German for tomorrow, not for someday.
Free survival German for expats in Germany. Practise one real situation a day with a short dialogue and a worksheet you can print and fill in by hand. Plan around 15 minutes. Watch the short scene video, then practise the words on your worksheet.
Chapter 2: Was ist die Anmeldung?
One real scene
This is 25 seconds. This is the whole method.
No lesson, no module, no quiz. One situation you will actually stand in, with the sentences you will actually need.
Why Das Blaue Zebra
Real situations, not textbook phrases
At the Bürgeramt, at the doctor’s or at work, you don’t need the word Heuschrecke. You need sentences that work tomorrow morning, and fewer “ehm…” moments.
1,596 words, every one on purpose
The core comes from the official Goethe-Institut word list for the exam taken at the end of every integration course in Germany. It is supplemented with words that no exam list includes, such as girocard, Pfand, and Steuer-ID, as well as other terms frequently used in everyday German. Across 27 chapters and 228 scenes.
A binder that gets thicker
Every scene comes with a printable A4 PDF worksheet. Print it, write on it, review it on the bus before your appointment and file it in a binder. Keep your completed worksheets together so you can see your progress. There is also a QR code on it: scan it and you are back at the video whenever you want to hear the pronunciation again.
More than German
Many German shops take the girocard but refuse your Visa. The broadcasting fee is due even without a television. Call 116117 for urgent medical help that cannot wait but is not life-threatening; call 112 for serious emergencies. The course includes 117 practical facts.
Your language in every scene
Dialogue and vocabulary translations in English, Spanish, Russian and Turkish are available in every scene. Choose the language that helps you learn.
Start where you are
What do you have to deal with this week?
Ausländerbehörde on Thursday? Bank on Monday? A letter you do not understand? Chapters group related situations, so you can start with the topic you need. Pick yours and start there.
Authorities and documents
Bürgeramt and Ausländerbehörde, Anmeldung, Bescheid.
Open 🩺Doctors, emergencies and family
Appointments, 112 and 116117, social life.
Open 💳Banking, insurance and bills
Accounts, payments and paperwork.
Open 🏠Renting and housing
Viewings, contracts and neighbours.
Open 💼Work and jobs
Workplace conversations and applications.
Open 🛒Shopping and everyday errands
Food, shops and daily tasks.
Open 🚆Transport and travel
Stations, driving and getting around.
Open 👋German basics for expats
Introductions, numbers and everyday phrases.
OpenWhy this and not that
Duolingo runs on streaks, hearts and points, built to bring you back tomorrow. It’s a habit loop. The real test comes at the counter, when the clerk switches to fast German and stops repeating herself, and a streak doesn’t help you there.
300 pages, dry dialogues, words you’ll never use in real life. No one has ever ordered a coffee using the word Heuschrecke. Here you learn through the situation itself, one scene at a time, in 15 minutes a day.
Hours after an 8-hour shift, fixed schedule, fixed pace. Attending regularly can be difficult alongside work and family. Das Blaue Zebra works on the bus, on a break, before bed.
Scattered videos, no system, no way to track where you are. Here every scene is part of one structured path through your first year.
Full online courses are built like school: lessons, modules, quizzes, progress locked in a browser tab. They can be useful for structured study or exam preparation. If your Anmeldung is on Thursday, you may want to practise that specific situation first. Das Blaue Zebra fits into a bus ride.
Who’s behind this
The real hero of this project is not me, but the people it’s made for. People who leave home to build a better life for themselves and their families. People who leave their country and fight for stability and dignity in a foreign land every single day.
I built Das Blaue Zebra with a simple idea: build something a person can print, carry in a bag, and use the next morning. For people who make hard decisions every day, who work, learn, adapt and try to build a better future.
Common questions
🆓 Is it free?
Yes. The Jakub’s story vocabulary course is free. All dialogues, printable worksheets and scene videos are free.
The optional Survival German book is a paid softcover with sewn binding. The pages are stitched together to withstand regular use, so you can keep returning to the words you need. It brings all 228 situations together in a printed, visually organised format, so you can study without printing and sorting individual worksheets. A progress tracker helps you see what you have completed, and a unique code for the flashcard app lets you review vocabulary between sessions.
Printing the full set of PDFs in colour at home costs over €50. The book’s regular price is €33, including the progress tracker and flashcard app code.
📅 I have an appointment tomorrow. Where do I start?
Go straight to the chapter with that name. Ausländerbehörde on Thursday, Chapter 3. Bank on Monday, Chapter 4. A letter you do not understand, Chapter 6. Chapters group related situations, so you can start with the topic you need. Watch the scenes, print the worksheets, take them with you.
🎯 Who is Das Blaue Zebra for?
For people who work in Germany or are about to move there. If you have limited time, you’re somewhere between level zero and A2, and you need German for government offices, work, doctors or everyday life, this is for you. The focus is practical vocabulary for everyday life in Germany.
🚫 Who is Das Blaue Zebra NOT for?
If you’re already at B1 or higher, need deep grammar breakdowns from day one, or are looking for a magic solution that does the work for you, look elsewhere. Das Blaue Zebra works for beginners who show up, one scene at a time, day after day.
⏱️ How much time do I need per day?
The video itself is 25 seconds. With the worksheet, plan around 15 minutes: watch the scene a few times, print the A4, fill it in by hand. You can do it on the bus, during a break or before bed.
🏫 Will this replace a language school?
Think of Das Blaue Zebra as a gateway. It gets you through your first year: the Anmeldung, the Krankenkasse, your first day at work. If you later want an exam certificate for a visa or a job, a language school or the Goethe Institut is the right next step, and you’ll walk in far ahead of zero.
✏️ Does Das Blaue Zebra teach grammar?
The focus is practical vocabulary. Chapter 26, Grammatik-Wortschatz, also introduces basic grammar through articles, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and word order in context. A separate paid book with more detailed grammar explanations is planned for later.
Your appointment is not going to wait
Pick the situation you are walking into and practise one scene tonight. Take the phrases and worksheet with you when you need them.