners in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Chinese, English
- Lindsay's TV Introductions in Different Languages
- Easy Languages on YouTube
TV Apps and Websites Where You Can Find International TV
Shows Kerstin Loves (75% contains crime)
I've added links for UK and US audiences - comment if you need a link for another region.
- Welsh Language:
- Hwb
- Hinterland (Cable by Xfinity, Netflix, DVD in the UK and USA)
- Byw Celwydd (currently on S4c and BBC iPlayer)
- French Language:
- Les Revenants (DVD in the UK and USA)
- Spiral (Cable by Xfinity, Netflix, streaming on Amazon UK, DVD in the UK and USA)
- French and Flemish Language:
- German Language:
- Danish and Swedish Language
- Danish Language
- Korean Language
THE TAKEAWAY
If you have not done this already, catch an episode of 1980s German spy show Deutschland 83 - here it is on Amazon.comand here it is on All 4 in the UK
