By now, you are acutely aware that you can learn German on YouTube. There is obviously my channel in addition to a ton of other channels. But did you know you can also learn German on Instagram? Stop scrolling through the endless sea of fake influencers, bots and random memes and start using your Instagram account for something good, learning German. Today I will highlight some of the best Instagram accounts to follow to learn German every day and what they offer to German learners.
Let me preface this list by saying that these are not in any particular order. In fact, I purposefully randomized them before I started typing out my script, so I didn’t show one as my favorite and give the impression that I didn’t like another as much. These are all wonderful Instagram pages and I personally follow all of them. I would encourage you to do the same. Now, with that out of the way, let’s get into the list.
Follow German Learning Hashtags
Before we get into the list of pages you should follow, my biggest and best recommendation would actually be to follow some hashtags. If you didn’t know you can do this, simply search for a hashtag such as #learngerman. Then tap on “follow”. Now when someone, anyone, posts about the hashtag #learngerman, you will see it in your feed. Provided it doesn’t get buried below all of the other things you follow.
I would recommend the following hashtags. (The links take you to each hashtag on Instagram, so you can follow them without having to search.)
First up is “eine Tüte Deutsch”, which in English would be “a cone of German”, as in a Schültüte (that giant cone that Germans are given on their first day of school in 1st grade filled with supplies, candy and small toys). This page is run by a wonderful woman named Kim. She alternates between static graphics with voice over which explain small grammar lessons or vocabulary and videos of herself talking, which include German subtitles. Often these two styles are combined in a multi-image or multi-video post. She usually posts every other day or so. Check out her page @einetuetedeutsch.
Another great page with some cute graphics is Germanium Online. This page is run by Lia. Many of her posts center around a single word or concept and then show it in a variety of examples. For example, below I have embedded her post about the verb “sein”, which she shows how to conjugate in the Präsens, Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur 1, and Futur 2. She then encourages you to comment your use of the word. She is very active in the comments section of her posts, so it is a great way for you to get some practice in addition to just having the input from her posts. Her handle is @germanium_online
As the handle and name indicate “Learn German Vocabulary” at the Instagram handle @germansimplify is simple and about vocabulary. They post a single word in German and English along with what part of speech it is. There is also audio so you know how to pronounce it. In the text part of the post, you will find an example sentence in German and English. Like I said, this page is simple. It is a great way to expand your German vocabulary a little at a time. They have a little over 1000 posts, so you have some catching up to do and a lot of vocabulary to learn.
On this next page you will find a huge variety of posts. To generalize what is on this page is a bit difficult. Robert said it best in his intro in the video at the top of this post. He does “micro-lessons”. Sometimes this means he breaks down a quote showing you the full quote first, then individual vocabulary you will need in order to understand the quote. He posts short quizzes, which include audio to hear the questions as well as see them. The answers to the questions are in the text portion of the post. There are posts about vocabulary that is specific to certain situations. There are other posts about famous places in Germany, which include trivia questions. Seriously, the amount of variety on this page is definitely something that stands out. It has something for everyone. His handle is @deutsch.training.
Another great page for learning vocabulary is Days of Deutsch. They simply post images with a piece of paper on which it says a vocabulary word in German. The text for each post gives a bit more context for each vocabulary word. Their website daysofdeutsch.com is also pretty cool, so when you are done exploring their Instagram page @daysofdeutsch, check out their website too.
Another simple, but helpful page is Fisnik Deutsch. Most recently he has shared sentences with audio and English translations. These are on a variety of topics and levels. Older posts include grammar lessons, word of the day posts and more. His stories often include multiple choice questions about the German language, grammar and sentence structure. Check him out at @fisnik.deutsch.
One of the biggest names, in terms of followers on Instagram, is Deutsch mit Benjamin. His regular posts include pronunciation tips like the small differences between “Gesicht” and “Geschichte”. He goes into great detail in those videos and they are super helpful. Where his page really shines, however, is in his stories. They include quick multiple choice questions that can help you practice your German skills. The level at which the questions are targeted vary from post to post, but they generally tie back into his regular posts on his feed.
He also has a YouTube channel now, which includes one of my favorite German lessons of all of the videos on all of the channels out there, including my own. His video about listening to quickly spoken German and the analysis of a single sentence is phenomenal. He breaks down the emphasis on certain words or parts of words, the dropping of letters or syllables at the end of words and the slurring of one word into another. It is the best 23 minutes of German learning you will spend. Period. Full stop. I seriously can’t express how much I love that video.
Speaking of YouTubers, you probably already follow several YouTube channels for learning German. If you weren’t already aware, however, most of those YouTubers also have Instagram accounts and they share content over there that they don’t on YouTube. This is a great opportunity for you to connect with your favorite teachers and get extra lessons from them.
Dein Sprachcoach
I haven’t featured this channel in my other “YouTube channels for German learning” posts, but Dein Sprachcoach is a great channel both on YouTube and as an Instagram page. If you like my skits that I do on my channel, you need to check out Dein Sprachcoach. She does short topical skits that are not only entertaining, but also educational. Sometimes the skits explain common grammar errors other times she explains idiomatic expressions.
Her YouTube channel has similar content, but in longer form and a lot more in depth, as you would expect from YouTube. She currently has under 5,000 subscribers on YouTube, but considering she just started uploading videos there in May, I would not be surprised if she reaches 100,000 subscribers before the end of 2020. Her videos are that good. You can follow her on Instagram at @dein_sprachcoach and on YouTube on the channel “Dein Sprachcoach”.
The page with the largest Instagram following on my list for today is LerneDeutsch with over 187,000 followers. A lot of their posts are simple phrases in German that they read out loud. They also post listening comprehension videos, which are on a variety of topics. They started their YouTube channel over a year ago, but a few months ago they started posting videos more regularly. You can find them on Instagram at @lernedeutsch or on YouTube here.
One of the best YouTube channels, especially if you are trying to pass a German proficiency test is Deutsch mit Marija. Her YouTube channel is full of great content for anyone trying to reach the next level or study for a German exam. On her Instagram page you will find more behind the scenes type content. She shares what is going on in her life all in German. It is very interesting to see what she is working on and what she is up to next. You can find her at @deutschmitmarija.
It is no secret that one of my favorite YouTubers is Katja from Deutsch für Euch. On her instagram page you will find little grammar lessons and posts about whatever is going on in her world, mostly in German, so you can catch up with Katja and learn a bit of German at the same time. You can find her at @deutschfureuch. Just make sure to leave out the E for the word “für”, as that is a different account (and not nearly as cool).
If you like LanguageSheep’s graphics and style of teaching on YouTube, you can gain a lot by going to his Instagram page and checking out the graphics that he posts there. Unfortunately he isn’t very active there, so the best place to learn German from him is still his YouTube channel. @languagesheep
The YouTube channel Wanted Adventure is great for getting an American perspective on life in Germany. If you want to learn German with Dana as well, her Instagram stories are all in German. You can find out what is going on in her world, keep up on her latest projects, and listen to she and her husband Stefan speak German. It is a great way to increase your listening comprehension. In her stories she often includes English subtitles so you can check your comprehension that way. @wantedadventure
If you didn’t know this about Dominik from Get Germanized, he is actually a really good photographer and photo editor. I like following him on Instagram just because his images are stunning. That said, you can also learn German from him on Instagram, as he often posts stories and other videos in German. It also gives you a great insight into life in Germany. @meisterlehnsherr
Follow some cities and learn about their sites while also learning German. For example: Munich – @muenchen. Just search for a German city name, find the official Instagram page for that city and follow them.
Catch up on the news with the Tagesschau. @tagesschau
Learn something random knowledge that probably will have no impact on your day to day life, but might teach you some new vocabulary from @quarks.de.
Hallo, Deutschlerner! Are you struggling to find ways to practice your German language skills? Do you find traditional methods of language learning boring or ineffective?…
