Start with the level, not the method
Almost every "how should I learn German" question is really a question about level. German is measured on the CEFR scale — six levels, A1 to C2 — and what you should do next depends almost entirely on which one you are aiming at.
The hours below are the Goethe-Institut's own planning figures, cumulative from zero. "Guided hours" means structured study, not the German you pick up from music or a German-speaking flatmate — which is a large part of why some people move through the table twice as fast as others.
| Level | Guided hours | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 60–150 | Introduce yourself, order, shop, ask directions |
| A2 | 150–260 | Handle routine situations, talk about the past |
| B1 | 260–490 | Hold a real conversation, explain an opinion |
| B2 | 450–600 | Work in German, follow native-speed speech |
| C1 | 800+ | Study at a German university, argue nuance |
For the full breakdown of what each level buys you and how the timeline behaves in practice, see our realistic A1–C1 timeline.
The four ways to learn German online
Each of these works for someone. None of them works for everyone, and the honest trade-offs matter more than the marketing.
Apps
- Good at
- Vocabulary, daily habit, zero cost to start
- Weak at
- Almost no speaking practice; nobody corrects you; plateaus fast around A2
- Best for
- Supplementing something else
Self-study
- Good at
- Free, fully flexible, unlimited depth
- Weak at
- Errors go uncorrected for months; requires unusual discipline
- Best for
- Disciplined learners with a clear plan
Live group classes
- Good at
- Fixed commitment, speaking practice, peers, corrected in real time
- Weak at
- Set schedule; pace is the group’s, not yours
- Best for
- Most people, especially beginners
1-on-1 lessons
- Good at
- Fastest per hour; fully tailored; flexible timing
- Weak at
- Costs 3–5× more; easy to reschedule into nothing
- Best for
- Deadlines, exams, specific goals
The group-versus-private question comes up constantly, and the answer is less obvious than the price difference suggests — we compared them properly here.
The month-two problem
German front-loads its difficulty. Three genders that follow no reliable rule, four cases, and a verb that gets thrown to the end of the sentence — all of it lands in the first few months, before you can say anything interesting enough to feel rewarded for.
That produces a brutal ratio: maximum difficulty, minimum payoff. It is why most people who quit German quit around week six, and why they usually conclude they are bad at languages when what actually happened is that nobody warned them about the shape of the curve.
Two things get people through it, and neither is a better app. Speaking from week one, badly, so that being bad at German stops being frightening before it can stop you. And other people — a fixed time, a group that notices when you are not there. Method matters far less than whether you are still going in month six.
Three ways to start with us
A €15 trial lesson →
60 minutes, one-to-one with a real teacher. You get your level and a plan for what to learn next. One-time payment, no subscription.
The A1 cohort →
Live online classes twice a week, capped at 10 students, starting Monday · September 28, 2026. Built for complete beginners, with the month-two problem designed around rather than ignored.
Private lessons →
One-to-one, any level, scheduled around your life. The right choice if you have a deadline, an exam, or a plateau to break.
Common questions
- What is the best way to learn German online?
- For most adults, a live class with a real teacher and a small group of other learners, supplemented by daily short practice. Apps are effective for vocabulary and poor at production — and speaking is the skill that decides whether you can actually use German.
- Can you learn German online for free?
- You can reach a reasonable A1 for free using Deutsche Welle, Easy German, and Anki for vocabulary. What free resources cannot supply is someone correcting your speaking in real time and a reason to keep going once motivation fades, which is where most self-taught learners stall.
- How long does it take to learn German online?
- Around 60–150 guided hours to A1, and 260–490 to B1, according to Goethe-Institut planning figures. At two live classes a week plus homework, that is roughly four to eight months to A1 and one and a half to three years to B1.
- Is learning German online as good as in a classroom?
- For adults, generally yes, and often better. The teaching is identical over video, and online removes the commute — which is the single most common reason people drop out of in-person evening classes. What matters is class size and how much you actually speak, not whether the room is physical.
- Where should a complete beginner start with German?
- Start at A1 with structured teaching rather than self-study. The first three months of German are the hardest — three genders, cases, and inverted word order all arrive before you can say anything rewarding — and that is exactly the stretch where guidance and other people make the most difference.