Summary

From beginner to advanced levels, GermanPod101.com is an excellent, all-around online environment for learning German. The Pod101 platform, method and technology provide the necessary tools to get you immersed in the German language and achieve the goals you desire and/or require.

Since GermanPod101.com is web-based, you can access your personal German Learning Center from anywhere, and it's really easy to download the podcasts and put them on your mp3 player (iPod, Zune, etc) or mobile phone to take them with you for practice and learning on the go.

One of the most important things when learning a language is good content - and GermanPod101.com has this, and a steady flow of it. This constant flow of fresh content regards cultural aspects of German you will want to know, interesting tidbits about navigating in German society (whether on vacation or living abroad), practical information about getting by and much more.

Your German Learning Center brings together audio podcast lessons, lesson notes and checklists, transcripts, PDFs, video lessons, vocabulary training with flashcards and quizzes plus a German dictionary, grammar bank, a verb reference and plenty more.

And if you enjoy asking questions and learning from and helping other learners, a forum is available for all users.

It's simple to try it for free and upgrade if it works for you.

From Website

At GermanPod101.com, our goal is to make learning the German language easy and fun, while also incorporating culture and current issues into our lessons. We believe that the more you speak, the quicker you learn, so we have designed our program to get you speaking right away. Situational German is heavily stressed, and our team role plays various situations to demonstrate the proper form of German to use when speaking with friends, customers, executives, and so-on. Knowing the proper form to use separates good speakers from great speakers.

GermanPod101.com was developed with the hope of showing the world how fun and easy learning German can be. Here at GermanPod101.com, we truly believe that learning can be fun, while at the same time convenient. We know how busy you are and that each day brings unexpected surprises. That is exactly why we bring the lessons to you and let you decide when they start.

Our innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system is designed to get you speaking and interacting from the very first lesson. Learn German at your own convenience and pace with short, effective, fun daily lessons and a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Learning Center that provides you with the tools to take your German to the next level! Our interactive learning system consists of free daily audio podcast lessons, accompanying PDF materials, a Premium Learning Center, and a vibrant user community.

Our Method

GermanPod101.com offers a unique learning experience that cannot be found in conventional classrooms. In addition to offering lessons that can be completed on your own time, we approve all of the content we release through a government certified German teacher. Here are just a few of the revolutionary advantages of our method:

Exposure to native speakers and many different kinds of voices and speaking styles…

GermanPod101.com aims to have you speaking German after just one lesson! Our lessons focus on pronunciation and listening comprehension, so that you can start practicing what you learn from our professional teachers. Inside the PDF you will find the necessary tools for reading comprehension, and thorough explanations of phrases and key grammar points, in addition to segments on cultural insight. To address speaking practice, we have state-of-the-art software to allow you to record your own voice so you can compare your pronunciation to our teachers and continue to refine your speaking skills.

When all the aspects of GermanPod101.com are put together, this program provides students of German with ultimate self-study learning course. In addition, we often provide conversations between three people to more closely simulate real-life situations.

Fresh, up-to-date content...

Many German teachers who live overseas have been out of the country for a long period of time and can be “out of the loop” on current words, culture, etc. This is another major gap that we fill. Lessons are carefully crafted to include current events, words, celebrities, and so-on. This is very dynamic content.

Borderless education on-demand...

We also fill a definite demand in remote locations. Our lessons provide you with a mobile classroom, as we bring you German on Demand. German lessons wherever you may be.

GermanPod101.com offers our listeners a unique learning experience that delivers cutting-edge, dynamic content to be accessed at your convenience. With the inclusion of our lesson notes and Learning Center, we offer a full solution that provides the material, guidance, exercises, and testing to really make the knowledge your own. And it doesn’t even stop there - our vibrant and extremely helpful community provide each other not only quick answers to questions, but also give each other a sense of encouragement and motivation that is often lacking.

We focus on German, and German only...

Just German! All we do is German. GermanPod101.com is not a generic package language learning course, such as some of the other big name language learning programs out there. Many other programs “scale” their solutions across several languages, simply recycling the same material over and over - the same pictures, the same conversations, just in a different language. But each language is unique, and at GermanPod101.com we pride ourselves on developing a system that’s only about the German language and German culture!

One stop studying...

Have you ever found yourself lost on the information highway? Sometimes it’s like trying to drink from a fire hose! Hundreds of bookmarks, all with varying levels of quality and credibility. You finally find a great site, but it only updates once a year! GermanPod101.com offers users one stop studying. The learning center has been carefully designed to provide you with the resources you will need to take your German to the next level.

Visit GermanPod101.com.

Summary

Apple recently released a new section of the wildly popular iTunes Store available through their iTunes software. This new section is called iTunes U, and collects podcasts from numerous universities and colleges to make them available for free download to your iPod or other mp3 player, mobile/cell phone, etc.

One of the sub-sections of iTunes U is (note: you need iTunes for this link to work) specifically for languages and language education - yay!

Currently there are 60 podcasts (probably more by the time you read this) available regarding both learning foreign languages as well as general topics regarding language in general. Many of these podcasts are called OpenCourseWare, considered Open Learning materials released in the Public Domain. This means they can be used truly freely by teachers and educators without worries about copyright issues - a big plus! Be sure to look at the license for each podcast to make sure of the licensing.

The podcast-based current courses available through iTunes U are English (Medieval and ESL), French, German, Greek, Japanese, Hebrew (various), Italian (Language and Theater), Romanian, Spanish (various) plus Language Technology and Lectures, Interviews, Clubs, Lectionary at Lunch and Storytelling Colombian Style. There are many more, too.

This is really exciting to see at this professional education level. Of couse, add this to the 982 language podcasts in the "regular" (non-iTunes U) iTunes store and that makes over a whopping 1,000 language-related podcasts for download through iTunes - all free. :)

Watch the iTunes U intro video below to learn more about this new feature:

From iTunes U

iTunes U puts the power of the iTunes Store to work for colleges and universities, so users can easily search, download, and play course content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows.

Always in session.

iTunes U delivers easy, 24/7 access to educational content from hundreds of top colleges, universities, and educationally focused organizations across the country. And it’s accessible to anyone with a Mac or PC.

Learning to go.

Students can sync iTunes U content with any iPod or iPhone, so they can go right on learning while they grab a meal, walk to class, or work out at the gym.

Keeps them motivated.

Engaging students on their home turf, iTunes U offers audio and video that make subjects more vivid than any printed page ever could.

Open-minded.

iTunes U lets schools open all or part of their content to the public, from parents to alumni to anyone with a love of learning.

Find out more about iTunes U.

Summary

Pukka German a free audio podcast for intermediate to advanced German learners. The Pukka German podcast focuses on real-life German, including colloquial German, slang, German idioms and funny German sayings. A few example podcast topics are Oktoberfest, Gobsmacked, Money, Party and Like Clockwork.

The lesson audio, podcast transcripts and vocabulary lists are totally free and there is an option to become a pro member to gain access to online quizzes for a reasonable price. Pukka German is vibrant and filled with useful content for people that want to learn the kind of German language that is used in everyday life. The podcast production quality is that of proper studio recordings and the website is quite colorful as well.

Overall, this is an excellent, vibrant, relatively new podcast for students of German. Bravo Lisa and Tyler!

From Website

Who is Pukka German for?

Our German podcast is aimed at independent learners of German of all ages from intermediate to advanced levels. Whether you are a student, business professional or a language afficionado you will find plenty of useful material on the site to help you speak more fluent and interesting German.

We do not teach beginner German so you will need to have the German basics under your belt already to get the most from our German podcast and online quizzes.

Pukka German Inspiration

On arrival in Freiburg, I realised that in order to properly integrate and enjoy living out here, I was going to have to learn German.

Immediately I devoted considerable energy to learning the German basics as quickly as possible. I used language learning software, CDs, a multitude of books, online resources and also took German language classes. In fact Lisa was quite taken aback by my motivation and she worried that I had some kind of compulsive disorder that she'd failed to pick up on during our time in Scotland!

On arrival in Freiburg, I realised that in order to properly integrate and enjoy living out here, I was going to have to learn German.

Immediately I devoted considerable energy to learning the German basics as quickly as possible. I used language learning software, CDs, a multitude of books, online resources and also took German language classes. In fact Lisa was quite taken aback by my motivation and she worried that I had some kind of compulsive disorder that she'd failed to pick up on during our time in Scotland!

Unfortunately, I soon noticed that the language I learnt from text books was very different to the colourful language that I heard being used socially. It frustrated me that despite all the time and energy I'd invested to improve my German, I battled to understand what seemed to be the most entertaining conversations. I also felt cramped in my ability to express my personality and bring humour into conversation. It didn't take much to realise that it was the idiomatic language, the colloquial expressions and equally important, the German slang that I was missing.

Fortunately for me, I had Lisa who not only did me the favour of speaking with me in German from my first week here, but she also explained many of the useful German expressions, that my private studies hadn't exposed me to.

This obvious difference between textbook German and the language used by a large percentage of the Germans I was meeting is what inspired the creation of the Pukka German podcast. My vision with Pukka German is to help learners of German to bridge this divide, which normally is only achieved with a patient native speaker at your side.

A German podcast seemed the perfect solution because it allows subscribers to hear new vocabulary in context and spoken by a native speaker. Podcasts are also great for regular delivery of content, which is super for language learning.

Visit Pukka German.

Subscribe

Subscribe to Pukka German.
Subscribe to Pukka German via iTunes.

Summary

A Flavor of German is a series of free brief podcasts by Radio Lingua Network that teach useful German idiomatic expressions. Lessons already exist with idioms for such concepts as weather, time, colors and being tired, with more episodes coming fortnightly.

The free audio lessons are good, and if you would like transcripts of the lessons plus additional materials, you can purchase the whole series from Radio Lingua for about $15 USD.

From Website

We're delighted to introduce the latest series in the range of language learning materials from the Radio Lingua Network. A Flavour of German will help you to 'spice up your German' by teaching you idiomatic German phrases and helping to increase your range of expression. In the show the tables are turned on Coffee Break Spanish teacher Mark, who is aiming to improve his German, ably assisted by teacher Julia from One Minute German. Join Julia and Mark in fortnightly episodes and spice up your German with Radio Lingua.

Visit A Flavour of German Podcast

Subscribe

Subscribe to A Flavour of German Podcast.
Subscribe to A Flavour of German Podcast via iTunes.
View A Flavour of German Podcast Feed on Free Language.

Summary

One Minute Languages German is a series of ten short and sweet German language lessons that last only a few minutes each. Created by Radio Lingua Network, this podcast is a great way to get a very basic introduction to German phrases and greetings that will be of use to any traveler exploring Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Also available through the site are pre-packed downloads of the lessons for a nominal fee.

From Website

Welcome to One Minute Languages where you can learn the basics of a language in a matter of minutes. Perhaps you have friends who speak another language, or maybe you're going to be travelling to a country where the language is spoken. The most important thing to remember is that even a few phrases of a language can help you make friends and get much more out of your travel experience.

One Minute Languages will introduce you to a new language from scratch. Each language features ten lessons and each lesson is only a couple of minutes long, so there's no excuse! Join our teachers as they introduce new languages and cover greetings, talking about names, saying you understand or don't understand, counting and making friends.

Remember, One Minute Language courses are very basic introductions - taster courses which give you a feel for a new language. But even with just a few phrases you can make a great impression on your friends or the people you meet while you're travelling.

Visit One Minute Language German.

Subscribe

Subscribe to One Minute German Podcast.
Subscribe to One Minute German Podcast via iTunes.
View One Minute Language German Podcast's Feed on Free Language.

Summary

German language learners and lovers delight! Deutsche Welle (German Public Radio) and Miro have teamed up to create a fabulous and free video player that smoothly and effortlessly brings together loads of Deutsche Welle's German (and English and more) video and audio content into one easy to use player that can run on Linux, Mac and Windows.

The result for the end user is quick and eye-candyful access to loads of quality news and cultural content in German regarding Germany and the rest of the world. Just download (from Miro or Deutsche Welle) and start watching and listening to DW's news, podcasts, video podcasts, YouTube channel and more - all in one place.

If you are interested in using Miro for more than just Deutsche Welle (it plays almost any audio or video format you can find out there, including saving and viewing of YouTube videos), you might consider downloading Miro and then subscribing to the Deutshe Welle channels (view these in English or German) that interest you as well as all the other RSS feeds (audio, video, text, HD, even BitTorrent!) that you're into. You can also subscribe to all DW channels with one click at this page.

Miro is 100% "free and open-source, because open media matters". Check out the Miro Guide for loads of InternetTV channels.

Bravo Miro and Deutsche Welle! :) And an extra-special thanks to the Participatory Culture Foundation.

From Deutsche Welle Website

Podcasts auf einen Blick: Mit dem Miro - Deutsche Welle Player haben Sie ausgewählte DW-Audio- und Video-Podcasts übersichtlich in einem Player.

Auswählen und abspielen: Stellen Sie sich Ihre Favoriten zusammen und erhalten sie die neuesten Inhalte direkt auf Ihren Desktop. Der Miro - Deutsche Welle Player unterstützt zudem alle gängigen Video- und Audioformate. Der Player bietet eine Vielzahl von weiteren Kanälen zum Abonnement an und mit der integrierten YouTube-Suche sowie einer Auswahl an HD-Inhalten sind tausende Videoinhalte nur einen Klick entfernt.

Download the Deutsche Welle Miro Player or visit DW's website.

From Miro Website

Video RSS

Video RSS feeds are at the core of our vision for internet TV. They provide a simple system that any publisher can use to distribute their content. Viewers can bring feeds from anywhere together into one place. Miro is compatible with more feeds than any other video app.

Auto-Download

Set any channel to download new videos as soon as they are published. You can also tell channels to stop downloading new stuff if unwatched videos are piling up.

1-Click Subscribe Buttons

If someone comes to your website to see a video, take the chance to turn them into a subscriber. 1-click subscribe buttons let users go from web to Miro with a single click.

Watch the Bubbles

Numbers in a blue bubble next to a channel name indicate that new videos have been published since you last viewed that channel. Green bubbles mean that there are new videos downloaded that you haven't watched yet. Move your cursor over a green bubble and it becomes a play button.

Rename Channels

Right-click on any channel to rename it.

Download the regular Miro Player, watch a screencast about it or view more of it's features.

Making InternetTV

The Participatory Culture Foundation has also created an excellent resource for folks out there interested in making InternetTV. They are 100% real deal.

Deutsche Welle on Free Language

Free Language has much love for Deutsche Welle!

Deutsche Welle Slowly Spoken News in German Podcast
Deutsche Welle Sprachbar Podcast
Deutsche Welle Top-Thema Mit Vokabeln Podcast
Deutsche Welle Alltagsdeutsch Podcast
Deutsche Welle Stichwort Podcast
Deutsche Welle News in German
Deutsche Welle News in Chinese