The Better German Podcast helps you understand German in a clear, simple and practical way. I’m Susi Blümel, your teacher from Vienna, and in each episode I guide you through everyday German, useful vocabulary, culture, learning tips and more.
Some episodes teach you the language directly; others help you understand how German really works.
You can listen to any episode on its own, but you’ll get the most benefit if you start with Episode 1 — the podcast follows a gentle step-by-step progression.
Ep 69 Why is German So Difficult - or is it?
2026-05-06 20 min
🎧 Episode 69: Why is German so difficult – or is it?
In this episode, Better German Podcast, Susi takes a closer look at one of the most common beliefs about learning German: that it’s “very difficult.” But is that actually true—or just something many learners have come to believe?
You’ll explore what makes German objectively more challenging than some languages (especially for English speakers), but also why it’s far from the hardest language out there. More importantly, this episode focuses on what really creates difficulty when learning—and how you can change that.
🎧 Better German Podcast+ — Exclusive Podcast & Community 🌏
🎧 Better German Podcast+ — Exclusive Podcast & Community 🌏
Get early access to exclusive episodes, all podcast resources in one place, and the chance to ask questions and more!👉 Join here: https://bettergerman.info/community
There’s also a free version if you just want to get started.
🎓Interested in Taking a Course? - Free Placement Exam:
Free Placement with exam/questionnaire, personal program, and interview to confirm placement and answer any questions. Courses are online, include materials, and combine self-study and live lessons. Pricing starts at €100/month, depending on your program. 👉Take the placement exam: https://bettergerman.info/test
There’s also a free version if you just want to get started.
🎓Interested in Taking a Course? - Free Placement Exam:
Free Placement with exam/questionnaire, personal program, and interview to confirm placement and answer any questions. Courses are online, include materials, and combine self-study and live lessons. Pricing starts at €100/month, depending on your program. 👉Take the placement exam: https://bettergerman.info/test
🔑 What you’ll learn in this episode
- Why German is considered “medium difficulty” for English speakers
- The real reason German feels harder than languages like Spanish or Italian
- How cases (der, die, das) and flexible word order work
- Why pronunciation in German is actually more consistent than in English
- A surprising advantage: German has fewer tenses in everyday speech
- Why some languages are objectively harder than German
- The difference between objective difficulty and your personal experience
- The two main reasons why learning can feel “too hard”
- How to recognize when your learning method isn’t working
- Why missing steps—not lack of talent—cause frustration
- How step-by-step learning makes German manageable (and even easy)
💡 Key idea from this episode
If something feels very difficult, it usually doesn’t mean you can’t learn it.
It means:
- either the method isn’t right
- or a step is missing
When learning is structured correctly, every step should feel doable.
🔗 Links & Resources
- Foreign Service Institute Levels of Difficulty https://www.touristsecrets.com/travel-tips/foreign-service-institute-language-difficulty-rankings/
- 🚀 Get Talking German (Course): https://bettergerman.info/course
- 🧪 Placement Test: https://bettergerman.info/test
- 👥 Better German Community (free & premium): https://bettergerman.info/community
- 🎧 Related Episode: https://bettergerman.info/4
Episode 4 – How to Actually Learn German
📌 You may also like
- How to Actually Learn German (Ep 4)
- German Cases Explained (Podcast series)
- Pronunciation-focused episodes with repeat-after-me practice
⭐ Enjoying the podcast?
If this episode helped you rethink how difficult German really is, leaving a review is a great way to support the podcast and help more learners find it.
More episodes
68 Entertainment Activities in German
2026-04-30 17 min
What would you do for fun in a German-speaking country? In this episode, you’ll learn the most useful German words for entertainment — from concerts and ope...
67 How to Say "Would like" in German
2026-04-23 23 min
How would you say, "would like..." in German?🤔 If you want to say things like "I would like a coffee," or "I would like to go swimming," in German, then thi...
66 Why People Study German Many Years Without Success
2026-04-16 23 min
Why People Study German for Years Without Success Have you been learning German for a long time—but still don’t feel confident speaking? In this episode, we ...
Subscribe now
Listen on
Apple Podcasts
Listen on
Spotify
Listen on
Deezer
Listen on
Amazon Music
Listen on
Audible
Listen on
RTL+
Listen on
AntennaPod
Listen on
YouTube Music
Listen on
Overcast
Listen on
ListenNotes
Listen on
FYYD
Listen on
TuneIn
Listen on
PocketCasts
Listen on
Podcast Addict
Listen on
iHeartRadio
Listen on
Podimo
Listen on
Podcast.de
Listen on
RSS-Feed
Watch on
YouTube
Follow on
Facebook
Follow on
TikTok
Follow on
Instagram
Follow on
LinkedIn