✦ CEFR Roadmap
A1
Beginner
Duration2–3 months
Vocab500 words
GoalGreetings & orders
A2
Elementary
Duration2–3 months
Vocab1,000 words
GoalDaily routines
B1
Intermediate
Duration3–4 months
Vocab2,000 words
GoalOpinions & plans
B2
Upper Intermediate
Duration4–6 months
Vocab4,000 words
GoalWork & debates
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✦ Stage Tracker
A1
Beginner
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Month 1 — First Steps
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Set up Duolingo — begin German Basics 1 & 2 skill (10 min/day habit)
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Install Anki + download German A1 deck — first 20 cards: greetings & numbers
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Watch DW Easy German "German Sounds" pronunciation playlist (10 min/day for Week 1)
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Start DW Nicos Weg A1 — Episodes 1–4 (introduce yourself, family, home)
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Lingolia: study sein/haben conjugation + write 5 own sentences using each
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Learn 25 vocab: Ja/Nein, Ich heiße, Wie geht's, days of the week, numbers 1–20
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Can introduce yourself: name, origin, age — say it aloud 5 times
Month 2 — Building Blocks
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DW Nicos Weg A1 — Episodes 5–8 (food, ordering, numbers)
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Lingolia: articles der/die/das — learn which applies to 50 common nouns
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Shadow 3 sentences daily from Nicos Weg — record voice & compare
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Learn 100 vocab: food, family, directions, colours, weather
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DW Nicos Weg A1 — Episodes 9–12 (directions, transport, shopping)
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Write a 3-sentence German journal entry every evening
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Can order food and ask for directions — practice with a language partner on HelloTalk
Month 3 — A1 Milestone
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Umlaut mastery: ä=eh, ö=French eu, ü=purse lips + ee — record and listen back
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Lingolia: present tense regular verbs + simple question formation (W-Fragen)
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Learn 150 vocab total: body parts, professions, common verbs, time expressions
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Listen to 2 Slow German podcast episodes (A1 level) — write down 5 new words from each
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Complete Goethe-Institut A1 online practice test — score yourself
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Sunday Anki: review all 500 cards this stage; flag weak ones
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✅ A1 COMPLETE: Can greet, introduce, order, and ask directions in German
A2
Elementary
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Month 4 — Past Tense Unlocked
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DW Nicos Weg A2 — Episodes 13–16 (past events, routines)
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Lingolia: Perfekt tense (haben + ge-...t) — write 10 sentences about yesterday
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Slow German: 3 episodes — shadow entire episodes, not just 3 sentences
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Tandem app: first 5-minute voice chat with a native speaker
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Learn 100 vocab: shopping, time, transport, body, daily routines
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Can describe your daily routine in German — record a 2-min voice memo
Month 5 — Cases Introduced
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DW Nicos Weg A2 — Episodes 17–20 (at the doctor, filling forms)
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Lingolia: Accusative case — den/einen/keinen — 10 own sentences
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Lingolia: Dative case — dem/einem — prepositions mit, bei, nach, seit
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Learn 100 more vocab: health, emotions, hobbies, basic work vocabulary
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Write 5-sentence paragraph about a past event — correct with ChatGPT
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Tandem: 2 voice calls this week (10 min each)
Month 6 — A2 Milestone
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DW Nicos Weg A2 — Episodes 21–24 (job search, planning a trip)
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Learn modal verbs: können, müssen, dürfen, wollen — 5 sentences each
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Watch 4 Easy German episodes (A2 level) with subtitles — list unknown words
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Total Anki review: 1,000 cards — reduce to strong cards only
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Complete Goethe-Institut A2 practice test — note weakest area
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✅ A2 COMPLETE: Can describe daily life, past events, and simple plans in German
B1
Intermediate
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Months 7–8 — Complex Grammar
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DW Nicos Weg B1 — Episodes 1–10: opinions, media, current events
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Lingolia: Future tense (werden + infinitive) — 10 sentences about your plans
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Lingolia: Adjective endings (nominative, accusative, dative) — tables + 20 sentences
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Learn 250 vocab: work, opinions, media, politics, environment
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Easy German: 2 episodes/week — no English subtitles after first watch
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Write a 150-word German opinion paragraph — correct with ChatGPT then rewrite
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Tandem: 2 calls/week (15 min) — discuss news topics in German
Months 9–10 — Fluency Push
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DW Nicos Weg B1 — Episodes 11–20: travel, environment, work
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Lingolia: Two-way prepositions (an, auf, in, vor…) — accusative vs dative usage
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Lingolia: Relative clauses (der/die/das as relative pronouns) — 10 combined sentences
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Read one DW Nachrichten (slow news) article daily — extract 5 new words
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Learn 300 more vocab: freelance, tourism, marketing, digital terms in German
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Write German tourism pitch for Jaisalmer (150 words) — correct & polish
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Goethe-Institut B1 practice test — score minimum 60% before moving on
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✅ B1 COMPLETE: Can discuss opinions, plans, and past events fluidly in real conversations
B2
Upper Int.
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Months 11–13 — Advanced Grammar
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Lingolia: Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) — würde + infinitive, hypotheticals
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Lingolia: Passive voice (werden + Partizip II) — rewrite 15 active sentences
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Lingolia: Connectors & conjunctions (obwohl, damit, als ob, je…desto)
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Easy German Advanced: 3 episodes/week — take notes, discuss opinions with partner
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Learn 500 vocab: business, culture, tourism, digital marketing in German
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Goethe-Institut B2 exercises — do 3 full reading + listening units
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Read one regular German news article daily (not slow speed)
Months 14–16 — Professional Application
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Write a German SEO article (500 words) for a travel topic — use LEO dictionary
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Draft a German ad copy for Jaisalmer tourism (200 words) — professional pitch quality
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Tandem: 3 calls/week — debate topics, argue positions in German
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Learn 500 more vocab: advanced idioms, formal writing, negotiation phrases
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Create a Upwork profile in German — write description, bio, and sample work
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Anki: 4,000 card full review — final mastery sweep
Months 17–18 — B2 Certification
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Complete full Goethe-Institut B2 mock exam (reading, listening, writing, speaking)
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Score 65%+ on Goethe B2 mock — if below, identify weak areas and drill for 2 weeks
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Deliver a 5-min German presentation: pitch Jaisalmer tourism to German audience
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Land first German-language freelance gig or secure a DACH-market client
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✅ B2 COMPLETE: Professional German achieved — EU tourism, SEO & remote work ready
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✦ Daily Practice
Daily Routines by Time Available
| Time | 30 Min | 1 Hour |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Duolingo warm-up | Duolingo + Anki review |
| Core | 1 DW Nicos Weg video | DW lesson + Lingolia grammar |
| Input | Shadow 3 sentences | Easy German episode |
| Output | 3 HelloTalk messages | Journal + speaking call |
| Weekly | Sunday: full Anki review + Goethe practice test | |
Grammar Progression
| Level | Focus Grammar Topics |
|---|---|
| A1 | Articles (der/die/das), sein/haben, present tense, W-Fragen |
| A2 | Perfekt past, accusative & dative cases, modal verbs |
| B1 | Future tense, adjective endings, relative clauses, two-way prepositions |
| B2 | Konjunktiv II, passive voice, advanced connectors, formal register |
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✦ Free Resources
Core Learning Platforms
Listening, Speaking & News
❧
✦ Why German — Your Edge
Tourism
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German SEO
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Freelancing
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Remote Jobs
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