Welcome to Slow German
by Annik Rubens
Slow German is a private podcast for students of the German language – especially for those who already have intermediate skills. There’s not a big team behind Slow German, but mainly myself, Annik Rubens alias Larissa Vassilian, from Munich, Germany. I am not a teacher! But I will try to help you as best as I can.
Recent Podcast-Episodes:
Die Buchpreisbindung in Deutschland – SG 281
Stell dir vor, du bist in...
Paragliding oder Gleitschirmfliegen – SG 280
Scott hat mir den Vorschlag gemacht, etwas...
Die deutsche Post – SG 279
Ich habe mich in letzter Zeit über die Post...
This is how Slow German works
Absolute Beginner
These episodes are different than the usual Slow German podcast-episodes: They are produced especially for people without any knowledge of the German language. These beginner-episodes are recorded in English and are meant to help you deal with typical situations of everyday life in Germany, from going to the doctor to travelling.
Free Podcast
The free podcast Slow German was launched in 2007. Every episode is short and slowly spoken – the topics include German culture, society and history. You can read along the text on the website or download it as a PDF. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or any other podcatcher.
Premium-Membership
If you are a Premium member you get even more Slow German: For every episode there is a PDF with learning materials: Vocab German-English, multiple-choice questions and comprehension questions as well as a text with blanks. You also get fairy tales and grammar lessons.
Fairy Tales
German Fairy Tales like “The Frog King” or “Puss in Boots” are known worldwide. I rewrote them in simpler language than the originals and recorded them slowly. In the premium section of the site, you get these fairy tales along with a faster spoken version.
Grammar
Der, die or das? How are German sentences constructed? Which tenses are there in the German language? I try to answer these and other questions in short grammar lessons. There are not many of them yet – but soon there are more to come.
Dialogues
You want to listen to real Germans talk to each other? With Oliver and Hartmut I recorded different dialogues for you – slowly and faster. That way you can listen to real German “Umgangssprache”.
I am currently living in Munich, Germany, with my family. I am working as a social media and online-expert for public broadcaster “Bayerischer Rundfunk”. In 2005 I started podcasting – in 2007 I launched Slow German. My new passion for podcasting brought me three awards: In 2005 the International Podcast Award as “Best Non-English Podcast”, in 2006 the German Podcast-Award and in 2009 the European Podcast Award.
Things you should know about Slow German
How does Slow German work?
Slow German is supposed to help you improve your German language skills – mainly through listening comprehension. A regular Slow German episode consists of a free MP3-file with the text to read along – or to download as PDF. You can listen to these episodes right here on the website or download them to take along with you. You can also subscribe to the podcast. If you want, you can become a paying premium member and get access to learning material, grammar lessons and fairy tales. s
How can I help and support Annik?
I am always looking forward to your e-mails! If you have any ideas on how to make Slow German better or any topic suggestions, please let me know. Just write an e-mail to me in German or English to podcast@slowgerman.com! Slow German is a lot of work, that’s why I rely on your support – if you become a Premium member you are helping me a lot to finance this project. That way I can invest more time in producing new episodes. I am also very grateful for any PayPal-donations, Patreon-support or if you send me something from my Amazon-wishlist.
Is there learning material accompanying the episodes?
Yes, there are learning materials for every episode as a PDF. The PDF includes the text of the episode, one page of German-English vocabulary, multiple choice- and comprehension questions and a text with blanks. Please understand that these materials are not free of charge – you can download a free sample here (ZIP-file). If you become a Premium member you get access to all of these materials for one year.
What does it cost to use Slow German?
Nothing. The podcast itself is free of charge, as well as the texts to the episodes on the site and as a PDF. Only the premium materials are not free: Learning material, fairy tales and grammar lessons. Premium members also get the same texts spoken at a faster speed – like you would hear it on the street. That way you can check how much you already understand!
Contact Annik here!
I am always looking forward to hearing from you – let me know who you are, where you live and if you have any topic-suggestions!