The Library
of Alexandria
Sign inTry free

Learn German

Challenging German reading

Long or richly written classics. Read each one in German with English beside it, hear it read aloud, and start with one you already know.

Show more challenging books

The method

How to learn German with the classics

Reading real books with the translation beside you builds vocabulary in context, and hearing them read aloud trains your ear at the same time.

  1. Pick a book at your level.Start with an Easy story, ideally one you already know.
  2. Read side by side.German on one side, English on the other, paragraph by paragraph.
  3. Listen as you read.Hear the German read aloud, and slow it down when you need to.
  4. Check, don’t translate.Read a paragraph in German first, then look across or tap it.
  5. Read a little every day.Ten minutes a day takes you through a short book in a few weeks.

Read and hear every book in German

200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, in 25 languages, side by side in any two, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Household access for the whole family.

Read freeNothing to pay today. Renews every year.

Learn another language

Learn SpanishLearn FrenchLearn ItalianLearn JapaneseLearn PortugueseLearn EnglishAll 25 languages