The German with Stories Podcast Archive
The German with Stories Podcast was active from 2023 to 2025 and is now complete. The archive will stay online, and you can still listen to the old episodes and use the free transcripts on this website.
German with Stories started in 2021 with graded readers and short stories for German learners. The podcast was added later, but over time I realized that I want to focus on books and short stories again. The heart of German with Stories has always been the text, the story and the reading experience.
There will be no new podcast episodes, but German with Stories continues with graded readers and short story collections. All books come with free audio recordings.
Podcast Materials
The free podcast transcripts will remain available on this website.
For many episodes, you can also get additional materials on Patreon: PDF transcripts, comprehension questions, vocabulary German-English, worksheets and audio files without the podcast intro.
The Patreon materials are especially useful if you want to work with the episodes more actively instead of only listening.
Podcast Episodes - Content
In Season 1, I alternated between episodes for beginners and intermediate learners. The beginner episodes are story-based and form a continuous narrative, while the intermediate episodes cover a variety of independent topics.
Season 2 started with episode no. 51 and the content consists of a mix of non-fictional texts, personal episodes and short stories, all suitable for advanced beginners (A2) and intermediate (B1+) students of German.
Story-Based Episodes (Beginners)
The story-based episodes follow the everyday life of a four-generation family from Hamburg. I lived in Hamburg for a year after finishing high school, and although it’s a beautiful city, the climate wasn’t really for me—too cold and too windy. In any case, I later published these 24 episodes together with vocabulary support and grammar exercises as a book. Like all my books, Eine Familie aus Hamburg is available on Amazon and Patreon.
Content
- Luises Familie
- Ein ganz normaler Abend
- Margarethe erzählt
- Paula bei der Arbeit
- Luises Kinder
- Weihnachtsmorgen
- Ein neues Jahr beginnt
- Es schneit
- Besuch aus Mexiko
- Margarethe erzählt von ihren Geschwistern
- Überraschung für Paula
- Besuch in der Bücherei
- Der Osterhase war da
- Luise trifft sich mit ihrer Freundin
- Anruf von Marlene
- Michaels Hochzeit
- Ein geheimnisvoller Franzose
- Zurück in Hamburg
- Luise arbeitet im Garten
- Urlaub in Bulgarien
- Rückflug nach Deutschland
- Ausflug an die Nordsee
- Katharinas Tagebuch I
- Katharinas Tagebuch II
Topic-based Episodes
1. Willkommen beim German with Stories Podcast
In this very first episode of the German with Stories podcast, I'm introducing myself and what to expect ...
3. Sterotypen über Deutsche
In this episode, I'm talking about common stereotypes about Germans and Germany. Are they true? What do I think about ...
5. Freundschaften aus der Kindheit
Is it possible to stay friends with people from our childhood when we live in different countries? Listen to my ...
7. Social Media und Sprachenlernen
In this episode, I'm sharing my view on social media and its role for language learners. Is it useful or ...
9. Gedanken über Deutschland und Lateinamerika
In this episode, I'm taking about differences between Germany, the country where I was born and raised, and about Latin ...
11. Freust du dich auf Weihnachten?
Christmas is coming soon. Do you like this time of the year or do you find it stressful? In this ...
13. Die Deutschen und ihre Fremdsprachenkenntnisse
In this episode, I'm talking about foreign languages in Germany. Which languages do we learn at school and how well ...
15. Bücher lesen
German with Stories is all about books and stories, so it won't surprise you that I love reading. In this ...
17-taxifahrer
In this episode, I'm talking about my experiences with taxi drivers in various countries, why I dislike them and why ...
19. Kann man in Deutschland über die Nazizeit sprechen?
Everyone knows about the Holocaust and I know from conversations with students that foreigners often wonder if it's acceptable to ...
21. Stromausfälle und andere Katastrophen
In this episode, I'm talking about power outages and other minor disasters in Argentina and why I decided to spend ...
23. Interview mit Dr. Gareth Popkins
In this episode, I'm asking the British polyglot Gareth Popkins about his experiences with German and his other target languages ...
25. Erinnerungen an 2020
2020 is a year that none of us will forget because the world stood still because of a virus. My ...
27. Wird die nächste Generation noch Sprachen lernen?
Have you ever been wondering if future generations will still learn foreign languages or will technology be so advanced that ...
29. Eindrücke aus Chile
In this episode, I'm talking about my short visit to Santiago de Chile and Valparaíso. Chile is a country I ...
31. Probleme und Pläne – Persönliche Reflexionen
This is a personal episode because not everything in life is always great. I'm telling you why I almost gave ...
33 – Von Supermärkten, Onlinekursen und vom Drauflosschreiben
In this episode, I'm doing some topic hopping: supermarkets in Germany and Argentina, my language vacation in England as a ...
35 – Ausbildung, Fortbildung, Weiterbildung
In this episode, I'm talking about the vocational training options in Germany. Immediately after soon but also when you already ...
37 – Gibt es zu viele Ausländer in Deutschland?
Some days ago, an Afghan man killed a policeman in Mannheim, a city where I used to live. It wasn't ...
39 – Wie funktioniert der German with Stories Club?
In this episode, I'm talking about my membership program, the German with Stories Club. It's now available on Patreon and ...
41 – Urlaubserinnerungen
I've visited a lot of different countries and cities and in this episode, I'm talking about some special experiences in ...
43 – Urlaubstypen
In this episode, six fictional people will tell you how and where they love to spend a vacation. What does ...
45 – Deutschland 1918 – 1923
What was life in Germany like after World War I had ended? The Emperor had to abdicate and German became ...
47 – Deutschland 1929 – 1933
In 1929, the world was in crisis. It was the start of the Great Depression. Just like in other countries, ...
49 – Motivation, Ziele und Planung beim Sprachenlernen
In this episode, I'm talking about how to maintain our motivation when we start to learn a language and why ...
51 – Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt was a German scientist who travelled to the South America to explore the wildlife and plants ...
52 – Die neue Schülerin
A short story about a girl from Angola who moves to Germany in the 1970s and is the only black ...
53 – Ruf der Ferne
Short Story for intermediate learners. Leonardo, a young man from Sicily emigrates to Argentina in the 1920s ...
54 – Was ist eine Hallig und wie lebt man dort?
The Halligen islands are located in the North Sea. They are a popular tourist destination but only few people live ...
55 – Die Ostseeinseln zu Zeiten der DDR
Some of the German islands belonged to East Germany when the country was divided and they were a popular destination ...
56 – Die Meerjungfrau von Fehmarn
This is a short story about the encounter of a mermaid and a young fisherman from the island of Fehmarn ...
57 – Winter in früheren Zeiten
How did people survive the cold winters in Germany before electricity was invented. How did they keep warm and what ...
58 – Winter in der Natur
In this episode, I talk about winter in nature. How do animals in Germany spend the cold winter months, how ...
59 – Die Weihnachtseinladung
In this episode, you will listen to a short story about a young Russian student who is invited to spend ...
60 – Frohes Neues Jahr
This is a personal episode where I tell you about some changes for German with Stories ...
61 – Ein Stück Deutschland in Argentinien
Die argentinischen Orte La Cumbrecita und Villa General Belgrano haben spanische Namen, aber eine sehr deutsche Atmosphäre ...
62 – Das Ende von Skype
It's official now: Skype will be replaced by Microsoft Teams. As someone who started teaching online using Skype, this software ...
63 – Short Stories for Beginners – Oma geht online
Grandma decides that she needs a laptop and starts exploring the online world. Soon, she places her first Amazon order ...
64 – Wer war Widukind?
A story about a pagan ruler from 1200 years ago who converted to Christianity and is still remembered today ...
65. Wie du mit Stories dein Deutsch verbesserst
How to use stories effectively to improve your German - that's the topic of this podcast episode ...
66. Ein neuer Kanzler und ein neuer Papst
A new German chancellor and a new Pope taking office in the same week, that was worth a podcast episode ...
67. Introvertierte versus extrovertierte Sprachlerner
In this episode, I share personal insights from a three-week trip to Sicily and explore two very different learning styles ...
68. Das Deutschland-Ticket
This episode is about the Deutschland-Ticket. It’s a travel pass that lets you use all regional trains, buses, and trams ...
69. Macht KI uns dumm?
In this episode, I reflect on my personal experiences with artificial intelligence. Why I use AI regularly – and why ...
70. Lese-Challenge Karina hat eine Mission
In this podcast episode, I introduce the German with Stories Reading Challenges. You’ll discover how reading step by step with ...
71. Sprache, Heimat, Identität – Wieviel Integration ist notwendig?
Integration or tradition? When families move abroad, some completely adapt, while others keep their language and culture over generations. In ...
72. Hexen
Why are witches so fascinating and why did people in earlier centuries accuse especially women of being a witch? Listen ...
73. Eindrücke aus Bolivien
In this episode, I talk about my trip through Bolivia — from Lake Titicaca to the salt flats of Uyuni ...
74. Jahreszeiten
In this episode, I talk about the four seasons in Germany and share memories of hot summers, cold winters, and ...
75. Weihnachts- und Konsumstress
In this episode, I’m talking about Christmas, consumption, and how the tradition of giving presents has changed over time. I ...