The Best YouTube Channels for German Learners

If you are planning on learning German, you need to find the best YouTube channels for learning German. There are YouTube channels for everything from grammar lessons to listening comprehension exercises to test preparation help and everything in between. So how do you know which ones are the best for your needs? Well, for starters, you watch this video or read this blog post. 

The Best YouTube Channels for Learning German

How This List is Set Up

Most of the channels on my list for today don’t just do one kind of video. They combine listening comprehension and grammar and culture all together. I’m going to list the channels, however, by a few categories that I think will be most helpful for German learners. If you are looking for certain kinds of videos, the categories I am using today will help you find exactly what you need when you need it. 

For example: I pride myself on my grammar lessons. My channel has some listening comprehension videos, but there are other channels that do it better. My channel isn’t exclusively this or that, but I would say my channel is more grammar oriented, so I would put my channel in the German Grammar category for today’s video. 

I’ll link the channels featured in this video along with their websites, Patreon pages and other pertinent information in the pinned comment below this video, because there is too much information to fit in the description. If you think I missed a channel that deserves to be on this list, please leave a comment down below and let me know what makes that channel unique. 

Listening Comprehension

Let’s start off with the category I think is most difficult to get right, listening comprehension. If you are going to learn any language, comprehensible input is key. The more you listen to a language, the more you interact with it and experience it, the more you will learn. Listening comprehension videos are the best way to expand your vocabulary, put your grammar lessons into practice and check your language learning progress. 

Easy German

Easily the best channel in this category is Easy German. If you haven’t come across them yet, you are truly missing out. They do street interviews in Berlin. They ask questions of native German speakers and they answer in real German. You get authentic conversational German in every single video.

Some of their most recent video topics include: Have you lied today?, What’s Angela Merkel’s legacy?, How do you stay in shape? and How would you describe yourself? 

It doesn’t matter what you are trying to learn, there is an Easy German episode for that. Go to their channel and use the search button to find anything you would want. With over 600 videos on their channel, you will have enough videos to spend the next year and most of the following one watching an Easy German video every day! They are also uploading a new video every Sunday and Wednesday, so you will never run out of listening comprehension videos from Easy German. 

Kurzgesagt

The next channel in the listening comprehension category is not actually meant to be a language learning channel. Kurzgesagt is a channel dedicated to explaining complex topics in the areas of space, physics, biology, politics and philosophy. Even though the channel isn’t intended for German learners, it is still a great resource for you. Their simple explanations and entertaining animations make the information easy to digest and the German subtitles are there if you need the extra support. If you are a more advanced learner, I definitely recommend you check out Kurzgesagt. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/KurzgesagtDE
Website: https://kurzgesagt.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KurzgesagtDE/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kurzgesagt_DE
Wie sahen Dinosaurier wirklich aus? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW3rHvMh5AE
Ist Fleisch wirklich schlecht fürs Klima? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eeYdcCql24
Das größte schwarze Loch des Universums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRgN9I8vp4k

tagesschau

Next up is another channel that is not intended as a language learning resource, Tagesschau. This is actually a German news program put together by Deutsche Welle. I haven’t noticed too much political bias in their coverage and they speak incredibly clear and relatively slow German, which makes it great for German learners. They do tend to speak a bit faster than most beginners can handle and their vocabulary is definitely not for beginners, but advanced learners can keep up with current events and learn German at the same time. I personally watch Tagesschau on the Google Nest Hub in my kitchen while I’m washing dishes. It works well as a podcast too, if you just want the listening comprehension without the visuals. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/tagesschau
App: https://www.tagesschau.de/app/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tagesschau/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tagesschau/
Schützt die Impfung vor Omikron? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U42muaEfBjo
Machtkampf bei VW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw8yowMbop4

Learn German with Anja

Next up is a friend of the channel and a very enthusiastic German teacher, Anja. On the channel Learn German with Anja you will find a ton of excellent lessons, but her listening comprehension videos are my favorite. She speaks slow enough for beginners to understand and in many of her older videos she repeats herself, so you make sure you understand what she says. Anja’s channel also includes lessons on building vocabulary, pronunciation practice, and German grammar. If you are looking for an energetic and exciting German teacher, Anja is the teacher for you. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/LearnGermanwithAnja
Website: https://learngermanwithanja.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learngermanwithanja/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnGermanWithAnja
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@learngermanwithanja?
Unser Penthouse in Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tNftzLpbEM
Pronunciation Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OhFb-G75HE
Common Mistakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onXpeigkOdc
Reflexive Pronouns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6sLldGCGic

Slow German (Podcast)

I’ve been a big fan of the Slow German podcast for many years, but the podcast is also available on YouTube. The title tells you everything. Each lesson is a listening comprehension exercise about a topic of interest. Most recently this includes lessons about German colonies and the German federal election, but you can find lessons on a huge variety of topics like popular vacation destinations of Germans, jobs, Christmas, asparagus and a whole lot more. There are currently almost 300 videos on her channel, so you will have plenty to keep you busy for a while. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/slowgermanpodcast
Website: https://slowgerman.com/
Support Slow German on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/slowgerman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slowgerman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowgerman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slowgermanpodcast/
German Colonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SB38m9k-hA
German Federal Election: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7acMx7DIgM
Vacationing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IS90Nnbaqo
Jobs & Careers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqRwmEo2aqY
Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cUt8uSFWag
Asparagus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anESPJg2ViE

Deutsche Welle

If you haven’t used Deutsche Welle’s German learning resources yet, you really need to check out their website. They have a ton of resources for every level of German learning. Most of the videos they create are also available on YouTube. One of my favorite things they have made is Nico’s Weg, which is a series that follows a young man around Germany as he gets acclimated to the country and language. It is perfect for beginners and goes all the way up to B1. Jojo sucht das Glück is another great series and is aimed at the B1/B2 levels. 

There are over 2000 videos on their channel, so I recommend starting with their playlists. From here you can find the videos that are best for your level and needs. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/dwlearngerman
Website: https://www.dw.com/en/learn-german/s-2469
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dw.learngerman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dw_learngerman
Nicos Weg A1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcZ2ud4T3o&list=PLs7zUO7VPyJ6eoN6SmB1UcwvPUagK87ix
Nicos Weg A2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcZ2ud4T3o&list=PLs7zUO7VPyJ7YxTq_g2Rcl3Jthd5bpTdY
Nicos Weg B1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcZ2ud4T3o&list=PLs7zUO7VPyJ5razSfhOUVbTv9q6SAuPx-
Jojo sucht das Glück – Staffel 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5xmAlPXBBM&list=PLs7zUO7VPyJ5q8vaO9vohSzNntbYvItJR
Jojo sucht das Glück – Staffel 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQsatgULSqQ&list=PLs7zUO7VPyJ6tTk_HgUDHEMn1ej5673fo

Deutsch mit Benjamin

Deutsch mit Benjamin is definitely for more advanced learners, but the kinds of lessons you get from his channel cannot be found anywhere else on the internet. You heard that right. The videos you find on his channel are unique. They are all entirely in German and aimed at the everyday use of German. From slang to little particle words that you find sprinkled throughout German sentences. 

My favorite video of his shows how certain words flow together when speaking German. It is a pronunciation video I haven’t seen anyone else cover and it is super insightful. His other pronunciation videos are also very well done. It’s the little things that you don’t really think about until it is pointed out to you. Like the letter T being dropped or softened in certain words like “mitten” and “warten”. I  never would have noticed that on my own. His lessons are full of little insights to help you advance your German. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeutschmitBenjamin
Website: https://akademie.deutsch-mit-benjamin.com/pages/homepage
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deutsch_mit_benjamin/
Telegram: https://t.me/deutsch_mit_benjamin_kanal
Slang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH69d8hPIWU
Particle Words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6jMTRn3dSg
Pronunciation with Words Flowing Together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH0w1NEDLxU
When the T disappears from German words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8ml_wjaPBI

My German Short Stories

I almost included this channel in the underrated channel category, because 50,000 subscribers isn’t nearly enough for the amazing work that this channel produces. Once per month they upload an animated story in German for German learners. They are simple stories that help you learn everyday vocabulary and the drawings are great. This channel deserves so much more recognition than it currently has, so please go over and subscribe to their channel. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfICLkXJnzcDDc3I7S6f9QA
Support My German Short Stories on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mygermanshortstories
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mygermanshortstories/
Friseure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d7INlklb_Y
Wettkämpfe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgG3Lsh31Ek
Urlaube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU_OYAa7p6c

BookBox German

BookBox is a website and app that is dedicated to increasing literacy in many different languages. Obviously I recommend you use their German learning channel for improving your German listening and reading comprehension, but if you are learning other languages, they likely have another channel for that language. Their videos are animated short stories with highlighted subtitles to help you follow along. This is geared towards children, so it is perfect for any of you, like me, who have little kids at home who want to learn German. There is also a mobile app, which I highly recommend, as you can take these books anywhere you go and learn when you have a few spare minutes. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEzhKyjlp60u0Kgqc_ikNA
Website: https://bookbox.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookboxinc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookBoxInc/
Kein Lächeln heute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tUDZF1q0Ls
The Elves and the Shoemaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ1GlaIZ8Jo
Goodnight, Tinku! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x44bYx-vPS4

Goethe Institut

This is another channel with a huge amount of content. The Goethe Institut is often touted as the gold standard of German learning. While I’m not familiar with their in-person lessons or test prep classes, I love their Ticket nach Berlin series for German learners. It is like the TV show “The Amazing Race”. Several students from around the world have to complete certain tasks in order to go on to the next part of the race. They speak German the entire time with each other and the people they have to interact with in order to complete the race. It is a wonderful series for German learners. The Goethe Institut YouTube channel also has a ton of other lessons, which are mostly listening comprehension. Again, due to the amount of content on this channel, I recommend you start with their playlists to find what works best for you. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/goetheinstitut/featured
Website: https://www.goethe.de/de/index.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goetheinstitut/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/goetheinstitut
Ticket nach Berlin Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPRUrh8BUoU&list=PLquImyRfMt6eqMZi0_2iXPtTP6ST_hwlM
24hDeutsch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f3FjSQp6_M&list=PLquImyRfMt6fAbI26eEYx01U0XDZTr33D

Dein Sprachcoach

This channel is another great resource for pronunciation. For a long time I thought Maria was a native German speaker, but she is actually from Russia. Her pronunciation is phenomenal and she is known amongst us German language content creators as the queen of pronunciation. She even has an intensive course to help you lose your accent. I put her channel in the category of listening comprehension, because all of her videos are in German and a lot of them are specifically for vocabulary learning or specific uses for various words and phrases. Her videos are amazing. If you are looking for shorter form videos, you should definitely check her out on Instagram, where she has almost 300,000 followers. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxqCqZHE6guBCdSUEWpPsg
Website: https://dein-sprachcoach.de/blog/
Free Ebook: https://dein-sprachcoach.de/e-book/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dein.sprachcoach
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dein_sprachcoach/?igshid=120mo2n85lrus
Zusammen vs Gemeinsam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0TmnEw7cQc
Termine auf Deutsch vereinbaren: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ze9oRepgPk
Zungenbrecher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecgL56TGu0M
Häufige Fehler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POcXmQ37S6Q

Grammar

Next up is a category that I am pretty passionate about. I am one of the people who believe you need to understand grammar in order to advance your language learning. I don’t think it should be at the top of your list, which is why I put it after the listening comprehension category, but grammar does have a place in language learning. If you are looking for grammar lessons in German, these channels are the best in the business. 

Deutsch für Euch

Katja is one of the coolest grammar nerds you will ever meet. I use at least 10 of her videos in my in-person classes every year. She has a joyful personality and teaches grammar in a way that everyone can understand. She breaks apart big topics into smaller bits, like her series on verb prefixes. There are currently 23 videos in the playlist about prefixes and every single one of them is amazing. She breaks down what the prefixes do to the verb and how it changes the meaning as well as the other grammar bits around each prefix.  

Don’t get confused when I tell you that the grammar lessons on Deutsch für Euch are amazing. Her other videos are equally awesome! She does storytime, which I personally really enjoy. She tells stories about things that happen to her in German. Each story is equally entertaining and educational. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeutschFuerEuch
Website: https://www.deutschfureuch.com/
Support DFE on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DFE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deutschfureuch/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatjaDFE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDFE/
Verb Prefix Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO1sUSTWcFc&list=PLDl7JofqmDnFRQZ7065xAkITtNMAyPXFU
Storytime – Warum ich immer Mützen trage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETTQ6klc5WE
Storytime – I thought they were going to beat us up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WSy1B0m7SY
Konjunktiv 2 Basics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lnYuYo9jW8
Herr Antrim & DFE Collaboration Video about Booking a Flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GxYL3ZRrq4
Herr Antrim & DFE Collaboration Video about the Dative Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEu3oy11V5c

Lingoni German

This channel used to be known as German with Jenny, but when she expanded her business to include French and English lessons, she rebranded as Lingoni. While she does some listening comprehension videos, most of her videos are about grammar topics or how to use certain phrases. She does an amazing job of giving lessons that are bite-sized. They are shorter explanations of smaller parts of grammar. Every lesson is clearly explained and I am personally a fan of her work. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/JenniferTehraud
Website: https://de.lingoni.com/
Support Lingoni on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lingoniGERMAN
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lingoni.german/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingoni_german
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lingoni.GERMAN/
Two-Way Prepositions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgzkMrn4UqY
Pronunciation of “Sprudelwasser”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGieRV_U-qw
Idioms: ​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCq6Lokmmag
tun vs machen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnPW2O3M3xs
Herr Antrim & Jenny “Why your German teacher wants to scream at you” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N39vvw6W7S8

Deutsch mit Marija

I have mentioned this channel before as the best place to go for proficiency exam prep lessons. This is still true. Marija’s videos all have the CEFR level listed in the title so you know which level it is for. Each topic she covers can be directly correlated to a topic needed for the exam at the level in the video. Her website boasts a 16 week course that guarantees you will pass the B2 exam. Watching her videos on YouTube will increase your reading and writing skills in German, which is something you can’t really say about too many channels on YouTube

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeutschmitMarija
Website: ​​https://deutsch-mit-marija.de/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschmitmarija/
Verbs with “haften”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpaET2RFyUY
Pronunciation of “Eichhörnchen”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDBLuskyCVA
kriegen vs bekommen vs erhalten: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOyPsauXG3A
Mistakes Native Speakers Make: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOtjlKulKxM

YourGermanTeacher

Johannes and Luzi have videos that I consider to be very similar to the style of videos I make. They are lessons in English about German grammar with a green screen and graphics behind them. Obviously their style of teaching is different than mine, but the overall format is similar. They really shine when they explain the difference between small things. Like the difference between weil, denn and da or the temporal adjectives like oft, selten, and manchmal. This channel is full of fantastic grammar lessons, so you should definitely check them out. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/YourGermanTeacher
Website: https://www.yourgermanteacher.com/
Support YourGermanTeacher on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/yourgermanteacher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourgermanteacher/
Weil, denn, da: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyHnzQTka6Q
oft, selten, manchmal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgntEB5I5fI
How to pass the A1 speaking test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwDaZZ_PKvU
How to pass the A1 reading test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-FRm3NwpUY
How to pass the A1 writing test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozAUc8rF450

Lingster Academy

This channel is another one with pretty straight forward German grammar lessons. They include charts and other helpful graphics to help you understand complicated topics. She has an excellent video about the Konjunktiv 1, which I have never talked about on my channel. She also has a much better video about basic sentence structure than my video. Hers explains a lot more than my video does and it is definitely worth checking out. 

Lingster Academy Links

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXQtWe9386khJaGivyO-c-w
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lingster.academy/?hl=de
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lingster.academy?
Konjunktiv 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsN9hKwRo0
Sentence Structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9nZBRUJ7Pk
Accusative & Dative Objects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sKz1_uejD4

Andrea Thionville

Andrea Thionville has been on YouTube for a very long time. I first started watching her channel for the songs for German learners. They are catchy and entertaining. Lately I have started watching more of her grammar lessons. She always labels them with the level at which they are targeted. What makes her unique, however, are the drawings and graphics. I tend to use a lot of stock images I download from the internet. Hers are all created by her and they are adorable. There is a pretty solid argument to be made that I should have put her channel in the listening comprehension section, as her videos also accomplish that goal, but I ultimately ended up on the grammar end, as the listening comprehension she does is aimed at helping you learn grammar. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/andreathionville
Website: https://teddylingua.de/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clipsinka
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.de/athionville/
Adjectives with Prepositions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEQuGukKxUQ
Präteritum Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N30he_-vgZM
Präteritum Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1-gwwtOf5g
A Skit Written by Andrea Thionville and Performed by Herr Antrim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-SO48dEZfs

Culture

Up next is the category of culture. A lot of people seem to think that this category doesn’t belong to German learning, but I believe you can’t really understand a language until you understand its people. These channels may also teach you some German language along the way, but I put them in the category of culture. 

Don’t Trust the Rabbit

First up is a personal favorite of mine, Trixi from the channel Don’t Trust the Rabbit. Trixi will teach you idiomatic expressions in German, but she will also teach you a lot about the way Germans think. If you want to get into the mindset of a German, you need to watch her videos. She talks about what it is like being pregnant in Germany, things you shouldn’t say to people and a whole lot more. 

Don’t Trust the Rabbit Links

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DontTrustTheRabbit
Website: http://dont-trust-the-rabbit.blogspot.com/
Support DTTR on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/donttrusttherabbit
Merch: https://donttrusttherabbit.creator-spring.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/trixirabbit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@donttrusttherabbityt?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donttrusttherabbit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donttrusttherabbit/
Common Mistakes for German Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mShxXzL53KM
The word “locker”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svU_6Zx1MLQ
6 Unfunny Uncle Phrases: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV1ek9orGS0
Belly Slang Words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msXx6V0urFA
Herr Antrim & Trixi Collaboration about looking for an apartment: https://youtu.be/TWy8cakFjkE

Get Germanized

One of the OG German teachers on YouTube is Vuko, AKA Meister Lehnsherr, AKA Dominik. He has been making German lessons since 2009 on YouTube and is still going strong. He teaches a variety of German related topics, like many in this post, but my favorites are his cultural videos. He talks about things you should and shouldn’t say in Germany, various phrases to use in certain situations, and even reads German stories on occasion.

I think one of the best things about Dominik’s channel is that you never really know what is going to be in the next lesson. One week it is the top 5 German Christmas movies, other weeks he is just talking about his thoughts on various topics while driving around in Germany in his car and there are also videos of German stories, phrases and even grammar. His channel has a huge variety of content, so you should definitely stop by over there and check out what he has going on. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/MeisterLehnsherr
Website: https://getgermanized.de/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meisterlehnsherr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vuko
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetGermanized
Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/getgermanized
Cook Like a German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex2v5946pl4
Top 5 German Christmas Movies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3AiuNcgtRE
Car Thoughts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovhec5snyk8
Die Frau am See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIXvbMFk9pw
Herr Antrim & Dominik Collaboration “Wir haben Hunger” Song: https://youtu.be/ysG3lUFoF2A

Feli from Germany

I only recently found this next channel, but her videos have been really taking off. Feli is a German, who is living in the United States. On her channel she compares her experiences in the USA to her experiences in Germany. She is really insightful and has some great points about both the German and American cultures. Recently she uploaded a video about the top 5 places to visit in Germany, which was a pretty cool video. A video that I personally enjoyed is her video about classic American TV shows that every German knows. I appreciated the nostalgia of seeing shows that I grew up watching as well as seeing the differences that come up with those shows. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/FelifromGermany
Website: https://felifromgermany.com/
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/understandingtrainstation
Support Feli on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/felifromgermany
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felifromgermany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felifromgermany/
Best Places to Visit in Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjasSxU6wTw
Is there still a divide between east and west Germany? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owFS5dVbrpw
Classic TV Shows All Germans Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyAlhArHwLo
German Idioms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6p0BowgrHk
Pronunciation of German Company Names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGx5lEDLC4Q

Underrated Channels That Need More Hype!

The last category for today is for channels that don’t get enough recognition for how awesome they are. These underrated channels have under 25,000 subscribers, but have the makings of a channel that will one day reach over 100,000. If you haven’t already subscribed to these channels, do it today and let them know in the comments under their videos that I sent you there. 

Natural. Fluent. German.

First up is Natural. Fluent. German. This channel only has just over 7500 subscribers at the time I wrote this script. Flemming teaches you German without concentrating on grammar. His lessons are mostly aimed at the B1 and above, which is something that not a lot of channels offer. In fact, most of my videos are A1/A2 level. I only have a few that are B1 and above.

Some of his more recent videos include reading a news article and explaining what is being said in a simpler way than what is in the article. He really breaks it down well and you can get a lot from that lesson. There is also a video using music by Helene Fischer to learn German. He has vocabulary learning tips and a whole lot more. 

He also does a podcast with another YouTuber from my list, Benjamin from the channel Deutsch mit Benjamin in which they discuss topics around German learning and the German language. If you are learning German at the B1 or above level, his podcast videos are fantastic for you. One of the best things you can do at this level is take in as much German as you can. This podcast is perfect for putting on in the background while you do other things. It will definitely increase your listening comprehension and teach you a ton of other stuff.  

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw0Ygh4XYRuCGPbSNpxQofA/featured
Website: https://naturalfluentgerman.com/
Support Natural. Fluent. German. on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46781694
Podcast with Benjamin from Deutsch mit Benjamin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6cvi8e0sg8&list=PL2ALK0ApOBewBu3rWMCRCrqzCZbBX30Lu
Arbeiten und Leben in Deutschland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD8EvedfQ4o
Deutsch lernen mit Helene Fischer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhBZFS5NnYw
Zeitungsartikel lesen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUS_9gwDkA

Deutsch lernen mit Max

Next we have Deutsch lernen mit Max. If you like Anja’s bubbly personality, you will love Max. His lessons are on a wide variety of topics. In one recent video he gives 50 synonyms for gut, so you never have to worry about being repetitive. He talks about important verbs, common mistakes and tips for test taking. He has a wealth of knowledge and definitely shows a skill level well above his current 5000 subscribers. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeutschlernenmitMax/featured
Website: https://deutschlernenmitmax.de/maxmethode
50 Synonyms for gut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfWm-3ACAXg
German Farewells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poBgMqyVgDQ
Pronunciation of Important Verbs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCOmIkT0rlc
Seasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzj1MUbEn-w

German with Tetiana

The third channel on my underrated channel list is German with Tetiana. She shares videos about grammar, vocabulary and slang. I personally appreciate her use of memes and clips of authentic materials in her videos. It really adds a special component to her lessons. Tetiana is an excellent teacher and you should check out her channel.

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_F0GOrlYcYPSsB06DAHBGQ/featured
Support Tetiana: https://ko-fi.com/deutschmittetiana
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ttatien/
Modalverben – können: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvtt2tletJk
Slang of the Year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3fSRi10D8M
Fußball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXtFPJ8og-A
Synonyms for Verstehen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuMgF3MRLmk

LerneDeutsch

The last channel on my list is LerneDeutsch. Steffi has a huge following on Instagram, but she is just starting out on YouTube and currently only has 20,000 subscribers there. I, like many of her over 300,000 Instagram followers, thoroughly enjoy her short form videos, but if you are looking for longer lessons from Steffi, her YouTube channel is full of wonderful lessons. She has lessons about separable prefix verbs, animal names, pronunciation, learning tips and a whole lot more. She has an entertaining and unique perspective on German learning and has earned her spot on this list. 

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE2vOZZIluHMtt2sAXhRhcw
Website: https://lernedeutsch.online/community/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lernedeutsch/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lernedeutsch1/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lernedeutsch?lang=en
Separable Verbs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPC0lwROZww
Animal Names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaQev1YTmZA
Pronunciation of CH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTuV8ufk5Ao
Learning Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrT-InAUG-I

2017 List of the Best YouTube Channels for German Learners

How do you find the best YouTube channels for learning German? 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. There are endless YouTube channels for everything from cute dog and cat videos to educational channels and, of course, channels that can teach you German. Obviously, I’m not the only one making videos to help you learn German. In fact, I’m personally subscribed to about 70 channels that I use in my German classes every year. Some of them focus on culture, some on language and some on both. Today I want to show you 12 of my favorite YouTubers that can help you learn about the German language, people, and culture.

Click here to see Herr Antrim act out a skit written by the amazing YouTube channel Andrea Thionville.

This is not a Top 12 List of the Best YouTube Channels for Learning German

Let me preface this post by saying that this is not a “top 12” or a “countdown”. I put these channels in an order that allows me to make good transitions from one channel to the next. I’m not telling you to subscribe to one of these channels. I’m telling you to subscribe to all of these channels. Follow them on their social networks. Support them on Patreon. Buy their ebooks and merchandise. Download their apps.

If you are serious about learning about the German language and culture, ALL of these channels are for you. Links to all of these channels plus their social networks and websites are listed after each channel description and video examples. So without further ado, let’s get started.

DON’T FORGET: IF IT IS UNDERLINED, YOU CAN CLICK IT!

Learn German with Jenny

Let’s start things off with one of the fastest rising German learning channels on YouTube and for good reason. German with Jenny is currently sitting at around 460,000 subscribers and is rising every day. She does listening comprehension videos, grammar lessons, and lessons that focus on the usage of a single phrase or verb in specific situations.

The last category I mentioned is my personal favorite. She takes a simple phrase like “I used to…” and builds an entire lesson around that one phrase. It is an amazing way to make lessons more easily digestible and allows you to target a language goal with pinpoint accuracy. If you are looking for a great example of what to expect from Jenny, check out her video about the phrase “I got used to it…”. Both “I used to…” and “I got used to it…” are embedded below.

Learn German with Jenny’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Learn German with Jenny on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.
Subscribe to Learn German with Jenny on YouTube
Learn German with Jenny’s Website
Support Learn German with Jenny on Patreon
Follow Learn German with Jenny on Facebook
Follow Learn German with Jenny on Twitter

Learn German with Anja

A channel that makes videos that are very similar to the style of Learn German with Jenny and are also at about the same level of popularity are those from the channel Learn German with Anja. Anja is a very high-energy and entertaining German teacher who uploads a wide variety of videos. She does some vlogs about where she is traveling, as she was on vacation when I created this list. She gives tips on the common mistakes that German learners make, pronunciation help, and short topical vocabulary lessons. I personally love her video about 10 German Animal Names You Must Know, which is embedded below her links.

Learn German with Anja’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Learn German with Anja on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Learn German with Anja
Learn German with Anja’s Website
Support Learn German with Anja Patreon
Follow Learn German with Anja on Facebook
Follow Learn German with Anja on Twitter

smarterGerman

If you are looking for German grammar lessons that teach you in a way that no one else can and you want to learn German faster, more efficiently, and effectively, you need to subscribe to smarterGerman. His lessons on German grammar are fantastic. He has a method of helping you remember which gender German nouns take that I haven’t seen on any other channel on YouTube. There is even an app for that now. He also has an app for his method of learning irregular verbs in the Präteritum and Perfekt tenses in German.

His tips, however, are just a sampler of the things that Michael can teach you about the German language. He has full courses available on his website that can take you from A1 to B1 in just 3 months. His partner in crime, Margareth, composes music especially for German learners to help them with one of the most difficult tasks: the German sentence structure. smarterGerman should definitely be on your subscription list, if it isn’t already.

smarterGerman’s Social Networks

If you want to follow smarterGerman on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to smarterGerman
smarterGerman’s Website
Like smarterGerman on Facebook
Follow smarterGerman on Twitter
Follow smarterGerman on Instagram

Deutsch für Euch

You can’t have a list of the best German learning YouTube channels without talking about Deutsch für Euch. Katja may not have a lot of time to make videos nowadays, but her channel has plenty to keep you busy for a long time. She has one of the most complete and detailed German grammar video courses and it is completely free.

Start with her very first episode about German pronunciation from 2013 and watch every video from beginning to end. EVERY episode of Deutsch für Euch is packed full of amazing information and is definitely worth watching. Even though she doesn’t regularly upload anymore, you should still subscribe to her channel so that when she gets back to making more videos you won’t miss out on what she has planned next. If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, you should hit the bell notification button, so you get a notification when she uploads something new.

Deutsch für Euch’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Deutsch für Euch on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Deutsch für Euch
Support Deutsch für Euch on Patreon
Follow Deutsch für Euch on Facebook
Follow Deutsch für Euch on Twitter

LanguageSheep

One of my favorite videos by Deutsch für Euch is her very first episode about pronunciation in German. If you are looking for more help with your pronunciation, you should check out another great German learning YouTube channel, LanguageSheep. Want a video about the pronunciation of the “ch” sounds in German? This channel has 5. Do you have problems with the German “R”? There are 3 videos for that. How about umlauts? Yep, they have that covered.

While I personally love their videos about pronunciation, they also offer a variety of videos that can help you prepare for that German proficiency exam you have coming up. From A1 to B1, they have you covered for exam preparation videos. This channel doesn’t upload on a regular schedule either, so make sure to click the bell notification button for this one, too.

Language Sheep’s Social Networks

If you want to follow LanguageSheep on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to LanguageSheep
Like LanguageSheep on Facebook
Follow LanguageSheep on Twitter
Follow LanguageSheep on Instagram

Easy German

One of the best German learning YouTube channels that I have been following for a very long time is Easy Languages. They have been on YouTube since 2006! I have been following them for so long that I remember when their channel was called “Mag auch sein” and they were uploading videos under the name “Solar Net”. Way back in 2008 they uploaded a video in which Cari creepily stands in front of a local grocery store and asks people what they bought in German. It included German and English subtiles on top of each other and this was my introduction to their channel.

Since then they have opened up several other channels and the one I would suggest you follow and support, of course, is Easy German. They started out going out into the streets in Germany and asking simple questions to native German speakers. This is fantastic for learning conversational German, increasing your listening comprehension, and expanding your vocabulary. It is also great for picking up those little things in German that native speakers seemingly randomly throw into sentences like “doch”, “denn”, or “ja”. I’ll give you a hint, these things aren’t random.

Now Easy German uploads three kinds of videos. Wednesday is labeled “Super Easy German”, because these videos are for the beginners. Sundays you will still get the street interviews that they are known for. Occasionally, they also upload a video in which Cari answers questions from the viewers. Long story short, if you want a video about a particular topic in which almost nothing is scripted and you can just hear native German speakers talk about that topic, search for it on Easy German’s channel and you will most likely find it.

Easy German’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Easy German on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Easy German
Easy German’s Website
Support Easy German on Patreon
Like Easy German on Facebook
Follow Easy German on Twitter
Follow Easy German on Instagram

Authentic German Learning

Sometimes the videos on Easy German can be a bit too fast paced for some learners. Native speakers in those videos are talking at their normal rate of speech. This can be incredibly frustrating. If you are looking for someone to slow things down for you, you need to subscribe to Authentic German Learning with Marco.

His videos are always in German and most of the time they include subtitles. One of the cool things about Marco’s channel is that he uploads a lot of videos about motivation and keeping a clear mind when learning German. He talks about the struggles of learning German and how you can overcome the hurdles you may face. He also does occasional travel videos and vlogs, which are also entertaining and at a rate of speech that beginners can comprehend.

Authentic German Learning’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Authentic German Learning on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Authentic German Learning
Authentic German Learning’s Website
Follow Authentic German Learning on Facebook
Follow Authentic German Learning on Twitter

VlogDave

Another German guy who talks slowly enough for German learners to understand is VlogDave. He does videos about grammar topics and common mistakes by German learners, but his vlogs are where Dave really sets himself apart from the crowd. His vlogs are well planned out, carefully curated, beautifully edited works of art. They include German and English subtitles together just like on Easy German. His video about exploring Cologne a few weeks ago was awesome.

Long after this video and post came out, Rammstein came out with their first album in 10 years and their last one before they retire. VlogDave has done an excellent job explaining the lyrics to Rammstein’s songs. He also explains cultural aspects about the songs that you might have otherwise overlooked.

At just under 8,000 subscribers at the time I wrote this video script in 2017 (now over 27,000 at the time of editing this post in 2019), VlogDave is definitely one of the most underrated and under-appreciated German learning YouTube channels on this list. Go show Dave some love by subscribing to his channel. Go watch a ton of his videos and tell him in the comments that I sent you.

VlogDave’s Social Networks

If you want to follow VlogDave on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to VlogDave
Support VlogDave on Patreon
Like VlogDave on Facebook
Follow VlogDave on Twitter
Follow VlogDave on Instagram

Get Germanized

While VlogDave isn’t very well known on YouTube, yet, his friend Dominik over at Get Germanized is the biggest name on this list. In 2013 I made a video about where you can learn German on YouTube in which I listed a ton of channels that were doing great things at the time. At that time Get Germanized had 5,516 subscribers. Fast forward to the time of originally posting this and he had over 230,000 subscribers. Now (July 2019) he has 355,000.

His more recent videos have focused on German culture, specifically when it is compared to other countries and he has done a series of reaction videos in which he shares his thoughts as a German about videos that try to break down the German culture into a short clip. While these videos are entertaining and can definitely teach you a bit about the German culture and help you get past the nasty German stereotypes, his older videos are my favorites. In April 2017 he uploaded a long cut of a lot of his older videos about German grammar and vocabulary. This video includes quite a few videos that I have used in my German classes to teach specific topics.

More recently in 2019 he has gotten back to his roots of teaching German. He has started a B1/B2 series, which has proven to be quite helpful. You can find all of his German learning videos in a single playlist here.

Get Germanized’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Get Germanized on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Get Germanized
Support Get Germanized on Patreon
Like Get Germanized on Facebook
Follow Get Germanized on Twitter
Follow Get Germanized on Instagram

Don’t Trust the Rabbit

Speaking of videos about the German culture, you can’t forget Don’t Trust the Rabbit. Trixi‘s YouTube channel can help you learn a lot about the German language and culture. She teaches everything from the struggles of finding a new apartment in Germany to how to flirt like a German. That last video even includes Dominik from Get Germanized and Dave from VlogDave.

Personally, I enjoy her videos about false friends in German and things that even German native speakers screw up. Both of those videos are embedded below, but her cultural lessons can be very insightful. Things like “How do Germans feel about learning of their own history?” or the nuances of the Berliner Dialect. She is full of entertaining anecdotes, insightful commentary, and well-thought out mini-lessons about the German language.

Don’t Trust the Rabbit’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Don’t Trust the Rabbit on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Don’t Trust the Rabbit
Don’t Trust the Rabbit’s Website
Support Don’t Trust the Rabbit on Patreon
Like Don’t Trust the Rabbit on Facebook
Follow Don’t Trust the Rabbit on Twitter
Follow Don’t Trust the Rabbit on Instagram

Rewboss

One of the best German learning YouTube channels for cultural information is Rewboss. I use at least two videos made by Rewboss in my German classes every chapter. This means that my German 1 students will have seen at least 20 of his videos before moving on to German 2, where they will see more. I even make them watch his 1 hour long video about Berlin on one of the rare days out of the year when I am out sick.

Andrew Bossom is a British man who has been living in Germany for the past two decades. His videos about the quirks of the German culture are hysterical. My personal favorite is about the German transportation system, which if you look at it more closely, can be very confusing and contradictory. This is a part of a very entertaining series he did called “Surviving Germany”, which shows you some of the stranger things the Germans do from an outsider’s point of view.

The most insightful of his videos, in my opinion, are the destination videos. He goes to a German city and tells you about the history of that city and shows you some of the sights. As I mentioned before, I show his 1 hour long video about Berlin in class every year. He recently did videos about Erfurt and Eisenach, both of which I visited while I was a high school student on my first trip to Germany. While he isn’t a German native speaker, his insights into the German language and culture are definitely worth clicking the subscribe button.

Rewboss’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Rewboss on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Rewboss
Rewboss’s Website
Support Rewboss on Patreon
Follow Rewboss on Facebook
Follow Rewboss on Twitter

Wanted Adventure

The other non-native German speaker on my list of the best German learning YouTube channels can also show you some entertaining quirks of the German culture. Dana on the channel Wanted Adventure is an American woman who moved to Prague. While living there she met a nice German man and fell in love. She has since been living in Germany and making videos about her experiences in Germany as compared to her life in the United States.

Her videos show you a perspective on the German culture that no other channel on YouTube can. She is like a one person Germany vs USA channel, but since Germany vs USA hasn’t uploaded a video in 4 years, her channel is your best option. Now that she has introduced “Mr. German Man” to her channel, she officially has both sides of the conversation just like Germany vs USA used to.

Her video about asparagus is one of my favorites, because I had no idea that asparagus was such a serious topic. My students enjoy it, because they think everything in the video is an inappropriate joke. While I’m not sure if she did that on purpose or not, it definitely makes for an entertaining video.

While phallic jokes may be entertaining, it is Dana’s personality that makes her videos come to life. She brings you insight into the German culture with such joy and energy that you can’t help but watch her videos with a smile on your face. If you don’t already have a smile on your face, go subscribe to her channel and get one.

Wanted Adventure’s Social Networks

If you want to follow Wanted Adventure on YouTube or any other platform, check out the links below.

Subscribe to Wanted Adventure
Wanted Adventure’s Website
Support Wanted Adventure on Patreon
Like Wanted Adventure on Facebook
Follow Wanted Adventure on Twitter
Follow Wanted Adventure on Instagram

So that’s my list of the best German learning YouTube channels. I know there are other YouTubers out there who can teach you about the German language and culture. This isn’t an exhaustive list. These are just my favorites. Let me know in the comments below who your favorite German YouTubers are. Are you already a fan of someone on this list or did I leave someone out in an egregious oversight? Let me know your thoughts.

German Learning Resources by Category

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