Learn German for Polish speakers
German stories at your level, with Polish translations on every word. Built for the millions of Poles in Germany — and the next millions who'll move there.
Free to start · no card · your first story in 10 seconds
What Polish speakers already know
Polish has absorbed German loanwords across centuries of shared history — ratusz (Rathaus), burmistrz (Bürgermeister), szlaban (Schlagbaum), kaiser/cesarz, kuchnia (Küche) — so a Polish reader recognizes hundreds of German words on sight. Both languages have grammatical gender, both have cases, both share the Latin alphabet. The conceptual scaffolding is already there.
The friction points
- German has 4 cases vs Polish's 7, and assigns them to articles rather than noun endings — same idea, very different surface form.
- Three German genders with unintuitive assignment (das Mädchen for "girl" is neuter) — Polish gender feels more transparent.
- Verb-second word order in main clauses, verb-last in subordinates — the same sentence places the verb differently depending on context.
- Separable verbs (aufstehen → ich stehe um sieben auf) split across the sentence and require reading exposure to feel natural.
False friends to know first
Words that look familiar but mean something else. The first ones to learn so you don't embarrass yourself.
What German looks like in Newt
Generated by Newt at the level you set. Tap any word for an instant Polish translation, definition, and pronunciation — no leaving the page.
Ich arbeite seit zwei Jahren in einer Firma in Berlin.
Pracuję od dwóch lat w firmie w Berlinie.
Seit + present tense for ongoing time — German doesn't use perfect continuous like English does.
Wenn das Wetter besser wird, gehen wir am Wochenende wandern.
Jak pogoda się poprawi, w weekend pójdziemy na wycieczkę.
Subordinate "wenn" clause with verb at the end — the German rhythm Polish readers find disorienting at first.
Why Polish speakers pick up German
Poland and Germany share the busiest economic border in the EU. Hundreds of thousands of Poles live and work in Berlin, Hamburg, NRW, and the southwest, with German being the daily language of work, healthcare, and bureaucracy. School German plus practical immersion gets most learners to B1; reading short stories at exactly their level is the proven way to B2 and beyond.
Read → tap → save → repeat
- Tell Newt what you care aboutPick a topic (cycling, history, coffee, indie games — anything). Newt writes you a short German story around it at your level.
- Tap any word for instant translationTap a word — Newt shows the Polish translation, definition, and pronunciation in a popup. No page-switching.
- Save the ones you don't know yetSaved words land in your vocabulary list with the sentence you met them in — context comes free.
- Newt reuses them in your next storyEach new story tries to fold in 2-3 words you recently saved, so you meet them again in fresh context. That's how vocabulary actually sticks.
- Spaced repetition catches what slippedA short daily review session brings back words the algorithm thinks you're about to forget. Same idea as Anki, except you never had to build the deck.
Common questions
How is this different from Duolingo for German?
Duolingo teaches isolated phrases in a fixed curriculum. Newt generates short stories from topics you actually care about, at your current level, with every word tappable for an instant Polish translation. Words you save come back automatically in future stories — that's the part that makes vocabulary stick.
How is this different from asking ChatGPT to write me a German text?
ChatGPT can write you a story, but it forgets everything between sessions. It doesn't know which words you already learned, doesn't space them out for review, and doesn't quietly weave your saved words into the next story. Newt does all of that — it's a closed loop, not a one-shot prompt.
What level of German do I need to start?
Any. Newt supports A1 (complete beginner) through C1 (advanced). At A1 you'll get short, very simple texts with high-frequency vocabulary; at B2+ you'll get nuanced articles and stories. The system calibrates as you tap and save words.
Is it free?
Yes — there's a free plan with 3 fresh AI texts every day, no card required to sign up. Premium lifts the daily cap and lets you study multiple languages at once; you can upgrade anytime.
How long until I can read a real book in German?
Realistic timeline for Polish speakers: 4-8 months of consistent daily reading (15-30 min) to read a young-adult novel comfortably, 12+ months to read literary fiction. The single biggest predictor is hours of input — Newt's job is to make those hours easy to start.
Start reading German tonight
Pick a topic, your first story lands in 10 seconds. Free to start, no card.