German Traditions

German Christmas markets are like a Hallmark movie come to life – if Hallmark movies had more Glühwein and less cheesy romance. You can look forward to winkling lights, the scent of roasted chestnuts, and the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from one too many Glühweins.

German TV Shows

There is an increasing amount of high quality German TV and movies being produced. Shows like Dark, Bad Banks, and Skyline, are fantastic, as well as movies like Downfall and The Wave.
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If you have a decent B1 level and above watch these in the original German audio with German subtitles to aid you. That way you can read along, and you can re-inforce how certain words are spelled and learn the meaning of them whilst you enjoy the show. 
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If your level is early-stage B1 or lower, you will probably have to use subtitles in your native language to get the full meaning of what they are saying. 
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Here are some German TV shows that we like. Kick back with some Leibniz and a cup of tea, relax and enjoy some top-notch German programming whilst picking up a few words and phrases: 
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Dark - A mind-bending sci-fi thriller that explores the consequences of time travel. Available on Netflix.
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‍Babylon Berlin - A lavishly produced historical drama set in 1920s Berlin. Available on Sky Ticket and Netflix.
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‍Deutschland 83 - A spy thriller set during the Cold War, with a young East German agent sent to West Germany. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
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‍Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter (Generation War) - A World War II drama that follows the lives of five friends. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
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‍Der Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Cleaner) - A dark comedy about a man who cleans up crime scenes. Available on ARD Mediathek and Netflix.
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‍Charité - A medical drama set in Berlin's famous Charité hospital during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Available on Netflix.
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‍Bad Banks - A thrilling drama set in the world of high finance. Available on Hulu and Sundance Now.
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‍Dogs of Berlin - A gritty crime drama that follows two Berlin detectives investigating a soccer team owner. Available on Netflix.
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‍How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) - A dark comedy about a teenager who becomes a successful drug dealer on the dark web. Available on Netflix.
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‍Darknet - A horror anthology series that explores the dark side of the internet. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
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For more captivating shows that you can brag to your friends about watching and being cultured, see our article on German Netflix Series to Watch.

German Music

Listening to German music is a great way to get your ear used to the sounds of the language and to pick up some expressions. If the song is catchy, that is even better. Listening to German songs you like will make you curious about the meaning of the songs.
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Google the lyrics and see if it means what you thought it meant. You will associate lines from the long with the meanings easily, and then you can use that vocabulary in everyday life.There is more to German music than Beethoven, Bach, 99 Luftballons, and Ramstein.
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As you can imagine, there is a large array of German music to jump to - German rap ( it is becoming more and more popular and is maturing as a genre), orchestra music, house, pop,indie rock and all the rest. Listening to music is an enjoyable way to learn German, and while it is not “passive” (there is no passive way to learn a language, sorry to break it to you), as listening requires some effort, it is as passive as you get. See our article here on Music to Help You Learn German.

German Podcasts

There are plenty of podcasts produced by German creators. Almost too many - it’s hard to pick which one to start with! The paradox of choice we are faced with these days. 
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If you are going on a drive, a commute, or tidying the house, you can use this time to polish up your German and pick up a few phrases. Stick on the headphones and give it a go.
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You want to be listening to some natural conversation as well as podcasts focused on learners with a slightly easier listening level. So when we wrote about the Best Podcasts for German learners, we made sure to have a mix of podcasts created especially for German learners and also podcasts that native speakers listen to as well.

Major German Cities

German cities in 2024 are like a game of SimCity come to life – efficient, green, and occasionally quirky. We're not just building cities; we're crafting urban utopias that would make even the most jaded city planner weep with joy.

Our members have told their stories of moving to Berlin and Munich- there is so much on offer in each German city, it is hard to chose one!