A Guide to Online Tools for Mastering German During Your Exchange

You who chose Germany for your exchange semester, how are you studying German for life in Germany?

Here are some online contents perfect for exchange students learning German. From fun language platforms to cool cultural experiences, these online resources can make learning German easy and fun. Let’s dive into the world of digital learning, discovering how these tools can help you on your path to mastering German.

Peppa Pig Deutsch

‘Peppa Pig’ is a British preschool animated television series. Airing for the first time on the British broadcaster Channel 5 in 2004, it is now available in not only English but also in many languages around the world. This animation depicts the warm stories of the Peppa Pig family. It presents everyday and familiar themes for children, such as bath time and birthday parties, naturally introducing proper lifestyle habits. Since it is basically aimed at children, the words used in the dialogues are relatively easy. I recommend it to students who have recently started learning German or those who want to become familiar with the German language. You can easily access it through the official YouTube channel, so dive into the world of children’s hearts right now!

DW Deutsch

DW(Deutsche Welle) Deutsch is Germany’s public television broadcasts through radio, television, and the internet. Particularly, radio international broadcasts, are transmitted worldwide in 29 different languages. Find the ‘Deutsch lernen‘ section on the DW website and click, you will encounter a new page same to the image above.

First, test your current German proficiency so that you can study with materials that are appropriate for your level. You can not only learn frequently used words and short sentences in everyday life but also solve quizzes for content comprehension through videos covering various topics. The higher your level, the wider the topics and content covered, so you will not only improve your ability in the German language but also experience a sense of Germanization within yourself.

Easy German

‘Easy German‘ is an online video series best known for its street interviews with citizens on various topics. What sets it apart when compared to other learning content, is not just educational material, but also the unique aspect of interviewing citizens on the street about interesting topics like ‘Things not to do in Germany,’ ‘German Dialects,’ ‘How to make small talk in Germany.’, etc. This allows viewers to gain insights into German culture and daily life by hearing the honest opinions of people. Another advantage of this series is that the team Easy German explains everything in German from start to finish, but English subtitles are provided in the videos. This feature enables simultaneous interpretation, making it accessible to a broader audience. In addition, the podcasts they serve make it easy for you to listen, even when you’re on the go, helping you become more familiar with the German language.

Personally, when I first came to Germany for my working holiday, I was worried about how to learn German efficiently, and the three online contents introduced above solved my worries and helped me improve my German skills. Lasse Irrgang, who is studying for his master’s degree in Hamburg, had an exchange semester in Korea a year ago, had a similar experience with the language barrier.

How did you learn Korean when you were in Korea? What was it like living in Korea when you didn’t know Korean that much?

Overall, I got some help from my buddy who can speak English, for example, when I needed to buy things at the market or make an appointment with a doctor. At my university in Korea, I took a beginner’s Korean class because I could only read a little Korean before leaving Germany. Starting with learning the alphabet, I was able to introduce myself in Korean after the class. Personally, I would like to recommend an app called ‘Anki,’ which is a flashcard system. It allows you to create your own vocabulary cards and review them whenever you want. It has helped me memorize some Korean words.

When it comes to daily living, it was actually less inconvenient than I expected, even though I had little knowledge of Korean. I was particularly surprised by the public transportation system in Korea because it had English voice guidance and signage. I think this makes it very convenient for foreigners to navigate.

As a German, do you have any tips for exchange students and foreigners studying German?

I believe the most important thing is motivation. If you aspire to improve your German skills, the faster the improvement. Even if it’s a little hard at first, I recommend making an effort to befriend locals. Engaging with native speakers and facing real-life situations is the most efficient way to learn a language. Additionally, I think it’s beneficial to consistently expose yourself to the German language by utilizing the online resources such as Youtube to become more accustomed to it.