German Software

What's the best software to learn German?

Need to learn German NOW? But dont have time or money to waste?

Lets face it, theres a TON of options and software out there to learn German. And they ALL claim to be the best, and why shouldnt they? No one ever made money admitting their product wasnt any good. Which is why we have taken the time to cut through all the lies and find out which of the many products out there is actually any good. Dont waste your time or your money on any products until you've read these reviews.

Each product will have a value between 1 and 5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best rating it can recieve in a given area. The areas that will be evaluated are, Features, Fundamentals, Simplicity, Teaching Method, and Tools.

Shown below are the three top products for learning German, these are proven and tested to be effective for your needs. Out of hundred's these three are the best, read below for details.

Rocket German

#1 Winner

• Features: 5/5
• Fundamentals: 5/5
• Simplicity: 4.5/5
• Teaching Method: 5/5
• Tools: 4/5

Rocket German is a solid number one on our product list for your German learning needs. Rocket German is designed to build you up from a beginner to intermediate level in eight weeks or less. And while it sounds too good to be true, it really isnt. And overall i would have to say that Rocket German packs in at least the first two years of my studies and simplifys the whole learning process, making it more understandable and easier to learn. Part of the reason for which, is that unlike a traditional class the Rocket German program lets you learn and work at your own pace. Which for some, is probably faster then the classroom environment can provide.

With that said lets look into what Rocket German has to offer. The program is broken down into seven components, these components are:

1. Learn to Speak Confidently and Naturally (31 Audio Lessons)
2. Find out how easy German is (31 Language and culture lessons)
3. Remember tons of German words (MegaVocab Software game)
4. Understand Spoken German Easily (MegaAudio Software game)
5. Learning German Verbs is easy (MegaVerbs Software game)
6. Have your own German teacher "on call" (Unlimited access to help via a forum)
7. Lifetime membership to the Rocket German Learning Lounge

And there is a bunch of additional material availible for free on their website as well.

Now lets take a look at why the Rocket German program rated how it did on our rating scale.

• Features: Rocket German has a ton of features which are both effective and simple, which have you learning in no time. It gives you plenty of material to study at your own pace, including different ways to make it both fun and educational at the same time, with the addition of the games and forums.
• Fundamentals: In anything you do, you know the fundamentals are the most important part. Since without that foundation, you will have nothing to build upon. Rocket German offers you that solid foundation to build upon, even including important aspects like grammar and pronunciation which gets skipped over by some other programs.
• Simplicity: Rocket German is really a pretty simple program. As long as you follow along the programs sturcture you will have the basics down in no time. And all the interfaces are pretty simplistic to understand.
• Teaching Method: This program follows tried and proven methods of teaching. Offering you a multitude of formats from which to learn. Such as audio, video, games, written lessons and more.
• Tools This part is really impressive, since as i mentioned there is a ton of diffrerent tools and features availible with Rocket German. And the dual format is also great, incase you are uncomfortable with a pure digital download you can order the 20 CD series which also contains everything you would recieve through the download.

Conclusion:

So in conclusion, Rocket German is well deserving of our number one spot on this list, esspecially since by comparison it is less expensive then most other learning language programs out there currently. While the other programs offered here have alot to offer, Rocket Languages offers the best package. In the end, Rocket German is a fantastic program and i personally recommend it very highly.

Natively German

#2 Good value

• Features: 4/5
• Fundamentals: 4/5
• Simplicity: 4.5/5
• Teaching Method: 4/5
• Tools: 4/5

Natively German is our number two choice, despite some very fierce competition from the others listed here. And just so you know i have some experience to back these opinions, I took German for 4 years, as well as living in the country for a year and a half prior to testing this and the other products listed here.

Natively German teaches you by using real world situations, pictures, text as well as voices to bring the content to life for you. Which is why overall it is so effective, as the method they use is so immersive you start to feel a little like you are really in Germany speaking with native speakers. Which is great for building up your confidence, and is more fun as well. Because which would you rather do, sit and read static lessons or learn in an immersive environment by speaking and interacting?

Natively Germans "immediate response" method gives you instant feedback. Which provides you with an interesting and engaging experience as well as making it challenging enough that you wont be bored after a few lessons. And the content is all self paced, which is nice since most of us do not have the time for structured classes.

So lets take a look at why we rated this product so highly. Using the metrics you saw in the beginning of this review.

• Features: The Natively German program consists of four material packed CD's, 'Talk Now' which is geared towards the beginner. 'Talk More' Which takes you that next step from beginner to an intermediate level. 'World Talk' This is where things start to get more advanced, and contains interactive games and quizzes. And finally 'Talk the Talk' which will teach you useful words and phrases using everything else you have already learned in the first three. All told there is more then 200 hours of learning material here. Which is why it scored 5 out of 5.
• Fundamentals: Natively German builds a very solid fundamental base, with as mentioned the entire first CD being geared towards the very basics. And it will provide you with a great vocabulary, especially if you are intending to travel to a German speaking area sometime in the near future you can pick up most of the basics you will need fairly quickly.
• Simplicity: The only reason Natively German loses half a point for simplicity is also why it gets high marks elsewhere. It is a learn at your own pace program, which can be more difficult for some people. But the whole interface and program is laid out in an intuitive and simple way that you will easily understand.
• Teaching Method: The teaching method is great, there is a wealth of material laid out for you to use. And since it is learn at your own pace you can redo any lessons you feel you need to, which can be beneficial for the more advanced lessons.
• Tools There's a bunch of great tools in this program, with games, activity's, printable dictionaries, the ability to record your own voice to listen to later and check your progress. Natively German packs in a ton of tools into the four CD's which will no doubt help you learn in a fast but also fun way.

Conclusion:

Overall, Natively German is a great product. And while it did not make it to number one on our list it is a solid value for the money. They dont offer everything in one package quite like Rocket German, so if you really want to learn buy the full version the first time around rather then buying anything else. And keep in mind that any version of this program contains a free Headset and Microphone, so if you do not already have either you will not need to make the additional investment. So in the end, if you for some reason do not want or do not like Rocket German (our #1 choice) then Natively German is your absolute best option.

Transparent German

#3 Solid product

• Features: 3/5
• Fundamentals: 4/5
• Simplicity: 4/5
• Teaching Method: 3/5
• Tools: 3/5

Transparent German is number three on our list. Because while its good at building the basics. It just doesnt offer as well rounded a program overall as either Rocket German or Natively German. What it can do, is help you build up a vocabulary base, if you have some knowledge of the language ahead of time that will probably all you will get out of it. And if you are travelling to a german speaking country and just need to know the basics, then Transparent German will work just fine for you.

Now, that isnt intended to make it sound like Transparent German is a bad program. Because it isnt, it has a few features which make it stand out from its lesser competition.The interactive games it offers are always a nice addition, as a way to break away from the tedium of your typical learning methods. Another good aspect, again for the travellers mostly is the fact that you can transfer the lessons to your ipod so you can refer to what you might need on the go.

Now lets take a look at why we rated it the way we did.

• Features: While the Transparent German program does have some decent features, none of them are particuarly outstanding, or make it really better then any of the others. At least not when compared against the Rocket German or Nativley German
• Fundamentals: The Transparent German program does give you a solid basis of the fundamentals. Like basic vocabulary and grammar, as well as some usefull phrases. So at least in this area it is comperable to the above listed products, and superior to any others.
• Simplicity: The Transparent German system performs reasonabley here. Mainly because for the most part what this program teaches is fairly simplistic. Since as mentioned before it mostly covers the basic, and the interface is pretty simple to understand. With everything for your lessons clearly laid out and easy to find.
• Teaching Method: It falls kind of short here, because while the lessons themselves are pretty easy to follow. The Transparent German program overall just doesnt seem as effective at actually teaching you the language as the other programs. But, as long as you are capable of learning more or less on your own then it will work for you.
• Tools: Transparent German has a bunch of decent tools most notabley being the ability to put the lessons on your ipod and the interactive games. But these are both things that the other programs offer as well, in some form or another for the most part. And nothing else that Transparent German offers really makes it stand out.

Conclusion:

In summary, Transparent German is a decent program. You can and will learn German using this program. However, the other two programs overall are a better choice. Even from a monetary perspective, since Transparent German is a expensive if not more so then the others.