German readers are designed to provide you with a wonderful and engaging story, all the while learning through annotations, translations, quizzes and more. They build recognition for beginners who may find it a little too intimidating to dive right into a completely German-written book.
As for intermediate learners and beyond, they work as a grammar refresher and an approachable way to tackle more complex books.
Let’s explore eight well-written German readers with their corresponding CEFR levels (A1-A2 is beginner level, B1-B2 is intermediate and C1-C2 is advanced).
This reader follows a young man from Sicily who moves to Germany and tries to create a new life. Each chapter comes with a German-English dictionary, for checking in with certain lines and vocabulary. You also receive a short quiz after every story to see if you followed along well.
The reader uses what it calls “building blocks” which take paragraphs and sentences instead of simply translating words. This accelerates the learning and assists with making the process more fun and engaging.
“Learning German through Storytelling: Mord Am Morgen” is a solid reader for intermediate learners, since exercises are included and they aren’t exactly for fresh, new beginners.
If you enjoy a good detective series, this is a great reader for you. The page-turning story includes illustrations, exercises, on-demand translations and full vocabulary sections for tough words.
This book consists of beginner and early-learner stories, each of which include funny situations, ranging from studying to searching for a job.
I enjoy this reader because it offers rudimentary yet practical stories, since German learners are more likely to apply for a job than they are to engage in a murder mystery.
The author implements the Approved Learning Automatic Remembering Method system, for systematically repeating words and helping you learn quicker. The reader comes with audio tracks for following along and hearing pronunciations.
Franz Kafka is one of the greatest German writers of all time, so why not learn German by reading his most famous works? Try your hand at stories like “Metamorphosis,” “The Judgement” and “The Country Doctor.”
Each page is written in German, with the English translation on the facing page. There’s something about the facing page translations that makes learning less tedious. It probably has something to do with the fact that you don’t have to fumble around with the pages.
This reader lets you choose from 27 world-famous folk tales from the Grimm brothers. The book has stories like “Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and more. Each one is written in German, but the facing page has a complete translation of that particular page.
This reader gives you an advantage, because the stories are recognizable, and they don’t require you to constantly check back with a German-English dictionary.
The “Short Stories in German” reader provides parallel translations for eight short stories. The reader is designed for all experience levels, but it works best for intermediates who have some German knowledge.
Learn with contemporary literature, and use the annotations for assistance. The main reason learners enjoy this reader is because it has a rich combination of diverse themes and styles.
This is one of the best options for first-year German learners. It has annotations and notes throughout the entire text, and you get reading comprehension quizzes to supplement the stories. Footnotes are offered for explanations, and a verb appendix comes in handy for reference.
If you are learning German, or taking a class, yet you aren’t confident in your abilities to pick up a German book without annotations, this has the tools and guides to ease your fears.
If you liked the “Café in Berlin” reader we mentioned above, this is the sequel. The main character, Dino, makes his way to Frankfurt to explore a new city and absorb the atmosphere.
Like the original reader, this one has a full German-English dictionary, it includes some annotations for your assistance and you receive quizzes at the end of the chapters.
From quizzes to direct translations, a reader serves as the first step to truly understanding the intricacies of a German-written book.
And for any new words you pick up in these titles, it’s always useful to see them in different contexts to make sure you fully understand the definitions. You can look them up in dictionaries or even language programs like FluentU that help you learn through authentic media.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
If you’re like me and prefer learning German on your own time, from the comfort of your smart device, I’ve got something you’ll love.
With FluentU’s Chrome Extension, you can turn any YouTube or Netflix video with subtitles into an interactive language lesson. That means you can learn German from real-world content, just as native speakers actually use it.
You can even import your favorite YouTube videos into your FluentU account. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our curated library of videos that are handpicked for beginners and intermediate learners, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native German videos within reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, pronunciation, and useful examples.
You can even see other videos where the word is used in a different context. For example, if I tap on the word "Kind," this is what pops up:
Want to make sure you really remember what you've learned? We’ve got you covered. Practice and reinforce the vocab from each video with learn mode. Swipe to see more examples of the word you’re learning, and play mini-games with our dynamic flashcards.
The best part? FluentU tracks everything you’re learning and uses that to create a personalized experience just for you. You’ll get extra practice with tricky words and even be reminded when it’s time to review—so nothing slips through the cracks.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download our app from the App Store or Google Play.
