I think German is a beautiful language. Yes, people think I'm crazy and yes, I know how german actually sounds like, mind you guys I was born in Germany! Alright, jokes aside, my experience with German is quite particular, as it is the only language i have completely forgotten and had to re-learn.
But here I am, living in Switzerland and using German at every occasion I can !
So for you guys, here are some ressources i'd recommend for intermediate/advanced learners.
1) For Grammar:
Deutsch als Fremdsprache - Grammatik ab Niveau C1
I always thought German grammar was very logical : unlike french or english, which are always full of exceptions, once you learn a rule in German , it is more unlikely to fall on unpleasant surprises ( I said more unlike, not impossible!).
I was quite pleased with this advanced level course: you can review grammar through texts, chapters and videos are explaining each concept and exercises/tests are available to check whether your understanding is correct. It's a good way to refresh or improve your grammar knowledge for free.
Deutsche Welle (DW):
Very well organized, with audios and articles as well, and more colorful than the resouce above, DW is definitely also a website I would recommand (beginner friendly too).
2) For Vocabulary
Reading is a great way to improve your vocabulary! Using the context of stories helps to understand and remember the meaning of new words. Reading also provides repetition of vocabulary you have already learned (sometimes, i feel like i need to hear/read a word at least 20 times to remember ), and it helps without having to use flashcards and lists of words.
As I'm reading, if I see a word that has appeared multiple times and I still haven't grasped the meaning, I'll put the translation on the side. Also, to avoid the frustation of a new book difficult to read, I'd start with a book I'm already familiar with (I've read "Das Parfum" in french and "Der Alchimist" in Portuguese, so I'm already familiar with the storylines).
3) Speaking
Finding a good language partner is essential to practice the language. Afterall, you're learning German to speak it at some point! You can find one on different apps and platforms. I've used italki, tandem, hellotalk and I'm super happy with my teacher and friends (100 points when you can make you language partner laugh with a joke in German).
To make the exchange useful, don"t hesitate to prepare the topic you're going to talk about, write some lines in advance and research the difficult vocabulary.
4) Listening
Podcasts
The good thing about podcasts is that you can listen to it anytime: breakfast, shower, on your way to work/school etc... Personally, I'm not listening to German podcasts that are teaching grammar or vocabulary, but rather content on topics I'm interested in. One of the podcasts I'm listening to is called "Elementarfragen". The format is a bit long but the variaty of topics is good, so I get to listen to what I like (examples of topics: Gefängnis, Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft, Fernsehen etc...).
Learn with film and series
I know german series are not the most watched around the world but there are nice shows you can watch to improve, depending on the style of series you'd normally watch of course! I tend to watch with german subtitles in case there is a new word and I want to remember the pronunciation and the spelling.
Ich hoffe, dass die Information hilfreich sein wird.
Viel Glück !
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