General information
Language settings
DW is available in different languages. If a course is not available in your language, use the English version. You can change your language any time. Click on "Language" in the menu to choose the desired language.
Features requiring registration
When you register for a course, you get additional features:
- Summary of your learning activities: You can always see the lessons you have completed and the ones you haven't.
- Correct wrong answers: You can repeat exercises with mistakes in them at the end of each lesson.
- Vocabulary trainer: In the vocabulary trainer you can practice all the vocabulary that you have already learned.
Barrier free
Our offer also allows the visually impaired, blind, hearing impaired or motor impaired to learn German. Once you have registered, you enter the required information in your profile. Click on "My profile". There, you see a list of options. After you've chosen one, you can only see the exercises that correspond to your skill level.
Login & registration
Registration
Look for the menu in the blue navigation bar to register. Click on "Login" and then on "Register now!" Enter your details. Fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory. After you have entered your details, click on "Send". You will then receive a confirmation email. Click on the link in the e-mail to confirm your registration. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam folder.
Login
Click on "Login" in the menu in the blue navigation bar and log in using your email address and password.
Forgot password
If you have forgotten your password, click on the "Forgot password?" button. After that, you will receive an email with a link. Click on the link to reset your old password and select a new one.
Your profile
You can change your details in your profile any time.
Courses and lessons
Placement test
If you are not sure which course is right for you, take the placement test first. At the end of it, you will find a recommendation for the course at the right level.
Course structure
Each course consists of lessons that are grouped into units.
The learning activity tracker allows you to see which lessons you have already done.
An empty circle means you have not yet begun the lesson. If you have already started the lesson but haven't finished it, you will see a half-filled circle. You can also finish these lessons at a later time. The next time you log in, the exercise you have not completed will automatically appear. If the circle is completely filled, it means you have already completed the lesson. If you still want to repeat it, you can reset the settings.
If you have completed a lesson with a really good result, you will see a small star instead of a circle.
Lessons
Each lesson begins with a video and a brief summary of the contents of the lesson. Watch the video before starting the lesson. Click on the "Start" button to go to the first exercise. Complete the exercises one by one.
If new vocabulary is introduced in a lesson, it will be highlighted in blue. Click on it to see the vocabulary and the translation. When you click on the small speaker symbol, you can listen to the correct pronunciation. Click on the "x" or outside the window to close the window.
You can see your results at the end of a lesson. If you are signed in, you can repeat exercises and correct your mistakes.
After the exercises, look at the grammar and vocabulary of the current lesson. All the vocabulary you have learned in this lesson will be displayed here.
In addition to many lessons there is information about life in Germany ("Culture and society") and a manuscript for the video.
In the section "Other tools" you can download the video and PDFs with a manuscript and the vocabulary.
All these parts of a lesson can also be found in the orange navigation menu. If you want to repeat a completed lesson later, you can reset your exercises here.
Exercises
There are different types of exercises in the course. You receive points for a correctly completed exercise. Beneath the exercise you immediately see how many points you have received.
Whenever you skip individual exercises, you receive no points for the task. If you don't know the answer, you can have the correct answer displayed. There are no points for this either.
The questions may contain a text, an audio file, a picture or a video to help you find the correct answer. Pay attention and always read the task description carefully.
Match the answers
In this exercise, you see several possible answers in the form of text or an image next to the question. Click on the right answer. You immediately see whether your answer was right or wrong.
Sometimes several answers are correct. Pay close attention to the task. It will give you a clue as to how many answers are correct. When you have selected all the answers, click "Check" to see if you got it right.
Find matching pairs
In this exercise, you have to find matching pairs. First, click on an element on one side and then, the matching element on the other side. It doesn't matter which side you start on. When you have found all pairs, click on "Check" to see if the pairs are correct.
Fill in the blank
In the fill in the blank task, you have to find the right answers for the blank.
Version 1
The answer blocks are under the text with the blanks. When you click on a block, it moves into the first free blank. When you click on the next block, it moves to the next free blank. Fill all the blanks by clicking on all the blocks in the order of the sentences. If you want to correct your answer, select the wrong block again and it will move out of the blank. When you have filled in all the blanks, click on "Check" to check your answers.
Version 2
In this version, you choose the correct answer from a list. Click on the box with the list of choices to select the correct answer. Click on "Check" to check your choice.
Version 3
In the third version, you have to fill in the blank yourself. Click on the blank and type in the correct answer using your keyboard. If you don't have a German keyboard, click on the small keyboard icon next to the blank to open a keyboard on the screen. When you're done, check your answers by clicking on "Check"
Unscramble words or sentences
In this exercise, you unscramble words or sentences. Put the different elements in the correct order so that the box above shows the correct answer. Click on "Check" to check your answer.
Dictation
To do the dictation, listen to the audio file first. Then write down what you heard.
Talking out loud
Talking to yourself out loud helps you learn. There are several ways to practice and improve your pronunciation.
Version 1
First, listen to the audio file. Then repeat what you have heard out loud. After that, listen to the audio file again and compare your pronunciation with the file. How do you rate yourself? Click on the button to complete the task. But don’t be too hard on yourself!
Version 2
First, listen to the audio file and then, read the text. The answers are as shown in the grey speech bubble. After that, listen to the audio file with the answers and compare your pronunciation. Rate yourself to complete this exercise.
Version 3
In this version you will be asked a question. The answer is either provided or you are given a hint on what to say in your own words. In the advanced courses there is also the option of an individual response. First, listen to the audio and then, read the question. After that, answer out loud in your own words. Then, listen to the audio file with the answers and compare your answer. The audio file with the answers only offers one possible answer. Coming up with the exact same response is not the point of the exercise. Rate your answer and then finish the task.
Helpful tools
Vocabulary
If you don't know a word and don't know which lesson it appears in, you can search for it in the vocabulary list. You can find the "Vocabulary overview" area via the blue navigation menu. Type in the word you are looking for in the search field. If you are not sure how to spell the word, enter the first letters. The search system will then suggest options.
If there are more than ten entries for a search term, you can display them by clicking the "More" button.
Grammar summary
In the grammar summary you find all the grammar contents taught in the course. The contents are arranged according to topic. You can find them in the blue navigation menu under "Grammar overview". A click on a category opens summary of all suitable contents.
Vocabulary trainer
In the vocabulary trainer you can practice all the vocabulary you have learned in the course up to this point. This feature is only available to registered users who are logged in. You can find the vocabulary trainer in the blue navigation menu. If you can't see the menu item "Vocabulary trainer", check to make sure that you are logged in.
First, choose whether you only want to practice the vocabulary from your last lesson, your last three lessons, your last ten lessons or all lessons. You can then choose to have ten, 30 or 50 words or terms shown to you in this round. When you click on an option, the lesson begins.
You will now see your first vocabulary list. Think about what the correct answer could be and then click on "Solve".
You will now see the correct answer. Did you get it right or wrong? Click on the corresponding icon.
Vocabulary you didn't know will appear again at the end. Practice until you have learned all the vocabulary in this round.