Free B2 German course: upper intermediate

At B2 you follow films and the news, read articles and argue a point with native speakers. The grammar is reported speech with the Konjunktiv I, extended adjective phrases, the nominal style of written German, and the finer uses of the passive.

18 grammar lessons, 4 graded stories, 5 classic books, flashcards and an AI conversation partner, all free. Plan on roughly 225 hours of study for this level (600 in total from zero, by an approximate CEFR estimate that isn't specific to German).

What you'll be able to do

• Listening: I can understand most TV news and current-affairs programmes, such as the Tagesschau.
• Listening: I can follow most films and series in standard German, and I'm getting used to Austrian and Swiss accents.
• Reading: I can read articles and columns on current issues where the writer takes a position.
• Reading: I can read contemporary literary prose.
• Speaking: I can talk with native speakers fluently and spontaneously enough that neither of us has to strain.
• Speaking: I can explain my point of view and report what others said (Er sagte, er habe keine Zeit).
• Writing: I can write an argued text giving reasons for and against a point of view.
• Writing: I can write a formal letter of complaint or request with Sie and set phrases (Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Mit freundlichen Grüßen).

What you'll learn

Learning B2 German with AI

At B2 you can debate with the AI partner, ask it to rewrite your text in a more natural style, and ask for a review of your strengths and gaps based on your results. The AI also explains any wrong answer in a lesson, in plain English. It's included free, with a daily allowance; like any AI it can make mistakes, so the lessons remain the reference. More about learning German with AI.

All 18 B2 grammar lessons

Free to read here. In the app, each one is taught in short steps with audio, practised, and brought back for review.

1. Konjunktiv I: reporting what someone said
2. Reported questions, requests and the switch to Konjunktiv II
3. Alternatives to the passive: man, sich lassen, sein + zu, -bar
4. The state passive: Die Tür ist geschlossen
5. Participles as adjectives: der lachende Mann, das gekochte Ei
6. Extended attributes: die seit Jahren steigenden Preise
7. Nominal style: bei Regen, nach Abschluss des Studiums
8. als ob and als: acting as if
9. Modal verbs for likelihood and claims
10. Reasons and contrasts: da, zumal, infolgedessen, dennoch, wohingegen
11. Conditions: falls, sofern, es sei denn, vorausgesetzt
12. Genitive prepositions and set phrases: angesichts, aufgrund, mithilfe
13. Prefixes that change meaning: ver-, zer-, ent-, er-, miss-, un-
14. Suffixes and gender: -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tum, -ling, -chen
15. Funktionsverbgefüge: eine Entscheidung treffen, zur Verfügung stellen
16. Everyday idioms: Daumen drücken, die Nase voll haben
17. Register: formal letters, e-mails and spoken German
18. ohne … zu, statt … zu, and the past infinitive

Reading at B2

• Redaktionsschluss: A young reporter at a Hamburg newspaper wants to publish a story about a building scandal tonight. Her editor has doubts.
• Die Finanzierungsrunde: The two founders of a Berlin vegetable-delivery start-up need money. An investor has an offer, and it splits them.
• Der Streit um die Glocken: News-style story: newcomers from Frankfurt take a Bavarian village's church bells to court. Includes the Bavarian word Preißn.
• Gewitter an der Hütte: A full mountain hut above Grindelwald, a sudden storm and two guests who haven't come back from the summit.
• Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka (1915): Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect, and his family must live with him. Clear, precise sentences about a nightmare; old spelling (daß).
• Immensee by Theodor Storm (1849): An old man remembers Elisabeth, the girl he grew up with and lost to his friend. A short, quiet love story in ten scenes, with folk songs; old spelling (daß).
• Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts by Joseph von Eichendorff (1826): A miller's carefree son leaves home with his fiddle, becomes a gardener near Vienna, falls in love and wanders as far as Rome. Romantic, funny and full of songs; old spelling (daß, gings).
• Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte by Adelbert von Chamisso (1814): Peter Schlemihl sells his shadow to a mysterious man in grey for a bottomless purse of gold, and finds he cannot live without it. A short fantastic tale in eleven chapters; old spelling (daß).
• Märchen-Almanach auf das Jahr 1826 by Wilhelm Hauff (1826): Merchants crossing the desert tell each other stories: Kalif Storch, the ghost ship, the severed hand, Little Muck, the false prince. Oriental fairy tales framed by the caravan's journey; old spelling (daß).

Questions