Intro

• German Studies Resources
• Language Center Services
• Foreign Films

• Dictionaries
• Test Your Language Level
• Resources for All Language Learners
• Resources for Advanced Language Learners
• Resources for Teaching and Tutoring Purposes
• Tutor Schedule

 

• German Media Portal

These resources are valuable, not only for students, but for tutors and faculty as well.

Dictionaries

These resources can aid when writing a paper that calls for the use of a standardized style in written German.

• All Languages Dictionaries

   
  eolingus 
  For all languages: Search in over one million example sentences from the DGT Multilingual Translation Memory of the European Union.
  
  dict
  Great dictionary that is specially effective to translate German to any language. The website specifies what translations are more accurate by the size of the letters of each language.

• German Dictionaries

   
  • DICT.CC - English-German Dictionary
    English-German; German-English dictionary with voice output, vocabulary-trainer, similar expressions and links to text examples
  • Collins German Dictionary 
    with thesaurus, word games and more 
  • Leo Dictionaries 
    English-German; German –English (among many other combinations); easy to use; can also be downloaded as an app. TU Munich's crowd-sourced classic LEO is the oldest practical online dictionary and still hands down the best and most used among Germany's students. Besides the dictionary itself, the forum, the experience and the discussions really make it worth your while.
  • Lingro 
    Read German Websites with this awesome dictionary that allows you to click on words and get their translation. On the main page, choose the respective languages (i.e.German –English) , insert the website you want to read!
  • Linguee Editorial Dictionary 
    Linguee is a unique translation tool combining an editorial dictionary and a search engine with which you can search billions of bilingual texts for words and expressions.  It contains about 1,000 times more translated texts, which are displayed in full sentences while professional editors are working continuously on adding new entries and enhancing the quality of the dictionary.
  • Literaturwissenschaft 
    Terms, Authors, and Works Lexicon dynamically expanded by the University of Munich and Marburg; fundamental literary terms and entries on authors (over 5ooo) and their works
  • Pons 
    Very useful dictionary with many synonyms, vocabulary trainer and more
  • Wörterbuch 
    Dictionary of German Synonyms
  • Woxikon 
    Find Synonyms, verb conjugations, abbreviations and rhymes in German and many other languages

• Thesaurus and Other Tools

   
  • German Prefixes - Liste deutscher Präfixe
    Impressive list of German Prefixes; from most common to very rare - with verbs and adjectives.
  • Literaturwissenschaft 
    Terms, Authors, and Works Lexicon dynamically expanded by the University of Munich and Marburg; fundamental literary terms and entries on authors (over 5000) and their works
  • Open Thesaurus 
    Great dictionary for synonyms and associations
  • International Phonetic Alphabet Converter                                                                    Translates German words to their phonetic pronunciation
  • Redewendungen
    These following pages help explain origin and meaning of German idioms and sayings
    Deutsche Redewendungen
    Deutsche Redewendungen and their English equivalent
    Aha-Effekt
     

   

Test Your Language Level

• Overview

   
  The following resources will help you determine your language level, practice for exams, or understand the certificates you need to attend German Colleges and Universities. Practice Exams are aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) – the international standard for describing language ability. Find out what level you are or need to have. The links to the C1-C2 Certification Exams are ideal to investigate if you would like to study,teach, or conduct research in Germany,  or are in need of an official and internationally recognized certificate.

• Language Proficiency - Quick Test

   
  • WebCAPE Placement Test
    Bard's Language Center, upon faculty request, provides German students with access to the WebCAPE language placement exam which is designed to accurately and efficiently place students in the first two years of college language courses.
  • Cornelsen Placement Test | Deutsch als Fremdsprache 
    
    ​This 30 - 40 minute  test allows you to evaluate your language abilities for  A1
    This 30 - 40 minute  test allows you to evaluate your language abilities for A2
    This 30 - 40 minute  test allows you to evaluate your language abilities for B1
    ​
  • In line with the Common European Framework  you will be asked to estimate your own language level. ( Feel free to try out various levels offered by the Goethe Institute, referenced below.)
  • You will then answer a great variety of questions evaluating your reading, writing, grammar, and listening skills in various situations. 
  • At the end of the test, you will receive a personal recommendation document (PDF) written in German.

• Practice Exams - CEFR

   
  • Goethe Institute Language Exam Practice 
    The Goethe-Institute’s German language examinations correspond to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and range from A1 for beginners to C2 for language skills at the highest level (Grosses Deutsches Sprachdiplom). The following links allow you to evaluate your own level and/or practice for language examinations at any Goethe-Institute testing location around the globe.
    • Zertifikat A1 - Exam Training and additional Practice Material
    • Zertifkat A2 - Exam training and additional Practice Material
    • Zertifkat B1 - Exam training  and additional Practice Material
    • Zertifkat B2 - Exam training  and additional Practice Material
    • Zertifkat B2 - Exam training
    • Zertifkat C1 - Exam training and additional Practice Material
    • Zertifkat C2 - Exam training and additional Practice Material    

• University Entry Level Exams - Samples

   
  • The Goethe-Zertifikat C1 - For Adults
    The Goethe-Zertifikat C1 certifies that candidates have acquired very advanced language skills and corresponds to the fifth level (C1) on the six-level scale of competence laid down in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Practice
  • The Goethe Zertifikat C2 | Grosses Deutsches Sprachdiplom
    The Goethe-Zertifikat C2  allows foreign students to be admitted to colleges and universities in Germany. The examination is recognized as official proof of language competence for teachers throughout Germany.
    
    By passing this exam you demonstrate you can, for example:
    -- understand everything in German that you read and hear effortlessly
    -- summarize information presented to you from a variety of sources and synthesize correlating arguments as well as explanations
    --organically express yourself in a fluent and precise manner and articulate the finer nuances of complex arguments.
  • How to Survive Humboldt

  Information from the School: http://www.international.hu-berlin.de/an_die_hu-en/wegweiser

• Cultural Proficiency

   
  Studying in Germany - This website offers a comprehensive look at the ins and outs of studying abroad in Germany, such as obtaining a visa, choosing a city, finding health insurance, driving, and much more.

Resources for All Language Learners

• Overview

   
  These resources are related to cultural literacy, especially within entertainment and the media. Some podcasts may be of particular interest to certain corresponding majors or just interesting subjects—find one that “speaks” to you! They also include vocabulary, speaking and writing practices. Some of these resources come in the form of smartphone apps (for both iPhone and Android), allowing for fun language-learning on the go.
  

• Grammar and Vocabulary

   
  • Anki - Flashcards
    Anki is a free program that allows you to create your own flashcards from which to study vocabulary, conjugations, or grammar. The program allows you to categorize the cards by how well you know the information, presenting cards you are less familiar with more frequently and helping you learn more quickly!
  • Verbix
    Quick, easy, awesome website to help you conjugate German verbs.Interctive Grammar Tutor
  • Interactive Grammar Tutor
    Well-done german grammar help online; with many explanations, mnemonic devices and practice exercises 
  • Basic Vocabulary: Audio-Trainer
    With the Deutsche-Welle English-German Audio Tutor choose from  100 lessons with which  you can effectively learn basic vocabulary and improve your pronunciation. The lessons are thematically sorted, come with pdf worksheets, videos and mp3 files or podcast links. itunes
    Length:3-8 min
    Level: A1-A2
  • Top-Thema mit Vokabeln
    Study German with up-to-date reports on this video-podcast; easy to understand with vocabulary list. You may need to download a “deluxe podcatcher” for your mobile device or add it as a “live bookmark” to your website. Rss feed
    Length: 3-5 min
    Level: B1 – C1
  • Quizlet - Flashcards
    A great website to create your own vocabulary lists, print flashcards, test yourself with the “testmaker”, combine lists to study a select number of words from the last semester, etc. . Can also be used for individual classes, and as an app on your mobile device
    Level: A1 – C2
  • Quia- Grammar Exercises
    Hundreds of online activities and quizzes provided by the public domaine but also by the Bard LC to review, practice and drill your grammar skills. To gain access to exercises related to Bard courses, contact the Bard German Department
    Level: A2 – C1
  • iSpring Grammar Quizzes

• Listening and Comprehension - Podcast

   

  LANGUAGE

  • Audiotrainer – For Beginners
    Open the lesson/topic you are interested in – on the bottom of the worksheet you will find a link to download the mp3 file and/or the respective worksheet. Android feed / itunes
    Level: A1, A2
  • Deutsche-Welle Collection
    A well-organized collection of over 40 podcasts by subject with respective RSS and itune feeds. The collection includes
    THEATRE: Conversations with Actors; LITERATURE: Conversations with writers; CLASSICAL MUSIC
    Level: A1-C2

  ART

  • CastYourArt
    This website makes art of all forms part of life for everyone. Find here the newest information on contemporary art and photo  exhibitions, artists, their portraits and more  - anything that moves the art world. With  one billion podcast-subscribers, Apple calls the CastYourArt-Podcast one of the most popular podcast of all time! RSS,  itunes
    Length: 3 – 20 min
    Level: B2-C2
  • KNOWLEDGE IN 99 SECONDS/ 99 Sekunden Wissen
    Look fort he topic you are interested in (anything from art, nature, medicine, technology, humanities etc.), listen and learn, or have the page read to you! Listen again and again until you understand the gist of it.
    Length: 99 Seconds
    Level: A1-C2

  BOOKS and REVIEWS

  • Büchermarkt - Bookmarket
    Fantastic, continuously updated podcast with a wide collection of episodes on the mostly European book market -  most episodes are about 5 min. long, some are 19 min. long. The Internet provides the text, too.
    Length:2 – 19 min
    Level: B2 – C2
  • Vorleser.net - Listening to Literature
    Fantastic collection of 700 pieces of literature to listen to for free (listen to it, download it and/or read along with the transcript); select from children's or crime stories, radio- and theaterplays, short stories and novels, romantic novels, poetry and music and much more. Each reading opens with a brief note attached detailing speaker, length, size of file and a brief synopsis in German.
    Length: 30 - 420min
    Level: B1 - C2

  • swr2 Literatur
    Over 600 episodes, updated daily, of 4 -8 min long reviews of books  - listen or read on line and click the button: “Seite Vorlesen” to have the page read to you! RSS
    Length:4-8 min
    Level: A2 – C2
  • SWR2Buch der Woche  
    Book reviews – with full transcript of the  essayistic introduction to  the book  with readings of some  quotes; find the podcast feed under the link: Zum Nachhoeren
    Length: 5-7 min
    Level: B1 – C2

  CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

  • Contemporary Artists: swr2 ZEITGENOSSEN
    Get to know interesting  personalities (actors, writers, journalists, politicians, filmmakers) and their unusual life experiences in 45 min) Simply copy the podcast address  to your podcast catcher and listen to the latest ten episodes
    Length: 45 min
    Level: C1-C2

  CRIME STORIES

  • ARD RADIO TATORT
    1 hour-long crime stories based on the famous TATORT-SERIES; suspenseful, well-read, RSS
    Length: 60 min
    Level: B1 – C2

  ECONOMICS

  • Wirtschaft
    Daily new events, developments and background information on economic news from around the world with audio and video; itunes and rss
    Length: 15 min
    Level: C1

  HISTORY

  • Acast
    This website has a large selection of podcasts dedicated to German History. The podcasts go from 5 min to over an hour depending on the topic. Very detailed and well put together for anybody curious about the main events that defined Germany today.
    Length : 5-60 min
    Level : B1-C2
     
  • Slowgerman
    Here you will find podcasts about several topics relating to Germany. Whether it is history, fun facts or society, this website provides short stories that will allow you to have a deeper understanding of what defines Germany.
    Length : 5-10 min
    Level : B1-C2

  KNOWLEDGE

  • Knowledge in 99 seconds/ 99 Sekunden Wissen
    Look for the topic you are interested in (anything from art, nature, medicine, technology, humanities etc.) , listen and learn, or have the page read to you! Listen again and again until you understand the gist of it.
    Length: 99 Seconds
    Level: A1-C2

  MUSIC

  • BR KLASSIK - Robert Schumann – Kritiker und Prophet
    Over 30  (coproduction of swr2 and Bayrischer Rundfunk)  brief discussions on musicians and composers ranging from Chopin, Mendelssohn, Weber, Brahms to Berliotz, Thalberg and Bach- all  based on excerpts from Robert Schumann texts RSS, i-tunes
    Length: 4-6 min
    Level: B1 – C2
  • Deutsche Musik: Youtube List of German Music
    Long Playlist of over 200 German Music Videos
    Length: 3- 5 min
    Level: A1 - C2
  • Klassik Aktuell
    Brief but engaging critiques, conversations and reports from the world of classical music, from Munich to New York  - interviews with great musicians or leaders of  innovative music schools and –projects. RSS; i-tunes
    Length: 5-8 min
    Level: B 1 – C2

  NEWS

  • Nachrichten langsam gesprochen - Slowly Spoken News from Deutsche Welle
    Daily news between Monday and Friday, slowly and intelligibly spoken; download a mp3 file and/or read along the full text
    Length: 8-10 min
    Level: B1-C1
  • Kindernachrichten - klaro
    4th graders from a variety of Bavarian schools introduce international news stories on a weekly basis.
    Length: 8 min
    Level: A2-B2
  • ZDF-logo - Kindernachrichten
    Started in the early 80s in Holland, this is a great  page with news for kids, a news dictionary and current news about Germany and the world in really good but very understandable German. New version every day.
    Length: 10 min
    Level: A1 –B1

  PHOTOGRAPHY

  • First German Photography Videopodcast
    100s of free video tutorials in German on everything concerning photography;  on itunes.
    Length: 1-7 min
    Level: B2-C2

  POETRY

  • Lyrik Line - Listen to the Poet!
    This website allows you to listen to poems from a huge selection of languages and countries read by their authors. It also provides written translations in several languages depending on the poem. An excellent resource for all language learners to improve listening and reading skills.
    Length:2-20 min
    Level: A1-C2

  RADIO PLAYS

  • Hörspiel on Demand
    SWR2 feature – regularly updated rss
    ARD radio feature rss
    Length: 1 hour
    Level:C1 – C2

  POLITICS

  • Interview der Woche
    Updated list of interviews with contemporary politicians. Download mp3-f8ile
    Length:20 min
    Level: C1- C2

  THEATRE

  • Deutsches Theater Berlin – Hör-Stücke
    Interviews and conversations with directors, actors, writers and theater staff of one of Berlin’s most prestigious theaters  about past, present and future productions. RSS
    Length: 3 – 15 min
    Level: B1 – C2

• Speaking & Conversation

   
  • Phonetics Site – University of Iowa
    A marvelous resource! This site contains animated libraries of the phonetic sounds in German. Available for each consonant and vowel is an animated articulatory diagram, a step-by-step description, and audio-video of the sound spoken in context.
    Level: All levels
  • Phonetik Simsalabim
    Phonetics website that allows to your choose different lessons to work from.
    Level: All levels
  • Learn German with HARRY CAUGHT IN TIME
    Log on for free to this suspenseful, bilingual, innovative, multimedia and totally crazy German course with 100 episodes, 400 interactive grammar exercises, and a vocabulary trainer with more than 3500 audio recorded words:Harry Walcott, who is on vacation in Germany and does not speak a single word of German, suddenly wakes up in a seemingly never ending time-loop. Can he escape? Learn German and find out.  Check outto  the first episode here.
    Level: A1, A2, B1
    Length: Each episode is about 15 minutes
  • Meetup
    A great site  for finding other local people to join a conversation table, or create a conversation table yourself!
    Level: All levels
  • German Course A2-C1
    Learn German with the international market leader for German tuition. Whether you are in Germany, in your home country or online – the Goethe-Institute is your qualified partner. We have highly qualified teachers, the latest teaching methods, intensive mentoring and advice, as well as a course level system that is internationally valid.
    Level: All levels

• Reading and Writing

   
  • Lingro – Webreader + Dictionary
    Read German Websites with this awesome dictionary that allows you to click on words and get their translation. On the main page, choose   the respective languages (i.e.German –English) , insert the website you want to read!
    Level: A1 –C2
  • Dictation Tool
    Listen and write! A terrible looking website – BUT: A natural sounding text-to-speech program with adjustable speed. Find an online text, copy and paste on to the website – open a word document – listen and Type!
    Level: A1 –A2

• Visual Media - Film & Video Collection

   
  • Deutsche Welle
    This site provides news in German, including videos and materials designed for learners at various levels. In their online community students can access documents, podcasts, and videos for learning German, and also use the friend finder to communicate with others via videos and audio or text messages.
    Level: A1- C1
  • Netflix – German List
    If you have a Netflix account, you can easily find all German films available here; most of them with English subtitles. For many films with German- or no subtitles, get access to the Bard FL Server
  • Youtube - for German Learners
    More examples of video series on YouTube to learn about cultural topics:
    - "Germany vs. USA" by AlexandJim
    - "Die Wahrheit über Deutschland" or "The Truth about Germany" by euromaxx/Deutsche Welle
    Level: A1-C1

Resources for Advanced Language Learners

• Overview

   
  The following resources include bibliographies and citation help, research databases for locating scholarly publications as well as selected online journals in fields from poetry and music to history and journalism.

• Bibliographies and Citations

   
  
  APA Reference Guide
  APA, Chicago, MLA  - Automatisches Formatieren von Literaturverzeichnissen
  Merkblatt zum Erstellen bibliographischer Angaben (MLA) - pdf

• Literature and Art

   
  Perlentaucher
  Online German magazine  (since 2000) with the main focus on German culture and feuilleton, and a daily overview of book reviews that have been published in a range of German newspapers
  Level: B2 -C2
  
  Die Zeit Online
  Literature, Film, Art and Music
  Level: B2 -C2
  
  Der Spiegel - Online: Today in the Feuilletons
  Level: B2 -C2
  
  Der UniSpiegel- Online: Studium, Uni, Job und Beruf
  Level: A2 - C2
  
  FAZ - Die Frankfurter Allgemeine - Das Feuilleton
  Literature, Film, Art and Music
  Level: B2 -C2
  
  UbuWeb: Avant-Garde Material
  A large web-based educational resource for avant-garde material available on the internet in many different languages (Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Turkish) , founded in 1996 by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It offers visual, concrete and sound poetry, film and sound art mp3 archives.
  Search by
  - genre (i.e Hörspiel; Vortrag, Interview, Diskussion)
  - author/speaker  (i.e Fassbinder,Jandl,Brecht, Adorno etc.)
  - composers (Kurt Weill)
  Level: B2 -C2
  
  Radio plays - Hörspiele
  A large collection of radio plays -  many of them professionally produced stage versions to listen to or have on your phone via the rss feed.
  If you are interested in the genre of radio plays -  please also refer to the database of over 30 0000  radio plays collected  here since 1924, or find your favorite radio play at this or listen to or download radio plays from this huge collection from the radio station WDR1
  Length: 1 – 2 hours
  Level: C1-C2

• History

   

  Bundesarchiv - Federal Archives

  Access to a wide range  of  archival records and library holdings via databases, catalogues, editions and portals. The Federal Archives  document, and save as archives, testimonies to, and evidence of, modern and contemporary German history and make this information available to everyone.
  Level: C1-C2

Resources for Teaching and Tutoring Purposes

• Overview

   
  These resources are mainly meant to help teachers and tutors to prepare for daily classes - from creating and/or printing ready-made worksheets to integrating the newest google tools into language and literature classes. Bard's Foreign Language Tutors are invited to upload their favorite activities to this website. Students are welcome to use these resources to study, help a classmate, or teach other language learners.

• General Teaching Resources

   
  • allgemeinbildung - general education
    A large (visually not very appealing) swiss collection of online tools to study and teach (among many things from Math, Biology, Physics to French) German vocabulary with lots of quick vocabulary picture trainers (see this example Bildwortschatz) and more. In the list of subjects covered on the right, choose DEUTSCH
  • tumblr: Really simple for people to make a blog and put whatever they want on it. Stories, photos, GIFs, TV shows, : links, quips, dumb jokes, smart jokes, Spotify tracks, mp3s, videos, fashion, art, deep stuff. Tumblr is 229 : million different blogs, filled with literally whatever.
    Level: A1 – A2
  • Pinterest: Collect resources for learning about the target culture with this virtual bulletin board; create a class board, : where all students can "pin" images or websites that could later be used to spur discussion. See this : example of German Teaching with Pinterest
    Level: A1 – A2
  • Tourbuilder: Tour Builder is a tool to tell a story. It is new way to show people the places you've visited (literally, : virtually or in a text) and the experiences you had along the way using Google Earth. It lets you pick the : locations right on the map, add in photos, text, and video, and then share your creation.
    Level: A1 – C2
  • Goethe Institute - Teaching Materials: Great collection of activities and worksheets for teachers sorted by music, film, soccer, and Germany . The : individual worksheets note the language level; site includes film trailers and film clips, “Filmhefte”, : podcasts (i.e. Hätten Sie gewusst?”), city portraits and pop quizzes on historical and cultural information : and much more.
    Level: A1 – C2
  • DaF/DaZ Materials for the Classroom
    A wide array of teaching materials for activities in reading, writing, grammar, cultural topics, games and more. For example : Print Grammar Worksheets: Lots of grammar explanations and corresponding worksheets, ready to print on this DaF/DaZ webpage
    Level: A1 – C2
  • Worksheets – Arbeitsblätter - Schubert Verlag
    Great collection of class and internet activities, and pdf worksheets and on line exercises, sorted by language level.
    Level: A1 – C1
  • Worksheet Builder: Create your own fill-in-the blank worksheets quickly
    Level: A1 – B2
  • Worksheet Builder – German: Übungsblätter selbst gemacht - Goethe Institut
    This simple on line program allows you to quickly create your own handouts and exercises for class. Simply paste any text into the provided window, follow the instructions on the webpage, and create a cloze paragraph, titles for a number of paragraphs to be matched with the titles, or a multitude of paragraphs for students to rearrange or sequence based on content, all with a click of the mouse, and you are done!
    Level: A1 - B2
  • Worksheet Builder - Deutsche Welle
    Quickly create printable cloze texts, verb conjugation  (with your choice of tense or pronoun), and text sequencing exercises with solution key.
    Level: A1 - B2
    
     

• Tutor Favorites

   
  Games Folder
  This folder contains worksheets with fun games for beginning and proficient language learners!
  
  Vocabulary & Grammar Folder
  This folder contains a variety of worksheets and charts covering vocabulary and grammar for beginning and proficient language learners!
  
  Teaching Material_Nancy Thuleen
  Extensive compiled list of worksheets (many with solution key) for German grammar, vocabulary, writing,culture, lyrics, and other activities
  Level: A1 - B2

Tutor Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:00-9:00
9:00-10:00
10:00-11:00			German 200 Tutoring R 207
11:00-12:00
12:00-1:00			German 300 Tutoring R 207	German 300 Corner Lab
1:00-2:00
2:00-3:00		German 400 Tutoring R 207	German 300 Tutoring R 207
3:00-4:00		German 200 Tutoring R 207	German 200 Tutoring R 207
4:00-5:00	German 200 Corner Lab 203	German 200 Tutoring R 207	German 300 Tutoring R 207
5:00-6:00		German 300 Tutoring R 207		German 300 Corner Lab 203
6:00-7:00
7:00-8:00

 
 
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