Tutorial

German

A practical course to get you conversationally competent in German quickly.

Tutorial·Difficulty: Beginner·12 chapters·Updated Apr 19, 2026

Chapters

About this tutorial

A practical course to get you conversationally competent in German quickly.

Course Structure

ChapterTopicDescription
01BasicsAlphabet, pronunciation, greetings, essentials
02Nouns & ArticlesGender, der/die/das, plurals
03Pronouns & VerbsPersonal pronouns, present tense conjugation
04Sentence StructureWord order, questions, negation
05The Four CasesNominative, accusative, dative, genitive
06Adjectives & AdverbsEndings, comparatives, superlatives
07PrepositionsAccusative, dative, two-way prepositions
08Past TensesPerfekt, Präteritum, when to use each
09Modal Verbskönnen, müssen, wollen, sollen, dürfen, mögen
10Common PhrasesEveryday situations, survival German
11Numbers & TimeCounting, dates, telling time
12Essential VocabularyCore word lists by category

Learning Approach

  1. Focus on high-frequency patterns: learn what you'll use 80% of the time
  2. Practice speaking from day one: don't wait until you're "ready"
  3. Embrace mistakes: Germans appreciate effort
  4. Learn phrases, not just words: context helps memory

Pronunciation Key

LetterSoundExample
ä"eh" like bedMädchen (girl)
öround lips, say "eh"schön (beautiful)
üround lips, say "ee"für (for)
ß"ss"Straße (street)
chsoft "h" after e/i, harsh after a/o/uich, Buch
w"v"Wasser (water)
v"f"Vater (father)
z"ts"Zeit (time)
j"y"ja (yes)

Resources