German for Beginners

German for Beginners, a Breni path, teaches everyday German from the first sounds, with extra care on gender and cases. Its 8 courses cover sounds and spelling, greetings, everyday phrases, gender and the present tense, cases, past and future, conversations and German in the real world. Learners finish able to use der, die and das, keep the verb in second place and describe past events. Cases get a full course only after gender is in place, and every course unlocks once the one before it is complete.

  • 8 courses
  • 10 learning objectives
  • Level: beginner
  • Language: English
  • Price: Subscription, free trial

What you will be able to do

  • Pronounce umlauts, the ch sounds and the German r
  • Choose du or Sie and introduce yourself in German
  • Use der, die and das and form common plurals
  • Put the verb in second position in statements and questions
  • Use the accusative and dative cases with common prepositions
  • Describe past events with the perfect tense

Full curriculum

Part 1 · Sounds and basics

1. German Sounds and Spelling: Sounds and Basics

Pronounce German sounds and read words aloud correctly. Units, in order: Vowels and umlauts: ä, ö and ü; The ch sounds; The German r and the ß; Word stress and long compound words; Reading words aloud from their spelling.

  • — Vowels and Umlauts
    Learn basic vowels and umlauts ä, ö, and ü.
    • Short and Long Vowels
    • Mastering Ä, Ö, and Ü
  • — The Ch Sounds
    Master the two different ch sounds in German.
    • The Soft Ch Sound
    • The Hard Ch Sound
  • — The R and The Eszett
    Learn to pronounce the German r and the letter ß.
    • The German R
    • The Letter Eszett (ß)
  • — Stress and Compound Words
    Learn word stress rules and how to read compound words.
    • Word Stress Rules
    • Long Compound Words
  • — Reading from Spelling
    Read German words aloud correctly straight from their spelling.
    • Consonant Combinations
    • Reading Aloud

2. German Greetings and Introductions

Greet people and introduce yourself in German. Units, in order: Hallo, guten Tag and tschüss; Du and Sie; Saying your name and where you are from; Sein and haben; Asking how someone is.

3. Everyday German Phrases

Handle numbers, food, directions and time in German. Units, in order: Numbers, prices and dates; Ordering in a café or bakery; Asking for directions; The time and days of the week; Talking about family.

Part 2 · Core grammar

4. German Present Tense and Gender

Use noun gender, plurals and present-tense verbs correctly. Units, in order: Der, die and das; Plural nouns; Regular verbs in the present; Irregular verbs that change their vowel; Putting the verb second.

5. German Cases

Use the nominative, accusative and dative cases in simple sentences. Units, in order: What a case is; The accusative with direct objects; The dative with indirect objects; Prepositions that take each case; Personal pronouns in each case.

6. German Past and Future

Talk about what happened, what you can do and what you plan. Units, in order: The perfect tense with haben; The perfect tense with sein; Common past participles; Modal verbs such as können and müssen; Talking about the future with werden.

Part 3 · Real use

7. Conversations in German

Hold simple conversations in everyday situations. Units, in order: Small talk; Making plans; Shopping; Travel and trains; Asking someone to speak slowly.

8. German in the Real World

Understand German across countries and use it in daily life. Units, in order: Germany, Austria and Switzerland compared; Reading signs and forms; Writing a short message; German at work; Separable verbs in daily life.

Sample: German Sounds and Spelling: Sounds and Basics

The opening tier, (Vowels and Umlauts). Learn basic vowels and umlauts ä, ö, and ü.

Short and Long Vowels

Practice short and long vowel sounds in everyday German words.

Mastering Ä, Ö, and Ü

Learn how to shape your mouth for ä, ö, and ü.

Questions about German for Beginners

Is German hard to learn?

German grammar has cases and three genders, which take practice, but pronunciation is fairly regular. The path gives cases a course of their own.

Do I need to learn der, die and das?

Yes, because the article changes the endings around it. The fourth course teaches nouns with their articles from the start.

How long does it take to learn basic German?

Simple conversations usually take a few months of regular practice. Breni lessons take about three minutes each.

Is Breni an alternative to Duolingo for German?

Yes. Breni teaches German in short lessons, gives immediate feedback and brings back ideas you missed.

Does this path prepare me for the Goethe A1 exam?

It covers many A1 skills, but it does not follow the exam syllabus, and Breni is not affiliated with the Goethe-Institut.

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