Best Way to Learn German Language: Full Beginner (A1.1) (Udemy.com)
Learn German language with fun bite-size lessons for beginners. Start speaking German & pass the Goethe A1 German exam!
Created by: Sandra 11Percent
Last updated August 2026
Our take
Based on the ratings of 21,818 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in August 2026. No course pays to be reviewed.
Sandra's course is the first half of a two-part German A1 series for people who know no German at all. It runs 7.9 hours across 309 lectures, mostly clips under five minutes, with seven themed units that go from greetings to work and learning. Every lesson ends with an exercise, and there are nine assignments where Sandra gives feedback. The description says A1.1 and A1.2 together cover the Goethe A1 exam, so this one alone will not get you there.
Reviewers like Sandra's teaching a lot. They mention clear explanations of how to pronounce each letter, a tidy structure, and an approach that suits someone starting from zero. A few who already knew some German still picked up new things on numbers and pronunciation. The complaints are about editing and depth. Some say the music and intros at the start and end of lessons waste time, and one two-star reviewer wanted more worked examples and repetition inside the videos. Another asked for more PDFs and word lists, and one found the section on S too fast.
Of 21,818 reviews, 14,958 are five stars and only 181 are one or two stars, so the 4.8 looks earned. The course was updated in August 2026, which is recent for a language course. True beginners who like an upbeat teacher are the natural fit, going by the reviews, but the padding around lessons is worth weighing.
Pros
- Sandra explains how to pronounce each letter in a way absolute beginners say they can follow
- Lessons are mostly under five minutes, each one followed by its own exercise
- Nine assignments where the instructor gives personal feedback on your work
- Updated in August 2026 and rated 4.8 across 21,818 reviews
Cons
- Music and long intros and outros around each lesson annoy some reviewers
- Lower-rated reviews want more worked examples and repetition inside the videos
- Reviewers ask for more PDFs and word lists, and it only covers half of A1
I love this course because Sandra's teaching method is too good. I can easy understand the things that are difficult to learn from other teachers, THANK YOU SANDRA
Aimed at true beginners with zero German; reviewers with some prior German still picked up new points on numbers and pronunciation.
Featured in our guide: The Best Language Learning Courses on Udemy in 2026
What you will learn
- How to speak and write German (beginner A1 level) and have fun while doing so!
- Use the German language with confidence and ease
- Develop all the necessary language skills to finally get fluent in German
- Efficiently master important grammar rules (+ tips and tricks how to remember them easier)
- Learn important vocabulary and phrases that you can use in everyday situations, on holidays or for business
- Be able to communicate your needs, start and maintain a conversation, write an e-mail or fill out registration forms
- Prepare for the Goethe-Zertifikat A1
Course content
9 sections · 309 lectures · 7.9 hours of video 74 quizzes, 1 practice test, 9 assignments, 125 articles
- 1Before we begin 1 free preview7 lectures · 4 quizzes · 24 min
- 2Unit 1 - Begrüßen und Vorstellen (Greeting and introducing) 6 free previews47 lectures · 12 quizzes · 1 hour
- 3Unit 2 - Familie und Freunde (Family and friends)46 lectures · 12 quizzes · 1.1 hours
- 4Unit 3 - Essen und trinken (Eating and drinking) 3 free previews49 lectures · 13 quizzes · 1.2 hours
- 5Unit 4 - Haus und wohnen (Home and living) 1 free preview45 lectures · 15 quizzes · 1.1 hours
- 6Unit 5 - Mein Tag (My day)37 lectures · 7 quizzes · 1 hour
- 7Unit 6 - Hobbys und Freizeit (Hobbies and free time) 1 free preview36 lectures · 11 quizzes · 1 hour
- 8Unit 7 - Arbeiten und lernen (Working and learning) 1 free preview39 lectures · 6 quizzes · 1.1 hours
- 9Tschüss!3 lectures · 3 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Anyone who wants to start learning German or wants to repeat the basics
What you need before you start
- You don't need any prior knowledge to start this course - we will start from the beginning and gradually build up your knowledge!
- The only thing you need is motivation to learn the language and a little spare time to watch the videos and do the exercises.
How it compares
Against the other 535 rated Udemy courses in Language Learning on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.8 out of 5higher than 82% of them
- Reviews21,818#7 of 536 by number of reviews
- Length7.9 hourslonger than 67% of them
- Last updatedAugust 2026more recently than 89% of them
Course Description
Hallo German learner!
My name is Sandra and I will be your guide through the secrets of the German language. Welcome to the full starter kit of the German language for total beginners!
This course is for you if:
- You are a complete beginner and don’t know any German at all
- You want short and straight to the point lessons
- You need a lot of exercises, repetition and motivation to stay on track
- You want assignments where you can get personalized feedback and guidance
- You want to pass a German language exam (Like the Goethe exam for example)
- You want it to be fun!
How does it work?
This course is constructed like my one-on-one beginner German lessons I usually have with my students in real life. There are 7 units, each one with a specific theme. Each unit has between 10 and 15 individual lessons, most of them being under 5 minutes. Everything is split up into bite-size pieces.
You get a lot of useful vocabulary, example sentences, real-life dialogue and grammar delivered in an easy to understand and not too overwhelming way.
After every lesson, you will have an Übung, meaning exercise. This way you can practice your new knowledge right away.
There are also regular Assignments, where you will get feedback and guidance from me so you know what you need to repeat or look out for.
What will you learn?
- How to introduce yourself and meet and greet people
- Say where you live, where you are from and describe your home
- Talk about your family, whether you are married and have kids
- Describe your hobbies and where you spend your holidays
- Chit - chat about the weather or ask someone how's it going
- Order food at a restaurant or buy groceries at the store
- Use the present and past tense of regular and irregular verbs
- Fill out a registration form or write a professional e-mail
- And much much more!
Language level
- This is a A1.1 course, which means it's the first German course in the series
- If you want to continue learning German after finishing this one, check out my A1.2 course that you can find on my instructor profile
- These two courses together (A1.1 + A1.2) cover everything you need to learn to take the Goethe A1 or a similar exam - and actually a lot of my students have already successfully taken the exams and passed with flying colors!
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me before buying!
See you in the course! :)
Instructor Details
- 4.8 Rating
21,818 Reviews
Sandra 11Percent
Hallo, I am Sandra, teacher of German as a foreign language, trying to make it not foreign anymore for a wide range of students. In the last ten years, I have taught elementary and high school students as well as adults, from beginner courses to advanced and business courses. But my biggest love is teaching online and changing the lives of students all around the world.
My greatest hope is to make learning as fun and pleasurable as playing your favorite game, and as easy as chatting with your best friend. I know it can be done and I am still exploring all the possible ways to achieve it :)
Why '11Percent'?
The common urban legend says that people only use around 10% of their brains. The ten percent myth most likely arose from a misunderstanding of neurological research in the late 19th century.
At the same time, science proved that learning a new language improves your brain functions and memory abilities. Learning a language rewires your brain and literally makes it grow bigger.
So by combining myth and science, I hope that after learning German, your brain will function at least on 11 percent :)
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Reviews
By Splendor Richard on 8/15/2026
At the time of posting this review I just concluded the A1.1 course and I would say It's really been easy and understandable learning with Sandra11percent. Although that doesn't mean you will just learn everything one time you still have to put in the effort of understanding the vocabularies and verbs and also the articles only then will you day you've really learnt it. Dankeschön für diese A1.1 Niveau Deutschkurs.
By Ferencz Réka on 8/9/2026
Great course, I already learned German before, I just wanted to start again at the beginning. And yet, I could learn so much new informations about numbers and pronounciations. So, thank you, it is so much fun.
By Neythan C Rodríguez Lugo on 6/23/2026
This was a great course! The lessons are short but filled with great information, and it kept a nice pacing throughout the whole thing. The professor is very friendly and the practice exercises are quite useful. I felt, however, somewhat confused at times on the topics of each unit. It sometimes felt like there were inconsistent topic jumps throughout that were a bit discouraging. However, the course is just what I needed to start my German learning, and I would totally recommend it. Danke schön!
By Anonymized User on 6/10/2026
Absolutely love the course. I started my A1 course with an institution and then took this course as a follow up to strengthen my knowledge and it was mind-blowing. The way she explains German grammar is easy and way better than my other German course.
By Kuntal Banerjee on 6/7/2026
The course and coverage together is really good for a beginner. It's engaging. Small videos/ capsule/ bite size learning is really helpful as it doesn't act as hinderance when I look at the total duration of a video, rather motivates me to do more. And I find it helpful even a beginner can complete at least 7 to 10 videos per day if he or she is working also. Sandra is awesome. Take much love!
By Kirk Cabatbat on 5/22/2026
There are minor spelling and grammar issues with the English translation.
By Emiliya Apostolova on 3/30/2026
Thank you so much for this wonderful course, Sandra! You made learning German enjoyable and motivating. The course is exceptionally well-structured, making it suitable for both beginners and learners looking to strengthen their existing skills. Each lesson builds naturally on the previous one. What truly sets this course apart is the teacher. She has a remarkable ability to explain even complex grammatical concepts in a clear, simple, and engaging way. The lessons never felt overwhelming, yet I was constantly challenged enough to keep improving. Sandra also brings a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy to every session, which made learning enjoyable rather than a chore. Another highlight of the course is the variety of learning materials—videos, exercises, quizzes—all designed to reinforce what you learn. The flexibility of the online format made it easy to fit lessons into my schedule without compromising quality.
By helia chaharmir on 3/25/2026
Everything is great. Bite sized lessons and lots of practice material and quizes. Also very awesome links to songs and other great material that make learning a new difficult language much more fun and easier. Absolutely amazing.
By NARENDRAN KANDANCHIRAKKAL on 3/12/2026
I do watch many other sorces for learning German, and that keep changing. But these lessons /Course from Sandra is invaluable, structured and i repeat these lessons many times to ensure I learn it correclty. Wonderful effort and really helpping me to make by learning interesting and worth of the time that we spend. Well done and all the best.
By randommix SL on 1/21/2026
This is nice course, we need to repeat each an every lessons to get the maximum that provide. I can recommend this course for anyone who suppose to start German language form Zero level up to A1 level.
By babar Ali Siddiqui on 11/15/2020
Danke
By Albert Cinco on 11/15/2020
Easy to understand
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 96 / 100






