15+ Top Podcasts for learning German (Updated 2024)
It can be easy to learn German, but difficult to get the correct German pronunciation. Podcasts are a great way to achieve that. When I was learning German, I took full advantage of different podcasts to get the right pronunciation of the German language. I would recommend you do the same. Of course, it can be confusing to choose the right podcast. Therefore, I am here to share some great podcasts for learning German. The list below covers the podcasts that have helped me to improve my skills. Check them out and start the journey of improving your pronunciation and conversational skills.
Top podcasts for learning German
When I was learning German, I used a lot of podcasts to improve my knowledge at every level. Using podcasts has become a great way to improve my skills. Therefore, below, I have shared the podcasts that I used for it-
1. Coffee Break German
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website)
Coffee Break is the academy that produces podcasts for different languages. This podcast is a creation of the famous network, Radio Lingua Network. The name behind the podcast depicts the idea of creating it. It is designed in a way that a listener can listen to it during the coffee Break. Each episode of this podcast is 20 minutes long. The podcast is hosted by Thomas and teaches Mark. It feels like you are in a real classroom. There are also cultural and grammar insights available in the podcast. All the podcasts of this series are useful. I have used it also for Japanese and Russian podcasts.
2. The Easy German Podcast
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website)
The main ideology of the podcast is to learn from real people and through natural conversations. It is used along with many off-shoot projects like Seedlang. The podcast is basically for the beginner. The podcast started with the creation of videos on the streets of Germany by the hosts Janusz and Cari. Both the hosts talk to strangers about different topics. The questions are very basic like ‘What meal they had? Where do they live?’ etc. Some topics are so relatable.
I could really learn the language while getting a lot of relatable content. In each of the podcasts, they answer questions asked by listeners and have detailed discussions. The episodes are released weekly.
3. GermanPod101
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website)
This is a great podcast for those who want to learn at different levels. Select the level from beginning to advanced. It has a total of 1400 lessons including audio and video-based lessons. There are a lot of interesting topics to go through. I did not get bored with it. The podcast is hosted by two native speakers Judith and Chuck. Both of them give cultural and grammatical aspects of German. Though the podcast is free to use, transcripts, PDFs, etc., are paid resources.
4. Warum nicht?
(Available: Spotify, Offical Website)
I always wanted to use a podcast that is accelerated through two famous organizations – Deutsche Welle and the Goethe Institute. It is created to help you cope with the standardized learning levels of the Common European Framework for Languages. The podcast helped me reach from A0 to B1 level with the help of 4 series. There is a fictional character Andreas, a journalism student. He has taken a job as a hotel doorman. There is a book that helped me to test my skills. It also has a lot of lists with grammar exercises, translations, etc.
5. German Stories – Learn German with Stories
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website, Podbean)
This podcast was started after the creator realized that the teaching style of German in classes was outdated. There is no lesson in starting that teaches how to introduce yourself. Also, he has found out that no story is continued forward. To work on it, this podcast was started. The host is a certified teacher who provides a lot of stories in German. There are a lot of graphic designers, web developers, and voice actors behind it. Each episode covers an interesting story, keeping you engaged with it.
6. News In Slow German
(Available: Apple, Spotify, Offical Website)
The name itself describes, what can be expected from the podcast. Everything related to news. It is all in slow speed covering grammar and common words and phrases used. This will help in allowing you to remember everything easily. It has two different podcasts created for beginners and intermediates. The episodes are released on the platform weekly. Each episode is 8 minutes. If you are not able to understand what is going on in the podcast, take the help of a transcript. However, to get it, you have to get a subscription.
7. Radio D
(Available: Spotify, Offical Website, Podchaster)
“Sherlock Holmes”, is a movie that motivated every one of us to become a detective. This movie has been nominated for 42 awards out of that it won 24 awards. What a thrilling movie. But do you know what made the audience crazy about it? The detective character in it. I never thought that I would like any other detective-based story. But the Radio D proves me wrong. It is a podcast that has a lot of amazing detective stories. This is a podcast hosted by three different people who are traveling to Germany to solve some mysterious cases. Of course, stories are real and sometimes maybe unexplored. Each episode is a club of sounds, interactive elements, etc.
8. Spoonfuls of Germany Podcast
(Available: Apple, Offical Website)
Trying some new dishes is the dream of a food lover. If you are one of them, I have brought a podcast that will help you in achieving your dream. This podcast is hosted by two girls laughing and enjoying with they have made. Some podcasts or based on what to do when something goes wrong. I was looking for something to eat along with the workout.
Eventually, I got a podcast named ‘Workout Snack Tips’. It is a podcast that helps me to decide what to eat before and after the workout. This podcast is basically available on its official website. The platform also has multiple exciting recipes that you can check and work on. In short, it is the perfect thing to listen to.
9. Deutsch mit Schmidt
(Available: Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website, Patreon)
I believe vocabulary is the base of learning any language. If you also agree with me, this is a podcast to increase your vocabulary knowledge at an intermediate level. This podcast will help the students who are looking for courses from B1 to C2 level. After listening to this podcast, one thing was sure it can help a lot to get into complex conversations.
In each episode, there are two new words to learn. Again the podcast is free to listen but to get the transcript, you have to pay for it. However, there is an additional feature that you get with the subscription plan which is practice exercises. Overall it is the perfect choice for anyone at an intermediate level.
10. Slow german
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website)
Don’t get confused between Slow German and Slow News in German podcasts. This podcast is hosted by Annik Rubens, a journalist. The episodes of this podcast are very short, only 5 minutes each. It covers two levels – beginner and intermediate. The beginner level has a lot of basic German words. On the other hand, we intermediate learners can learn about the fats of Germany. It also has a subscription plan where I can get a PDF guide, quizzes, stories, etc.
11. Expertly German
(Available: Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website)
This is the podcast that covers daily life vocabulary based on career and traveling. It covers a wide range of topics including grammar, culture, business, etc. The podcast is hosted by a native German speaker, Tom. Each episode is a few minutes long and covers a single topic. After the discussion, he will also explain the words used with the help of English translations. Again if you get the subscription, you get extra benefits like transcripts and a word list. On the other hand, if you use the platform there are also one-on-one lessons available on it. In addition to that, there is a conversation group, where you can practice conversation with the host.
12. Business German
(Available: Spotify)
The present generation is more into how can they make money than taking it from their parents. The next podcast that I have entered into this list is for those who are money-minded. It’s a perfect choice to stay motivated towards the final goal. The work culture of most of the companies has become toxic. There are a lot of ways that the author has discussed to survive such an atmosphere. Each episode uses the authentic German to stay motivated.
However, I thought some episodes were not up to the mark. It had an episode named ‘The Anki Website.’ Of course, it was the perfect episode to learn more about this language-learning platform, but there is no role of Anki in the world of business.
13. Elementarfragen
(Available: Apple, Spotify, Podnews, Podbean)
Meaning: Elementary Questions
This is the podcast developed especially for advanced learners. Of course, after coming to an intermediate level, we try to push ourselves by listening to the podcast in German. This podcast is basically the interviews with the experts on a specific topic. It is a long-format podcast that covers different niches. Some episodes cover topics that are beyond our thinking. I never knew that, my phone could listen to my things even when I was not using it. Yes, it is scary, but can unlock a lot of interesting facts.
14. Marktplaza
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website)
Most people learn German for business purposes. This is another German podcast that is created for money-minded people. Each episode covers an arithmetic lesson with a download option. The best part of this broadcast is the availability of transcripts for free. There are exercises that will help in recalling what you have learned so far. It covers scenarios to understand what to do in saturations.
15. LingQ
(Available: Offical Website)
LingQ is a platform that provides courses for different languages. But there are podcasts to help you more. If you are using it for learning the language, never miss the podcast offer on it. Each episode focuses on different topics like pets, trips, food, etc. I used the platform and the podcast both to improve my German knowledge. It not only gave me a free podcast but also the transcripts were free. However, there is a limit on the free content. If you want access to everything, get the subscription plan from it.
16. SBS German
(Available: Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Offical Website, Podbean)
It is a podcast that was developed to listen to German conversations with people outside Germany. This podcast is developed for advanced-level learners with no transcript available. At present, there are more than 500 episodes on it. Each episode is at least 10 minutes long. It covers large debates on the crucial issues faced by the society. Each podcast covers the stories of German-speaking Australians and their life over there. Each episode covers natural sound and is easy to understand.
17. Fest und Flauschig
Meaning: Firm and Fluffy
It is a popular podcast for learning German. The podcast is hosted by two narrators Jan and Olli. Both of them talk about different topics with comedy timing. They also invite guests to discuss more on the topic. The duration of each episode is around one hour and comes weekly. It gives an unfiltered look at German. To make things interesting, a lot of humor is added to it. The podcast is not about teaching the language but making the listeners enjoy it. It will help in speaking German like native speakers.
18. Sozusagen
(Available: Apple, Offical Website)
Meaning: So to speak
It is a perfect tool for learning more about the history of the German language. This podcast is available for advanced-level learners with the availability of more than 50 episodes on it. The duration of each episode is about 15 minutes with no transcript available. This podcast is created by a German public radio station, Bayern 2. It is created for learners who want to improve their journal knowledge at a high level. Each episode covers different highlights and how politics impact the language.
19. Das sagt man so!
(Available: Apple, Spotify, Offical Website, Podbean)
The podcast focuses on idioms and colloquial expressions of the language. Each episode is the retail explanation of idioms and chunks. The host makes sure that you get the proper understanding of it by providing meaning and usage of it. The episodes are very short which makes it a perfect choice to listen to daily. There are 52 episodes along with the transcript of it.
20. Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden
(Available: Apple, Spotify, Offical Website)
It is again a news service for advanced learners. At the end of each day, it provides a summary of the news going around Germany. It is for someone who wants to challenge himself. The length of each episode is too short which is 12 minutes each. All concepts are easy to understand and are concise in nature. There is no transcript with it but the news articles are available on the official website. Reading them on the website can help a lot.
Conclusion
Learning a language is different from practicing it. You can easily learn the language but may not get the right pronunciation or conversational skills. To develop these skills, it is very important to listen to native speakers. Therefore, I created this guide to help you find podcasts for learning German. Listening to them will help you understand how native speakers talk.
