Category Archives: Learn German
Looking for tips for learning German? From recommendations for German language music or films, here are some of my best tips and tricks for learning German. From one German learner to another!
Learn German with Music of Wanda
Learn German with Music of Wanda
When Vienna, Austria’s Wanda burst onto the German-language music scene in 2014 it was seemingly out of nowhere. But before the end of that year, the band had a huge hit on their hands with their infectious single “Bologna.”
Today, the band has four albums under their belt — all of which went to the top of the charts in their home country in addition to most of the albums breaking into the top five in Germany.
The band has found a winning formula with catchy pop songs that make you want to sing along. So this month, let’s tune up our German skills and learn German with the music of Wanda!
Learn German with Films of Robert Stadlober
Robert Stadlober is a talented guy whose creative abilities seem to know no boundaries. The Austrian-born Stadlober may be known primarily as an actor to some. But his involvement in films goes further, with him working behind the camera as both a director and as a film producer. As though that was not enough, he is also an accomplished musician. He has set poets to music and rocked out with indie pop.
While still only in his thirties, Stadlober has quite a list of credits to his name. So let us better get to know this multi-talented German speaker and learn German while doing so. Watch, practice, and enjoy these three films starring Robert Stadlober.
Learn German with Music of Seeed
Do too many cooks spoil the broth? Or is it the more the merrier? For the Berlin-based reggae/hip hop dancehall band Seeed, the latter seems to be the preference. The group features ten musicians ranging from a horn section to a DJ and multiple vocalists. The resulting music is fun, brash, and involved. This is one music group you cannot accuse of being boring.
Seeed does mix their native German language with English and some Patois, but do not let that deter you. The band has more than enough music in German that listening to their music is definitely a language learning experience. So, without further ado, let’s learn German with the music of Seeed!
Learn German with Films of Tom Schilling
With roles in The Baader Meinhof Complex, Elementarteilchen, and Das Adlon. Eine Familiensaga, a made for television mini-series about the famous hotel in Berlin and its founding family, you may already be familiar with German actor Tom Schilling.
Schilling has a remarkable number of titles to his name and his star continues to rise rapidly. There is nothing that can stop him. And he isn’t merely an actor. Schilling is also a talented musician who records music with his band Tom Schilling & The Jazz Kids.
In this month’s German-language film feature, I’m highlighting some exciting and interesting films that Schilling has lead roles in — Tod den Hippies!! Es lebe der Punk!, Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter, and Oh Boy!.
Learn German with Music of Max Giesinger
We’ve all seen the talent shows on television where singers compete to be their country’s next big musical superstar. But even if you don’t end up winning the show, the exposure can be enough to propel your career. Max Giesinger is a great example of how losing can still be winning.
The smooth and soulful pop singer only finished fourth in the debut season of The Voice of Germany. But looking at his career trajectory you would have no idea. Giesinger’s songs have been on the music charts of the German-speaking world. And his success has kept him on those television competition shows: but not in quite the same way. Instead of being a competitor, Giesinger has coached the ambitious singers of the next generation on The Voice Kids.
Giesinger’s clear vocal style makes it ideal for ambitious German language learners who want to practice their language skills and sing along. So this month, let’s better get to know Max Giesinger!
Learn German with Films of Wim Wenders
You may already be familiar with Wim Wenders’ work from award-winning documentary films like The Buena Vista Social Club and Pina or English language dramas like Paris, Texas. The longtime filmmaker seems unattached to any single language or particular style. He conveys stories in many different ways.
But that’s not to say all of his films are in English. Far from it. Wenders also released quite a few films in his native German language. Alongside filmmakers like Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog, Wenders is a major part of the New German Cinema movement in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. And he helped shape independent film in the process.
This month’s feature of German-language films for German learners highlights some of Wim Wenders’ most notable German-language films.
Learn German with Music of Tim Bendzko
When your debut single is a big hit, it can be difficult to live up to expectations. There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders. But for Tim Bendzko, that simply has not been a problem. Since grabbing the attention of music fans in 2011 with the track “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten,” he has kept music fans eagerly listening. The German singer-songwriter has stayed true to himself while continually winning over fans with his memorable and likable pop-tinged tracks.
So this month, let’s get to know Tim Bendzko better and learn German with music!
Learn German with Films of Werner Herzog
Filmmaker Werner Herzog does it all. He is perhaps best known as a director but he is also a writer, a producer, and, from time to time, an actor. Since directing his first short in the early 60s, he helped shape the New German Cinema movement along with the likes of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Wim Wenders, and Volker Schlöndorff. Herzog has been incredibly prolific with both feature films and documentaries on his resume.
How is all of that for a sales pitch? If you’re not already familiar with the films of Werner Herzog, now is a great time to get to do so and practice some German along the way!
Learn German with Music of Die Fantastischen Vier
German hip hop groups and rappers like K.I.Z. and Cro are currently gracing the top of the German language music charts. However, it was bands like Die Fantastischen Vier that paved the way. But one should not talk about the group in the past tense. These guys haven’t hung up their microphones just yet. The four-member group has had big hits that are sure to catch your ear.
Fanta Vier, as they are affectionately called, is a winning combination for German learners. Their delivery is clearly articulated while the lyrics and music videos are often entertaining and very humorous. Let’s get to know Die Fantastischen Vier better with this month’s German music feature.
Learn German with Films of Benno Fürmann
With piercing blue eyes, if you have already seen actor Benno Fürmann in a film, you would probably remember him. And with over 100 acting credits to his name in film and television, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.
For this month’s German film recommendations to help you learn German, let’s better get to know Benno Fürmann with three great films: North Wall (Nordwand), Jerichow and The Princess and the Warrior (Der Krieger und die Kaiserin).
Learn German with the Music of Cro
German rapper Cro certainly isn’t the first musician to have a gimmick. His just happens to be a panda mask that covers the top half of his face, obscuring his identity. It features an upside-down cross drawn on the mask between the eyes.
Who is Cro, really? While you may ask that about any celebrity or public figure, it is especially relevant when learning about this music star. With no official private identity, we have only the information he provides in song as insight.
But while Cro might be considered a rapper, his music is positively poppy. Since the release of Raop, his debut full-length, in 2012, the young musician has been a star of the German music scene scooping up awards and topping the music charts.
Let’s get to know Cro for this month’s German Music feature!
Learn German with Films of Martina Gedeck
Martina Gedeck is an acclaimed actress who is well respected and has dozens of awards to her name. Gedeck’s trademark is not being pigeonholed: she’s appeared in comedies, dramas, and everywhere in between. And she is known for major roles in German films including The Lives of Others and The Baader Meinhof Complex. If you are not already familiar with Martina Gedeck, now is most definitely the time to become familiar with this talented actress.
This month’s German film recommendations for practicing your German skills are Jew Suss: Rise and Fall (Jud Süss – Film ohne Gewissen), The Elementary Particles (Elementarteilchen) and Mostly Martha (Bella Martha).