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German

Deutsch Gym Mini Review: Improve your German Speaking Skills

Deutsch Gym

Price:

€37/ month

Summary

Are you struggling to speak German confidently? Then you should check out Deutsch Gym.

Deutsch Gym is a friendly online community of German learners whose aim is to help you boost your spoken German. Classes range from A2 to C1 level and are held every single day. You will be placed in small groups where you can practice your spoken German with native speakers and with fellow learners. Every class has a unique and interesting discussion theme. Deutsch Gym’s classes are online, live, audio-only with no video, and an hour long.
Deutsch Gym is 100% focused on conversation, giving you the confidence you need to speak German no matter where you are. Costs are low for everyday sessions. You’ll get a perfect mix of pressure and support, meaning that you get to speak to strangers but the discussion themes guide you when learning. You’ll make friends and improve your German speaking skills at the same time. 

Deutsch Gym uses Discord interface which may not be appealing to some learners, and the classes are in European timezone. If these aren’t dealbreakers for you, then Deutsch Gym is a great resource to help you gain fluency in Spoken German without the fear of making mistakes.

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LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101

Updated November 20, 2023

If you want a language learning podcast that consistently adds new content to keep you motivated, you will find the “Pod101” and “Class101” series quite useful.

One great thing about LanguagePod101 programs is that they do publish new content ALL THE TIME. And their pricing structure allows language learners of any mastery and commitment levels to find contents that are useful. The pricing starts at a mere few dollars per month, and the top subscription called Premium PLUS gives learners personal feedback and a personalized program to follow.

Visit Language Learning Programs in the LanguagePod101 Series

Click the icon to visit the site for the language you want. Purchase or just check it out. Happy Learning!

You can also read ALR independent reviews for each language’s program in the following section.

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Babbel Review German

Babbel German Review: A Solid Option for Value Seekers

Babbel German

Rating 4.2

Summary

Babbel German is an online language-learning platform with over 1 million active users. The app aims to get learners to a conversational level as quickly as possible through the use of a variety of exercises and spaced repetition for review. The courses are well put together and relatively inexpensive.


Quality 4.5

It’s well-designed and the content is immediately useful.

Thoroughness 4.0

The material provided is effective and covers a lot, but isn’t ideal for advanced levels.

Value 4.0

The price is relatively low for what’s offered, but you’ll have to purchase each language separately.

I Like
  • The content is practical for real-life use
  • It’s easy to use
  • The lessons are fairly short
I Don’t Like
  • The exercises can get repetitive
  • The review exercises don’t include grammar concepts
  • Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation
Price

Babbel uses a recurring subscription model and offers a 20-day money-back guarantee. Price per month depends on the length of the subscription and only includes access to one language.

Monthly – $14.95/mo Every 3 Months – $12.65/mo Every 6 Months – $11.15/mo Every year – $7.45/mo

The prices listed here are for customers in the United States; they otherwise vary by region.

Babbel Spring Sale! Get 60% off on Babbel subscriptions. See details on the website. Offer ends on 3/17/24.

Babbel is an online language learning platform and app that offers a variety of courses for different languages, including German. The Babbel German course is designed to help learners of all levels improve their proficiency in the German language.

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Pimsleur Review German

Pimsleur German Review: To Speak German, Emphatic YES

Pimsleur German

Rating 4.0

Summary

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Its courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills, paying less attention to grammar explanations and reading or writing skills. There are over 50 language courses available with Pimsleur, and the bulk of the material is taught with audio lessons.


Quality 4.5

The platform is extremely well designed and easy to use. The content seems to be of high quality at all levels.

Thoroughness 4.0

Timely repetition and active practice work well, and lessons build on each other nicely, but the “intermediate fluency in 30 days” claim may be a stretch.

Value 3.5

The subscription option provides good value for some, but there may be more efficient ways to learn some languages.

I Like
  • The lessons are structured well and are an appropriate length.
  • There are both male and female native speakers.
  • Lessons build on each other nicely.
  • The platform is easy to navigate and visually appealing.
I Don’t Like
  • There’s very little visual content.
  • Lesson speed isn’t customizable.
Price

Subscriptions of either $14.95/month or $19.95/month are available for courses with at least 60 lessons. Prices otherwise range from around $20 to over $500. All purchases come with a 7-day free trial.

Pimsleur German Course Overview

Pimsleur German is a language learning program that uses an audio-based approach to teach the German language. The program is designed to help learners develop their speaking and listening skills in German, with an emphasis on practical, everyday conversations.

Pimsleur German Review: To Speak German, Emphatic YES Read More »

Rosetta Stone Review German

Rosetta Stone German review: Well-Known, But Is It A Good Fit For You

Rosetta Stone German

Rating 3.2

Summary

Rosetta Stone German is one of the most well-known resources for learning German languages. It takes an immersive approach to teaching and is widely used by corporations and individuals alike. High levels of repetition and an absence of translations or explanations are hallmarks of the course. Rosetta Stone course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.


Quality 3.0

The platform is a bit clunky on desktop, but the material is accurate and presented clearly; lesson mechanics are fairly intuitive.

Thoroughness 3.0

Without much opportunity to build your own sentences, I don’t think you’ll reach a conversational level with any notable speed.

Value 3.5

Rosetta Stone’s Lifetime Subscription ($179) is quite attractive if you like the Rosetta Stone Method. Shorter subscriptions are quite reasonable, too.

I Like
  • The audio quality is very good.
  • Lessons progress naturally and logically.
I Don’t Like
  • It’s repetitive and boring.
  • You don’t get to generate your own sentences.
  • Speech recognition doesn’t work very well.
  • No grammar explanations in core material.
Price

A three-month subscription to one language is $35.97, which works out to be $11.99/month.
A year-long subscription to one course is $95.88, which is $7.99/month. Both of these subscriptions are automatically recurring.
Lifetime access to all Rosetta Stone language courses is available for $199.

ALR Readers Exclusive Holiday Deal!! Get the Lifetime Subscription for 25 languages for $179 (everywhere else it’s $199 right now!). See details on the website.

Rosetta Stone German is a well-known language-learning software that offers a comprehensive and interactive approach to learning German. It offers a variety of features that are designed to help learners pick up the language quickly and efficiently. The program is built around a series of interactive lessons that use a variety of methods, such as visual aids, audio recordings, and activities, to teach the language. The course is available online through the company’s website and via their German language app. Additionally, it offers live online sessions with native speakers, allowing learners to practice their speaking and listening skills in a real-life setting.

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Story Learning Review German

StoryLearning German Uncovered Review: Fun Way To Acquire German

StoryLearning German Uncovered

Rating 4.0

Summary

StoryLeaning German Uncovered comes from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular polyglot blog. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around an engaging story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.


Quality 4.0

The instruction is clear but can have too much information crammed into a single lesson.

Thoroughness 4.0

You’ll practice every aspect of the language.

Value 4.0

It has a pretty high price, but if you stick with it, you’ll get good value from it.

I Like
  • Centering the lessons around a story makes learning more fun.
  • Good clear instruction with lots of opportunities to practive what you’ve learned.
  • Gets students to actively participate and take control of their own learning.
I Don’t Like
  • Too many unrelated grammar points are included in the grammar lessons.
  • The review quiz is too short.
Price

A one-time purchase costs $297. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

The StoryLearning Method involves teaching grammar and vocabulary within the context of a short story. Stories mix German vocabulary and grammar points together so that connections can be made between what a word means and how it is used, which research into language development shows is more useful than individual vocabulary points.

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Best Way to Learn German

Best Way to Learn German: Practical & To The Point Tips

Are you looking for the best way to learn German? You’re in luck!

Whether you want to learn German for travel, work or simply for fun, there are plenty of resources available to help you reach your goals. In this article, we’ll share some of the best ways to learn German, so you can choose the approach that works best for you!

Best Way to Learn German: Practical & To The Point Tips Read More »

Lingoda Review – Positive Experience But Room For Improvement

Lingoda

Rating 4.0

Summary

Lingoda is an online language learning platform where you can take private or group classes at any time of the day. They offer lessons in Spanish, German, French, and English. There are a large number of lessons available for everyone from absolute beginners to more advanced levels. It’s a good option to get the structure of a course with the guidance of a teacher, at an affordable price.


Quality 4.0

Both the platform and the content itself are easy to use and presented well.

Thoroughness 4.0

Although there are hundreds of lessons, they could use a bit more variety and you’ll need to study them with a teacher to get much benefit.

Value 4.0

It’s an affordable option that gives you access to good teachers and a comprehensive course.

I Like
  • The flexible hours mean that you can pretty much take a class whenever suits you – whether that’s 3am or 3pm!
  • Right from the start, the teachers speak almost entirely in the language that you’re learning.
  • There are hundreds of different classes covering different subjects for all levels.
I Don’t Like
  • The quality of your class and how much content you cover relies to a large extent on the other students. This also impacts how much time you actually get to speak.
  • The lesson materials all look quite similar and there is not much variation between lessons.
Price

There are lots of different plans available whether it matters how many classes you want to take or if you want to do individual or group.

For group classes, it is $399.99 a month, which gives you access to 40 class subscriptions.

For private classes, the plan is $799.99 a month for 40 classes.

There are a lot of smaller plans than these so take a look as to what is interesting to you.

There are also “marathon” plans for three, six, or twelve months that offer lower per-class rates and a chance to earn cashback if you attend 90% of your classes.

It’s an affordable option that gives you access to good teachers and a comprehensive course.Lingoda is an online language learning school where classes take place 24/7 and native speakers teach you either English, French, German or Spanish (depending on what you sign up for). The lessons progress in difficulty following a course and the teachers help you out along the way in both private and group lessons where you’ll be with up to four other people.

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An Honest Review of Speechling With Image of Girl Looking at Phone

Speechling Review – I Didn’t Know I Was Saying That Wrong!

Speechling

Rating 4.3

Summary

Speechling is a website and app that makes it easy to improve your speaking skills in several languages. The free version is an incredbily valuable resource that makes it easy to practice mimicking native speakers. The Unlimited Plan provides unlimited corrections of your recordings by a teacher.


Quality 4.5

Speachling makes it easy to improve your speaking rhythm and pronunciation.

Thoroughness 4.5

Lots of different ways to practice speaking.

Value 4.0

The free version is better than most paid resources and the paid version provides outstanding value.

I Like
  • An excellent method to improve your speaking abilities and get feedback from a real teacher.
  • Answer the Question, Describe the Image, and Freestyle mode are great for higher levels.
  • You can switch languages at any time. I like seeing translations in my second language while studying my third language.
  • Truly unlimited recordings with quick feedback.
I Don’t Like
  • Absolute Beginners should learn the basics elsewhere first.
  • You’ll need to learn how to make the sounds of your target language on your own.
  • The amount of time given to record sentences can be too short.
Price

The Forever Free Plan is complete free. A monthly subscription to the Unlimited Plan costs $19.99 per month.

Click the link to save 10% on Speechling’s Unlimited Plan.

Speechling has quickly become one of my favorite language learning resources. The free version includes a ton of useful features and the premium plan is great value for the cost.

Speechling Review – I Didn’t Know I Was Saying That Wrong! Read More »