It’s no secret that reading is a basic skill for mastering a language. Basic, but sometimes very difficult! According to the law of meanness, already at the very beginning of the path you suddenly come across a text that is easy to read, you just understand it through a word, or even two. And if you look into the dictionary every minute, all the pleasure of reading is lost!
Today we’ll talk about how and where to find interesting and simple texts for the entry level. And the so-called “simple German” (Leichtes Deutsch) – a variant of a simplified and very understandable to all segments of the population of the German language.
TIP: Take texts marked “Leichtes Deutsch” as a basis for learning at the initial levels . At first, this will really bring relief, but do not forget that our task in the end is to learn how to read German texts of any complexity. When the level seems to you taken – give up such texts in favor of more difficult ones!
So how can you learn to read German without problems? In the age of electronic technology, there is a great source of interesting and simple free texts – the Internet!
Where are we looking? TOP most useful resources
You can just open Google and type “simple german texts”, “leichte deutschen Texte”, “leicht lesen” and so on … We, in turn, took the liberty of recommending a selection of verified sites.
Lingua.com
The Lingua service is a full-fledged platform for learning foreign languages. Here you can find reading texts and listening files, write a dictation or do exercises on various grammar topics. As for the texts, 40 of them are open for free access. Texts for beginners – levels A1 and A2 – contain basic vocabulary and simple sentences. After each text, you can check your reading comprehension by answering questions.
Nachrichtenleicht.de
Another site with simple context and audio options . The most difficult texts are also explained and immediately understandable. As a rule, the news here is quite fresh, and the news feed is updated frequently.
Bidok.uibk.ac.at
Site-piggy bank of topics . Here there are texts, probably, on any topic! There are quite a few of them and they are all simple, but new texts are, unfortunately, not released so often.
offene-bibel.de
The Common Bible project, as the name implies, tells us about the Old and New Testaments in a simple transcription. An indisputable plus of the project is the simplicity of the presentation of the material, but it is certainly designed for a rather narrow audience.
ndr.de
NDR is the public broadcaster of Northern Germany. Some of the news here is published in simple German, understandable to beginners; Each news item comes with an audio file to listen to. For children (and not only), adapted fairy tales in German can be found on the NDR website , which also include audio. And for the real fans, the site hosts a small Low German dictionary.
hurraki.de
Treasury of simple German! Explanatory Dictionary. A very useful thing to learn for the initial levels of training. If a word seems complicated to you, try this resource and you will see that the meaning of the most difficult words can be conveyed in the simplest language. The benefits of using an explanatory dictionary are undeniable – you immediately feel complete immersion in a foreign language and gradually stop using (even in your thoughts) your native language.
Deutsch-perfekt.com
A selection of simple texts from one of the most respected educational projects Deutsch Perfekt. The texts are mostly small and diverse, some of them are available only by subscription, but many are still in the public domain. The peculiarity of this resource is that the texts correspond to the initial levels, but are not texts in Leichtes Deutsch. In other words, reading these short and simple notes in literary German can be even more useful than learning from obviously adapted texts.
Vitamin de
“Vitamin de” is a magazine for German learners and German teachers. New issues are available by subscription, but some older articles can be found in the “Leseproben” section, as well as on the social networks of the magazine.
How to read correctly
At first glance, it seems that reading is not difficult at all, but when the material is already selected and the dictionary is nearby, there is a feeling of uncertainty, a premonition that something will be incomprehensible.
Do not worry! Here are the basic rules for reading for beginners:
- Read only such texts that correspond to the level of your preparation . Reading texts that are too complex makes you often get distracted by the dictionary and, as a result, demotivates.
- Do not use a dictionary , or use it as little as possible! Simple texts are simple in order to be understood without a dictionary. Read the word several times, try to learn its meaning from the general context, reread the sentence or text. If you still can’t, take a dictionary.
- Use an explanatory dictionary , this increases the speed of immersion in the language.
- Don’t get hung up on all the new words by writing them out. Gradually, as you learn the language, you will introduce them into your vocabulary without time-consuming cramming.
READ MORE! Read everywhere, a lot, often! This greatly expands the possibilities and vocabulary.
This is perhaps the most important thing to know about reading when starting to learn German. Over time, the vocabulary will expand noticeably, and you will read more and more complex and complex texts, enjoying the process. Many believe that there is nothing better than reading literary works in the original. Who knows what you will choose: a volume of Goethe, Schiller or modern romance novels – the world of German literature will definitely open up before you!
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