Free survival German for expats in Germany
German for tomorrow, not for someday.
Bürgeramt on Thursday? Doctor next week? Pick that situation and practise it in about 15 minutes: the dialogue, the words and a worksheet you print and fill in by hand.
Start where you are
What do you have to deal with this week?
Chapters group related situations, so you can start with the topic you need.
- Authorities and documentsBürgeramt and Ausländerbehörde, Anmeldung, Bescheid
- Doctors, emergencies and familyAppointments, 112 and 116117, social life
- Banking, insurance and billsAccounts, payments and paperwork
- Renting and housingViewings, contracts and neighbours
- Work and jobsWorkplace conversations and applications
- Shopping and everyday errandsFood, shops and daily tasks
- Transport and travelStations, driving and getting around
- German basics for expatsIntroductions, numbers and everyday phrases
One real scene
Jakub meets his new neighbour
Scene 0.5, Wie heißen Sie? These are its first four lines.
- NACHBARIN Wie heißen Sie? What is your name?
- JAKUB Mein Name ist Jakub. Und Sie? My name is Jakub. And you?
- NACHBARIN Ich bin Frau Weber. Woher kommen Sie? I am Mrs Weber. Where do you come from?
- JAKUB Ich komme aus Polen. I come from Poland.
How it works
- Open the scene for the situation you face this week.
- Read the dialogue with an English, Spanish, Russian or Turkish translation.
- Practise: hide the translation or the German lines and say them yourself.
- Print the A4 worksheet and fill it in by hand.
Why BlaueZebra
Built for your first year in Germany
The situation you need, when you need it
Jakub’s story runs through 228 scenes, from the Anmeldung to his first day at work. You don’t have to follow it in order: open the scene you face this week.
1,596 words, chosen on purpose
The core comes from Goethe-Institut word lists, plus everyday words such as girocard, Pfand and Steuer-ID.
A worksheet you keep
Every scene has a printable A4 worksheet. Its QR code takes you back to the scene online whenever you need it.
More than German
The course includes 116 practical facts, such as calling 116117 for urgent care that is not life-threatening and 112 for emergencies.
Why this and not that
Compared with learning apps
Practise the real conversation
Apps like Duolingo are good for a daily habit. Here each scene is a conversation you will have in Germany, at the Bürgeramt or the doctor’s.
Compared with textbooks
Start with the situation
A textbook works through its chapters in order. Here you open the situation you need first and learn the sentences for it.
Compared with evening classes
Fits around your week
Classes run on fixed evenings, which can be hard alongside work and family. One scene and its worksheet fit into a bus ride or a break.
Your foundation for telc B1
The Anmeldung, the doctor, your first day at work. You learn the German for the situation in front of you, in about 15 minutes a day. The core words come from the official word list of the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer, so BlaueZebra gives you a solid foundation for the telc B1 exam.
Who’s behind this
Made for people who start over
When I moved to Germany, I was starting over and learning German on my own. Most of what I found online was full of empty promises, badly organized, or so overwhelming that I never went back.
That is why I’m building BlaueZebra, my blue zebra in a world of black and white ones. I want to create what I needed back then.
A clear learning system with no hidden fees, where you always know where to start and what comes next. It helps you prepare for tomorrow’s appointment at a government office or with a doctor. Over time, BlaueZebra will guide you from vocabulary for your first months in Germany, through grammar, all the way to the telc B1 exam.
I have an MBA, and I like giving things structure. I’m funding BlaueZebra myself, without investors. To pay for building it, I work as a waiter at Ristorante Pizzeria Castellino in Stadtlauringen.
I want to create something useful for people who are learning German and starting over, just as I once did.
Your appointment is not going to wait.
Pick the situation you are walking into and practise one scene tonight.
Find your situation