Servus!
We have been getting quite a few messages about German TV programmes and what ones may be suitable for German learners at Junior and Leaving Cert levels. In this blog post, we will point you in the direction of four freely accessible German TV shows to help you immerse yourself in the language. This will help with your listening and understanding of German. German TV can be a challenge, so be sure to turn on the subtitles when watching and don’t be afraid to pause and rewind. We know that listening causes worry in lots of students but remember that this isn’t a test and you aren’t expected to know everything straight away. You are a German learner, after all!
Tatort
No list of German TV shows would be complete without Tatort. Tatort (meaning ‘crime scene’) has been running since the 1970s and is a police drama. If you’re a fan of CSI or Law & Order, this show should interest you. Each episode takes place in a new city where a set of investigators work together to solve a crime within the span of one episode. Because of this you are exposed to new German-speaking cities and dialects. You can find recent episodes here.
Heute-Show
The heute-show is a German satirical TV programme airing every Friday evening on public broadcasting channel ZDF. The show presents the weekly news with sarcastic and cynical comments, especially focusing on the latest political discussions in Germany. It is hosted by German comedian and journalist Oliver Welke and includes segments from many well-known German comedians. You can find the most recent broadcasts towards the bottom of the home page under ‘Die letzten Sendungen im Archiv’ here.
Lindenstraße
Lindenstraße is a German drama series which stopped airing last month, but with episodes dating back to 1985 available to browse online. It is like the equivalent of ‘Fair City’ or ‘Coronation Street’, set on a fictional street in Munich. Story lines in the past have included love and marriage, as well as drug abuse and violence. You can find the list of all episodes here.
Tagesschau
Tagesschau is the equivalent to the RTÉ News in Ireland. The main edition of this news broadcast is aired at 8pm German time (so 7pm in Ireland). It also broadcasts for most of the day online on tagesschau24. In addition, they have an excellent feature for those looking for a quick burst of German called ‘100 Sekunden’, where the main news headlines are given in 100 seconds. This feature includes the weather at the end and is great for Leaving Cert students studying for the Aural. You can find the home page here.
Try out some of these popular German TV programmes and let us know what you think!
Viel Spaß Euch!
Ihr Deutsch Online Team