culture
German podcasts for learners, by level
2026-10-02
Podcasts turn dead time into German time. Commuting, cooking, walking the dog, folding laundry: that's easily half an hour a day you could spend listening. And listening is the skill most learners say is hardest, so the practice pays off.
Here's a list of podcasts sorted by level, and a few tips so that listening actually turns into learning.
A1 to A2: explained and slow
At this level, you want podcasts that explain things in English or speak very slowly.
- Coffee Break German by Radio Lingua: a structured course where a teacher and a learner go through lessons step by step. Explanations are in English, so it's a good start from zero.
- Deutsch – warum nicht? by Deutsche Welle: an older audio course built around a story. The production is not new, but the lessons are clear and still useful. You'll find it on the DW website.
- Slow German mit Annik Rubens: short episodes about life in Germany, spoken slowly and clearly. Great for late A2.
A2 to B1: real topics, clear speech
Now you can handle German-only podcasts, as long as people speak clearly.
- Easy German Podcast: Cari and Manuel talk about life in Germany, language questions and listener questions. It's relaxed and natural, and there are transcripts for members.
- Nachrichtenleicht by Deutschlandfunk: the week's news in easy German, with short sentences and clear speech. The website has the texts too.
- Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten by Deutsche Welle: daily news read more slowly than usual, with the transcript on the website.
B1 to B2: podcasts for Germans
These are made for native speakers. Pick topics you'd enjoy in your own language, and don't expect to understand everything.
- Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden and 11KM: the first is the news in under two minutes. The second is a daily news podcast that looks at one story in depth.
- Zeit Verbrechen: true crime from the newspaper Die Zeit. Two journalists talk about real cases. Clear, calm speech.
- Gemischtes Hack: comedians Felix Lobrecht and Tommi Schmitt chat about everything and nothing. Very colloquial, very funny, very fast.
- Fest & Flauschig: Jan Böhmermann and Olli Schulz, two well-known entertainers, talk and joke. A classic of German podcasting.
- Lage der Nation: a weekly politics podcast that explains German news in detail. Good for B2 learners who want to understand the country.
How to listen so you learn
Just having German in your ears helps a little. Listening on purpose helps a lot. Try this:
- Listen once without stopping. Get the main idea. What's the topic? Who's talking?
- Listen again with the transcript, if there is one. Mark the words you didn't catch.
- Look up only the key words. The ones that come up several times or that you need to understand the topic.
- Listen a third time a day or two later, without the transcript. You'll be surprised how much more you understand.
A few more tips:
- Use the speed setting. Most podcast apps let you play at 0.8x speed. That's not cheating, it's training. Switch back to normal when it gets easier.
- Shadowing: pause after a sentence and repeat it out loud, copying the rhythm and melody. It's great for pronunciation.
- Stick with one podcast. Every host has their own way of speaking. After a few episodes, your ear adjusts and you understand much more.
- Mix easy and hard. One "study" podcast with a transcript, and one podcast just for fun, even if you only catch half.
Words you'll hear about podcasts
- die Folge: episode
- der Podcast: podcast (yes, the same word)
- abonnieren: to subscribe
- anhören: to listen to
- das Transkript: transcript
- Hast du schon die neue Folge gehört? Have you listened to the new episode yet?
Hold on to what you hear
When you catch a phrase you want to use, write it down and paste it into our sentence explainer to see why it's built that way. Save the new words to your word library, where you can listen to them and review them as flashcards. And if you'd like a short, steady dose of new vocabulary, our 5 words a day email lands in your inbox every morning.
Viel Spaß beim Hören!