What's the difference between the two options?
The Deck is every word and sentence from the 21 lessons, with audio and pictures, in lesson order. It's built for memorizing, so it doesn't explain the grammar.
The full course adds the 21 lessons themselves: short videos, grammar explanations and a quiz for every lesson.
If you want this course to teach you German, get the full course. If you already have a teacher, a class or a textbook and want the words and sentences in Anki, the deck is enough.
Is this a vocabulary deck or a sentence deck?
Both. About half the deck is single words (nouns with their gender, verbs with their forms) and the other half is sentences from Anna and Max's story, which is where the words get used. That's what makes it a course rather than a word list. If a short word list is all you're after, this is more than you need.
Why 2,000+ cards if it's about 1,000 words?
The deck has about 1,100 notes. Most of them make two cards: one shows you the German and asks for the meaning, the other shows you the English and asks you to produce the German. The second kind is harder, and it's the one that builds speaking.
You decide how much of that you take on. To start with recognition only, open Anki's Browse window, search card:2, select everything and choose Suspend. You can switch them back on whenever you like.
Can I try it before I buy?
Yes, both parts. The free version on AnkiWeb is the first six lessons of the deck, 464 cards in exactly the format you'd be buying. And lesson 1 of the full course is free on our site, video included.
Why shouldn't I use another free Anki deck?
You can, and a few of them are decent. The differences that matter are structure and context. Most free decks are word lists or unconnected sentences, ordered by whatever the author had to hand rather than by how common a word is. This course follows Anna and Max through 21 lessons, so every sentence arrives in a context you can hang it on, and the vocabulary is ordered by frequency, so the words that carry most of everyday German come first. Every sentence is recorded by native speakers. If you want a second opinion before you decide, the reviews on AnkiWeb are from people using the deck daily.
Shouldn't I simply create my own deck?
You could, and if you enjoy building decks it's a good exercise. It's worth knowing what it costs first. You would be choosing several thousand sentences, deciding what order to teach them in, writing the translations and notes, and producing audio for every line. That is months of work before you learn anything, and the ordering is the part that's hardest to get right on your own. We built this so that time goes into studying German instead.
I've never used Anki before. Is this for me?
Absolutely. Anki is a free, straightforward flashcard app (a small one-time fee on iPhone), and we show you exactly how to set it up and import your deck in minutes.
How long does it take to finish?
That's up to you. On its default setting Anki introduces 20 new cards a day, and at that pace you'll have worked through all 2,000+ cards in about three months, at roughly 20 to 30 minutes a day. You can move that dial either way: 10 new cards a day is gentler and takes about twice as long, while 40 halves the time but leaves you a heavier daily review load. Nothing expires, so there's no wrong pace.
What will I be able to do at the end?
You'll know about 1,000 words, chosen by how often they come up, and with the full course you'll be comfortable with the grammar up to B1. In practice that means holding a conversation with a native speaker about everyday things, and watching your first shows in German.
It isn't exam preparation, though. The course builds the language itself rather than exam technique, so if you need to pass a formal B1 exam you'll most likely want some targeted practice on top.
I used the free AnkiWeb version. Will my progress carry over?
Yes. When you download the full deck, it simply updates your existing deck and adds the remaining lessons. All of your learning progress is kept.
Is it suitable for beginners and advanced learners?
Both. You start with the basics and difficulty builds gradually; more advanced learners can skip ahead thanks to the modular lesson structure.
Is it a one-time payment? What about refunds?
One payment, lifetime access, and all future updates included. You're also covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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