Tried every German course & still feel stuck? Try speaking first
Plenty of internationals in Berlin have tried a German course at some point. They feel comfortable enough to order a coffee and handle the basics, but as soon as a conversation gets interesting, they switch back to English. LALIA Berlin is built for that moment.
LALIA Berlin is an online German school that teaches in small, live groups, with speaking at the centre of every lesson. Its online German speaking courses go from absolute beginner to advanced, and every class happens live with a teacher.
Why LALIA puts speaking first
A lot of courses start with grammar and hope the talking comes later. LALIA turns that around. It uses the communicative approach: you pick up German by using it, the same way you picked up your first language. The teacher sets up a topic or a situation, the group talks it through, and corrections happen along the way.
LALIA's founders learned this method at Stanford University under Professor Elizabeth Bernhardt and Dr Paul Nissler. When they moved back to Germany in 2018, they saw friends and colleagues putting years into German without being able to use it, so they started a school that teaches it differently.
"Since then, it has been our greatest satisfaction to see the effective and rapid progress students of German make in our programme," the founders write. Their motto? "Try it. It works."
What a week at LALIA looks like
- Groups of nine students at most
- Four 50-minute sessions a week (advanced groups: three sessions of 70 minutes)
- About half an hour of homework a day
- Morning and evening slots, such as 8am, 9am, 6.15pm and 7.15pm
Courses run in five-week blocks: four weeks of classes, then one week of revision. A new course starts every five weeks at every level.
Which level do you start at?
LALIA uses its own levels: Absolute Beginners, Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. They are built around what you can say rather than an exam syllabus. If you studied somewhere else, each level page shows how it compares with the CEFR levels. LALIA doesn't issue certificates, but students who later sit an exam such as B1 report it was easy for them.
You don't have to work out your level alone. Every new student starts with a free placement call of about 15 minutes with a LALIA expert, who assesses your level and finds a group and start date that suit your schedule. There are no trial classes, because each group is already working together.
How much does it cost?
LALIA publishes its prices: 996 euros for four months, 1.464 euros for six months and 1.912 euros for eight months. The eight-month package works out at 239 euros a month. Class materials are included, and you can pay in three instalments for a one-time 87-euro fee.
Practising German off the screen
LALIA also organises meetups in Berlin, at places like Prater Garten and BrewDog Berlin, so students can try their German face to face.
More than 2.000 students have learned with LALIA since 2018. One of them, Ela Krief, came to it after four other courses: "After 10 years in Berlin, I'm finally making real progress with German. I can now speak to my doctor, understand much more, and feel confident when I talk."
Start with a free call
If you've tried German before and still switch to English when it matters, book a free placement call with LALIA Berlin, find your level and join a group that fits your week.