“The best way to learn a language is to watch movies, TV shows, listen to the music, and read texts in the language,” they say.

But which shows, which songs, which stories should you begin with?

These are the exact questions we’ll be answering for you in this post. We know how overwhelming it can be learning a new language, especially figuring out where to begin. There are 100’s of songs, shows, movies, and texts to choose from, so what’s the best starting point? To make this process MUCH easier for you, we’re extending you a warm welcome into German popular culture with a short-list of the best movies, TV shows, songs, texts, and more.

If you schedule 30 minutes/day to work through this list, in just 3-months time, you will be amazed with the results!

Table of Contents:

• Watching TV shows/movies (with subtitles)
• Listening to music (with accompanying lyrics)
• Reading side-by-side lyric translations
• Reading short stories
• Writing down key words you learn daily

—————————————————————-

• Watching TV shows/movies with subtitles:

• • Türkisch für Anfänger (show on youtube) – a hilarious series showcasing the daily life of a German-Turkish stepfamily (Schneider-Oeztuerk); the clash between German and Turkish cultures make for many comedic moments, which reflect the real-life misunderstandings that exist in Germany’s cross-cultural scene. Parallel to this, the series addresses typical teenage problems life first love, first heartbreak, and more

• • Die Sendung mit der Maus (show on youtube) – at first sight, this series may appear to be purely a children’s show; well, “while the target age of the show is 4-8 years old, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag revealed that the average age of viewers is 39 years old.” Children and adults, alike, enjoy this show as it breaks down various educational topics in very simple terms. A couple topics include “how holes get into Swiss cheese” and “what must be done before a plane can take off”

• • Das Leben der Anderen (movie – Netflix or Amazon) – this drama film alludes back to the Stasi’s (secret police) monitoring of Berlin residents during the reign of the German Democratic Republic; it follows the lives of legendary Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler, who spies on the renowned, pro-Communist playwright, Georg Dreyman. During his mission, Wiesler gets too involved in a political scandal involving Dreyman, his girlfriend Christa-Maria, and Bruno Hempf (Minister of Culture), making matters even more complicated  

• • Good Bye, Lenin! (movie – Netflix or Amazon) – just before the  “Fall der Mauer – the Fall of the Berlin Wall,” Alex Kernen is living with his sister and Socialist mother; upon seeing his involvement in an anti-Communist rally, Alex’s mother falls into a coma and misses the Fall of the Wall; Alex does everything in his power to convince his mother that the Berlin Wall had not yet fallen, after she wakes up from her coma

• • • Nirgendwo in Afrika (movie) – this film follows the family of Jewish lawyer, Walter Redlich, as they relocate from Germany to a farm in Kenya upon sensing the threat posed by Hitler; amidst the rocky adaptation to farm life in Kenya, Walter’s family is displaced yet again – this time, by the ruling British authorities – from Kenya to Nairobi. In an effort to find solidarity and community away from home, Walter joins the Allied army

• • Listening to music with accompanying lyrics: (first listen without lyrics)

    •  Nummer Eins – Stereoact (Lyrics here)

• • • Egal – Mike Singer (Lyrics here)

• • • 80 Millionen – Max Giesinger (Lyrics here)

• • • Leiser – LEA (Lyrics here)

• • • Durch die Nacht – Helene Fischer (Lyrics here)

• • • Grenzenlos – Glasperlenspiel (Lyrics here)

• • • Fallschirm – MIA (ft. Gregor Meyle)  (Lyrics here)

• • • Spring Nicht – Tokio Hotel (Lyrics here) 

• • • Beweg Dein Arsch – LaFee (Lyrics here)

• • • Alles Kann Besser Werden – Xavier Naidoo (Lyrics here)

• • Reading song lyric translations (now listen with side-by-side translations)

    • Nummer Eins – Stereoact
    • Egal – Mike Singer
    • 80 Millionen – Max Giesinger
    • Leiser – LEA
    • Atemlos Durch die Nacht – Helene Fischer
    • Grenzenlos – Glasperlenspiel
    • Fallschirm – MIA
    • Spring Nicht – Tokio Hotel
    • Beweg Dein Arsch – LaFee
    • Alles Kann Besser Werden – Xavier Naidoo

• • Reading short stories

    • Das Alte Haus: a timed 20-question reading comprehension quiz for beginners
    • Der Arztbesuch: a short beginner text about a boy’s doctor visit
    • Der Heilige Abend: a beginner text with comprehension questions and exercise on ‘the imperative’
    • Der Rattenfänger von Hameln: a medium-length text with true/false questions and vocabulary exercise
    • Der Schäfer und die Nixe: a short, advanced beginner text with “fill-in-the-blank” exercise
    • Die Trümmerfrauen: an advanced beginner text with many verb questions
    • Die ehrliche Seemann: an intermediate text with multiple exercises, including matching, true/false, and expressions
    • Der Krieg der Zahlen: an intermediate text with advanced reading comprehension and adjectives exercises
    • Die Koservendose: an intermediate, “fill-in-the-blank” text with advanced grammar exercises
    • Ein Weihnachtsabend: an advanced text with vocabulary exercises and an exercise on complex adjective constructions

• • Writing down key words you learn daily

    • My Vocabulary Bank: take a look at my personal vocab bank to see how you can group words into categories and write practice sentences with them to help you memorize
    • YOUR Vocabulary Bank: if you have not yet started one, I strongly suggest creating your own bank to start adding new words to daily; use my vocabulary bank as an example!

Do you have any favorites that we didn’t include above? Share it in the “Comments” section below and we’ll gladly add it to the list 🙂

*Willst du weiterlernen? → Do you want to keep learning?*

1. Follow our weekly German newsletter & Download our Top 5 Resources for German Students
2. Follow our IG page (@german_mastery)