Why an English speaker learns German
German is Europe's most spoken native language — over 100 million in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. For an English speaker it is the language of engineering, philosophy, music and the biggest European economy — plus easy weekend trips to the DACH region.
English and German are close Germanic cousins: Haus/house, Hand/hand, Wasser/water feel familiar instantly. The real difference: German kept four cases and three genders, which English lost a thousand years ago.
Words and grammar through English eyes
The sets cover 4,300+ of the most used German words — by topic and level, always with English translation and pronunciation. Grammar goes A1 to C2: der/die/das articles, the four cases, verb-second word order and compound words — explained in English.
Typical traps for an English speaker: gender (English has none — der Tisch masculine, das Mädchen neuter while 'girl' is feminine), cases (English barely uses them — der/den/dem/des change by function), and verbs that split in two (ankommen → ich komme an).
- A1–B2 frequency bands — the most used words first
- Thematic sets for travel, work and everyday life
- Every word with English translation and pronunciation
Exam preparation
Useful for certificates too: the frequency bands cover the vocabulary for Goethe-Zertifikat, TestDaF, telc and DSH up to B2, and grammar covers the most tested points — cases, conjugation, word order and subordinate clauses.
A real study day
Ten to fifteen minutes a day brings visible progress: streaks, XP and the leaderboard make study a habit. The price is simple: AtoC is completely free — sets, grammar and exercises open. The only limit is energy; a subscription raises it.
Typical rhythm: a week of A1 sets and basic word order, then words and grammar in parallel — one grammar topic plus one new set a day, the rest reviews. After a month you understand simple German and order at a restaurant without pointing.