What’s new

The sprint has three levels now. Articles is der, die or das, as before. Cases puts your noun in a few words that set its case, and you choose the form of ein it takes: „Ich suche ___ Termin.“ is einen. Endings gives you the article and asks for its adjective’s ending: „mit einem neu__ Termin“ is ‑en. Miss one and the clock waits while Gerok shows why („ein“ doesn’t show that Ausflug is der, so the adjective does: ‑er), and the rule comes back on another noun a moment later, to try while it’s fresh. Each level keeps its own best.

Where: On home, under Today’s review: choose the level before your first answer. Free, and it keeps your streak.

Write something you want to say, in your own language, and see at once the German grammar it takes: each topic with how likely the German needs it, the main thing to learn first. Ask Gerok to explain, and you get it in German, each topic shown at work in it, lit in your words and in the German, with why. Every topic opens its own guide to how it works.

Where: On Home, at the foot, under Language Studio: Grammar finder. With Gerok Plus. Nothing you write there is kept.

Your story’s words, each said on its own in a clear German voice, for you to type as you hear them, nouns with their article. Each right letter fills its place, and once a word is typed you see what it means; a word you slipped on comes back at the end. Every word on the Words step, the words page and in Today’s review now has its own pronunciation too, to hear whenever you like.

Where: On every story’s page, under its path, once its Words step is made. Free.

Learn the start of your story by heart, on the keyboard. Five rounds over the same lines, each with less to lean on: first you type over the faint text, then some words go but their first letter, then those words, then every word but its first letter, and at the end you type it all from memory. A wrong key simply isn’t taken, Tab shows the next letter, and you need no German keys: a, o and u do for ä, ö and ü.

Where: On every story’s page, under its path, on a computer or a phone. Free.

Invite someone you know and take turns telling each other about your days, in German, each in your own voice. What a friend sends comes to you as a story: you learn it at your level, then answer them. Gerok never speaks for you.

Where: Top right, the antenna beside your profile. With Gerok Plus.

Write what you want to say in your own language, and Gerok puts it into German the way you ask: friendly or formal, du or Sie, for a message, an email or to say out loud, close to your words or as a German would say it, at the level you choose. It tells you why it sounds that way, and lights the phrase in your sentence each note is about. Paste German instead and it tells you what it means, and which words are worth learning.

Where: On Home, at the foot: Language Studio. With Gerok Plus. Nothing you write there is kept.

After Shadowing, tell your story again in German, from memory: three times, each a little shorter (90, then 60, then 45 seconds), so it comes more easily each time. A few of its words lead you through it. Gerok writes down what you said, lights the words and patterns you used, and asks about one thing to put right, in your own words, which you can hear again.

Where: On every story’s path, between Shadowing and Role-play. Free: each telling counts as one of the day’s role-play answers.

Gerok paints a scene from your story and pins the everyday things in it with their German names. Take a look first; then the names go, and you give each one back, choosing among four, often with its article. The picture is the meaning, so your own language never comes in between.

Where: On a story’s page, under its learning path. With Gerok Plus: a scene counts as one of the day’s pictures.

A minute of der, die or das on the nouns from your Words steps. Five right in a row add three seconds. Miss one and the clock waits while Gerok shows what its ending says (a noun ending in -ung is always die), and the noun comes back a little later. You race only your own best, and the nouns of yours you missed come back in Today’s review.

Where: On home, under Today’s review. Free, and it keeps your streak.