If you're new to the world of German and you're looking for a comprehensive and beginner-friendly course, then you can't go wrong with the German Uncovered Course by Olly Richards.
In this review of the German Uncovered Course, I'll dissect Olly's trademark StoryLearning Method and how it can help you to speed up your language learning journey. I'll also breakdown the course piece by piece, so you know exactly what you're spending your money on.
The other Uncovered courses: Spanish, French, Japanese, and Italian follow the very same model of StoryLearning. So, if you liked any of those you're going to love German.
By the end of this post, you'll be able to confidently decide whether German Uncovered is worth your money.
Let's dive in.
Table of Contents
Who is German Uncovered for?
German Uncovered is a great language resource for motivated beginners. Whether you have no knowledge of the language at all, or you have some limited experience, this beginners course will get you well on your way to becoming an intermediate speaker.
The course corresponds roughly to the CEFR levels of A0-B1. In other words, this means complete beginner to lower intermediate level.
Not a beginner? Check out my review of Grammar Hero instead, which is suitable for intermediate learners of German.
The StoryLearning method
What is the StoryLearning method?
Olly Richards always loved learning through books and stories, so when he started creating books and courses himself he used stories as a focal point of the products.
Recently he started using the name “StoryLearning” to describe his methodology. Olly's theory is that by immersing the learner in a story, they will organically pick up the language, including both vocabulary and grammar.
Course Overview
The course contains 20 full chapters that all follow the same structure.
In the course, you are taught by native speaker Kerstin Cable, and Olly Richards himself.
In each chapter, you'll explore a new part of a funny short-story called “The Man with the Hat” or in German: “Der Mann Mit Dem Hut“
The short story section is available in PDF and MP3, so you can listen to a native speaker reading it out while you follow along in the PDF.
Let's take a closer look into a chapter of the course, and see how the actual learning takes place.
How each module of German Uncovered is structured
Here's what you'll be doing in every chapter of German Uncovered, all kapitel follow the same structure.
Let's break down each of these lessons:
1. Syllabus
A brief introduction to the module, as well as what you will learn in the chapter.
2. Read and Listen
In this lesson, you'll be going through the next part of the short story “The Man with the hat“
In this lesson, you only read and listen to the German version.
3. Cognates and Translation
In this lesson you get to see the English translation, and Olly takes you through a video lesson where you discover the most useful cognates of the chapter you just read in the short story.
P.S Cognates are words that have a similar meaning in two or more languages.
4. Vocabulary
In this lesson, you learn some of the vocabulary that you were just introduced to in the short story. First, you can watch a video, before completing vocabulary worksheets.
5. Grammar
In this module a few specific grammar points are explained with examples from the text.
6. Pronunciation
Along with Olly Richards, in this section of the course you'll be joined by Kerstin Cable, a native German speaker from the Moselle Valley. She will guide you through the often tricky pronunciation of the German language.
7. Speaking
Being a self-study course, Uncovered doesn't feature any direct interaction with a German-speaking tutor or person.
Instead, in this section, you'll be given a few pages of German text to practice, either alone, or with a friend or tutor.
8. Quiz
Finally, the last part of each chapter is a test on how well you have understood the materials. There are also quizzes throughout the course for making sure you understand what's happening in the story.
German Uncovered: Price and Guarantee
What does German Uncovered cost?
German Uncovered costs $297 and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
The guarantee allows you to try it, and if you for any reason don't like it, you can get a full refund, no questions asked.
This is a higher price than other beginner courses, but way cheaper than comparable in-person classes.
It's also a lifetime offer, so you don't have to keep paying monthly fees over and over to access the content like other subscription language services.
What I like
- Incredibly comprehensive with 100+ hours of study materials
- Working through the story is fun, and you really feel like you progress as the story gets harder.
- One of the best German beginner's courses out there today
- Lifetime access, no subscription required
What I don't like
- I'm not a huge reader in my native language, so using the StoryLearning method is a bit out of my comfort zone, however with the audio and video lessons dispersed throughout I'm OK with it.
- It's a significant investment and might be out of budget for many German learners.
- Doesn't have a way to practice speaking directly, but does provide resources to go over the materials with a tutor or speaker.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the Uncovered series provide a truly amazing learning experience at a very competitive price.
If you follow the instructions and put in the hours, this course will teach you German – without a doubt.
It will take even complete beginners well past the upper beginner levels, if you do the materials according to the instructions.
There's really no reason not to give it a try, as it also comes with a 30 day no-questions asked refund guarantee.
However, if you struggle to motivate yourself to work, you might want to avoid this course.
Questions and Answers
“Are there any German Uncovered discounts or coupons available?”
Unfortunately, there are no German Uncovered discounts or coupon codes available.
Olly Richards very rarely discounts his courses, so your best bet is to keep an eye out for the big seasonal sales such as Black Friday.
If you are part of the Actual Fluency email club I always email out when there are big sales you should check out.
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German Uncovered Reviews
Here is a selection of reviews of German Uncovered, from people who have taken the programme:
“German Uncovered is an excellent way to learn a new language or improve a language that you already know.
The story format of the curriculum keeps you focused on what really matters in language learning: interacting with people“
Britain
“This method is genius! “
“The story is engaging and the instruction is excellent. Kirsten somehow manages to take the mystery out of German. I've been studying for a long time, and no instructor has ever been able to do that for me.
I love it!“
Michael
German Uncovered Alternatives
There aren't many comprehensive beginner-friendly German Courses out there that you can use to go from nothing to intermediate in German.
If money is an issue then I would consider looking into GermanPod101, which you can start using for just a few dollars per month (or check your local library for free courses!)
For free solutions I would use Duolingo, Memrise, or even YouTube! – they are pretty basic, mostly vocabulary-based apps – but they'll get you started nicely.
Other German products by Olly Richards
Courses
Conversations German – an intermediate course for practising listening and conversational ability.
Grammar Hero German – an intermediate course on how to learn the most tricky aspects of German grammar, uses the similar story-based format as Uncovered.
Books
Short Stories in German for Beginners – Short stories in book format, with free audiobook.
101 Conversations in Simple German: Short Natural Dialogues to Boost Your Confidence & Improve Your Spoken German
I hope you enjoyed the Review! Have you tried Uncovered before?
-Kris
Disclaimers and notes
From Kris Broholm, owner and founder of Actual Fluency.
Actual Fluency uses affiliate links throughout the site, which means that course owners pay a commission for each sale referred (at no additional cost to the buyer)
I Will Teach You a Language and Olly Richards had no say on this post, and no financial incentives were provided to promote this product (apart from the affiliate commission as mentioned above).
All information correct as of April 7th, 2020.