We have compiled a list of some of our favorite German books, articles, and reading materials to aid you in your quest to conquer the German language.
Reading is one of the best ways to build your vocabulary, learn grammar rules, and acquire a new language. Once you reach a high enough level in your target language, it’s easy to find compelling comprehensible material to read; however, it isn’t as easy to find interesting reading material at the beginning of your language learning journey.
We have compiled a list of some of our favorite German books, articles, and reading materials to aid you in your quest to conquer the German language. Viel Glück!
Take a look at our favorite podcasts for learning German at Beginner to Intermediate Podcasts for Learning German
This website has a great collection of short A1-B1 passages that you can use to improve your German reading comprehension. The paragraphs have been divided by level, so if you aren’t ready to tackle authentic material or “full-length” graded readers right now, then this is a great place for you to start!
Check it out at German Reading and Comprehension - Texts for Beginners.
If you are learning German and haven’t stumbled upon this gem yet, then you are in for a surprise. This free online library is the king of German reading material. It provides not only a large selection of graded readers and articles from the A1 to C1 level, but also a good assortment of authentic German novels. Many of the books and graded readers come with audio as well, so you can improve your listening comprehension while you read.
Check out this link to one of the greatest free German resources in existence: die Onleihe der Bibliotheken des Goethe-Instituts.
Relive the fairy tales from your childhood with “Die Drei Kleinen Schweinchen” (The Three Little Pigs) and other well known stories. Narrated slowly in German with a transcript and English translations after each paragraph, these short stories are a wonderful way to pick up some new vocabulary and expose yourself to more of the German language.
Here is a link: German Children's Stories with Slow Audio.
These sixty mini stories cover nearly two thousand words and are narrated by a native speaker. Each story is given from two perspectives, z.B. “I go to the store” | “He goes to the store”. Then, the story implements “circling questions”. z.B. “He went to the store” > “Did he go to the cinema?” > “No, he went to the store”. In short, this means by the end of each story you will have heard and read roughly the same sentence constructed in five different ways.
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