When you use deutsche Nachrichten (German news) sources to improve your fluency, you’ll gain cultural insight, reading and listening practice, and authentic German dialogue all rolled into one package.
Discovering how to learn German by reading and listening to news sources can open up a world of entertainment and immersion. Try these popular news sources from Germany, from slow-talking stations meant for intermediate learners to news sources watched daily by the German people themselves.
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German news sources for reading practice
Plenty of German news sources out there publish content in vocabulary suited for intermediate German language students. This news content is great for keeping you entertained and informed while you do your German reading practice.
Nachrichtenleicht
Major events coverage with language that suits intermediate learners is what you get reading stories from Nachrichtenleicht, which is the learner-friendly version of stories from the German news station Deutschlandfunk.
Not only is the terminology used approachable for intermediate learners, key vocabulary is discussed below each news story in German. Having the descriptions in German is unique, and especially valuable because it’ll help you think of the term’s meaning when you read it rather than having to translate the word into English to understand what you’re reading.
Sloeful German News
The exciting coverage of major events from Sloeful is presented for an audience of intermediate-level German speakers. A great feature is that you can hover over tricky terminology in the stories and get the English translation right there in the article.
What’s unique about this source is the comprehension quizzes that come with each article. Not only can you get in your reading practice with the news in German, you can also ensure that what you’ve taken away from the reading is what the writer intended. This gives you a better idea of where you’re at with your own reading comprehension and can highlight areas where improvement is needed, which is highly efficient for your studies,
Goethe Institut’s Presse und Sprache coverage
The Goethe Institut is a highly respected organisation that promotes the study of the German language. Their website offers passages and exercises relating to the current themes of their newsletter, Presse und Sprache.
You can download the readings for free, which are accompanied by slower-paced audio if you want to lean more on your listening skills while you build up reading comprehension. Getting news from a source like the Goethe Institute ensures you’re getting accurate information while also practicing your German language skills.
Slow-talking German news resources
At the intermediate level, you might understand a fair amount of the German you hear, but not when spoken at the pace of a native speaker. Listening to the news in slow German can help build you up to comprehending German at a faster pace.
Deutsche Welle
For news stories spoken in slow German, Deutsche Welle offers stories suited for B2 learners on the CEFR scale. This source focuses on global politics, world leaders, and major events while consistently publishing new content.
Not only is the slow-paced audio great for listening comprehension, you can read the stories at the same time. This means you can follow along while listening to the story and if there’s a term you don’t know, you can copy and paste it into an online German/English dictionary and expand your vocabulary.
Easy German
Getting a look at the daily lives of average German people is made accessible by the several street interviews showcased by Easy German. This platform creates content for those looking to study the German language, and you can select video lists they post based on your CEFR fluency level. They even have captions at the bottom of videos in English so you can discern what’s being said, especially if the German person being interviewed has a strong accent.
Easy German posts videos asking German people on the street questions like “What would you change about yourself?” and “What are the small things that make you happy?” By watching their investigative reporting, you get a true glimpse at what real Germans think and how they speak, giving you valuable insight into their real culture,not just the generalizations you read online.
German news outlets for upper-intermediate learners
Some learners want a little more of a challenge or just want a more native-level German news experience. For those on the higher end of the intermediate level, you can start to look at news sources native Germans watch rather than those geared towards language learners.
These news outlets are meant for native speakers, so be prepared for fast conversational pace and plenty of new vocabulary.
- ARD Germany is one of the largest public broadcast stations in the world with almost 23,000 employees. They also broadcast Taggeschau, another highly popular news station which covers a wide range of news topics from major events to global and local politics.
- For a slightly easier entry to authentic German news, try ZDFheute. Their multimedia, digital-first approach provides more graphics and explainers for consumers of their content.
Following German news on social media
Checking out German news stories or news commentary posted on social media can give you great insight into modern German culture, especially youth culture. Platforms like Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok offer a plethora of news content on modern events, typically from the point of view of younger adults.
Be mindful as you view these stories. They’re excellent reading and listening practice, but these accounts on social media often do not have the strict research guidelines that traditional news outlets implement. The information is less reliable, but the German spoken reflects authentic, native language you can use to improve your own fluency.
- MrWissen2go (German/world politics)
- Die Da Oben! (Informal, humorous political and governmental coverage)
- Mailab (Science news)
Tips for learning with German news
To get the most out of the news in German to improve your fluency, plan to view each piece at least twice.
First, give the content a complete read-through or listen to the full video. You’ll likely come across terms that you don’t know, which is excellent! Write these terms down or copy and paste them into a separate document. Don’t worry about looking those new terms up right away, finish the content first. Try to use context clues to figure out what those terms mean or focus on the overall message of the content.
Once you’re done with the first viewing, look up those unfamiliar terms. You can then listen to or read through the news story again and compare what you imagined they were saying with what you now know is being said.
Other handy tips for improving your German with news outlets include:
- Choose news topics that interest you to help maintain motivation.
- Summarize the news topics you covered by writing a paragraph about them at the end of the week.
- Pay special attention to abbreviations that show up. Long German names are often abbreviated, so noticing the trends of how these names are abbreviated can help you identify them in the future.
- Check news coverage during national events like Oktoberfest, Fasching, or Ertnedankfest to see beautiful displays and traditional German culture.
- Watching German news stories will help you build real-world fluency by showing you how native Germans actually speak in their daily lives. Pay attention to the cadence of native speech and the use of interjections and idioms.
Frequently asked questions about German news
German news sources offer informative and entertaining content that will also boost your reading and listening comprehension in German. Here are the three am häufigsten gestellten Fragen (most frequently asked questions) about using the German news to improve your language fluency.
How fluent do I need to be to consume German news?
The complexity of different news stories, videos, and sources differ, but you’ll want to wait until you’re at least at the B1 level of German fluency before consuming news content in German.
This level aligns with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). At this intermediate stage of fluency, you’re able to identify and understand the more intricate sentence structures that are commonplace in news dialogue.
Where do Germans get most of their news?
Public broadcasting news networks funded by the populace are typically at the top of the hierarchy of German news consumption. These are trusted sources, like ZDFheute, that distribute their content on television, websites, and radio to a lesser extent.
Many younger Germans tend to get their news from accounts on social media like Tiktok and Reddit, which can be excellent for cultural relevancy, but may struggle with fake news stories or inaccurate information.
How much German news should I consume each week?
For most intermediate learners, around three hours a week of content, broken up into 30-minute-a-day sessions, is a solid timeframe to start improving vocabulary.
However, depending on your language learning goals, there’s no real upper limit. Your goal should be to focus on engaging with the material you’re consuming, rather than trying to get as much content in a week as possible.
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