EDIT 2022: It looks like they are not updating their free stories anymore. It still gives you three stories to try and see if you like it. Then it’s a one-off payment of currnetly £11.99, which, I think, is still a great deal.
Last week I had an interesting email about a new app for German learners. I installed it on my phone and played around …. and liked it!
It’s called StoryPlanet Deutsch and is available for Android and iPhone.
So, who is it for?
According to their website “StoryPlanet is an app for learners who have a working knowledge of German (approx. A2 / Intermediate Low) and want to break through to the next level (B1, B2, Intermediate High, Advanced & beyond) – with entertaining stories in all genres.”
And how does it work?
This is what they say: “1, 2, 3 – how the app works:
- READ: Get a short chapter of a mini-story from Monday to Friday every week. A push notification lets you know when a new chapter has arrived (free!).
- GET DEFINITIONS: You can click on any word in bold to get a definition in German (free!).
- LEARN: Save words you don’t know in your personal learning list and practice them in a series of quiz-like exercises. Only with our subscription (approx. €1.99/month).
The best part is, you get new texts every day and you only focus on the vocabulary you don’t know, so the app never gets boring. Read and learn German wherever you are. All you need is your smartphone and our StoryPlanet app.”
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Yes, it does and yes it is! There are so many apps around for beginners, but there isn’t much around for intermediates (at least not to my knowledge). So, if you are an intermediate learner who wants something to use every day, then these stories are brilliant. The daily parts don’t take long to read, although that does depend on how good your German is. Some words are in bold. They are clickable and if you do, you get a German explanation about the word.
And what about the paid version?
You don’t need it, but you might like it. You need it if you want to be able to save any new words or if you want to do some exercises with those words. To give you an idea the free version has an example of those exercises. Subscribers also get to read more stories. Free users can only read the current plus the last two stories, whereas subscribers can read more. Try the app for free and if you like what the subscriptions offers, subscribe and enjoy the exercises. If, after a while you feel that you don’t use the subscriber’s extras enough, you can cancel any time.
So, what are these stories like?
I just took some screenshots of the three current stories to give you some ideas. When you read this blog post, there should be different stories.
What’s the best way for me to use these stories?
That depends on what you want or need to achieve and how much time you have.
- You can make vocab lists with their subscription and practise the words with their quizzes.
- You can use your own vocab books and write down any unknown words.
- You could get one of my German Vocabulary Notebook (affiliate link, but no extra cost to you) where you can also make your own sentences with those new words.
- Or you can just sit and enjoy reading the stories as you receive them.
Go on, try the app, read the stories and then tell me if you agree with me!