gutgesagt: the app for people who already speak German very well
You understand almost everything. You read the news, follow a debate, laugh at the jokes. But when you speak, you reach for the same handful of words. gutgesagt is an iPhone app that helps you close that gap: a few minutes a day with new German words and idioms, so the ones you recognize become the ones you use.
Who it is for
gutgesagt was made for native speakers who want a richer vocabulary. It works just as well for anyone whose German is already at C1 or above: people who live and work in German, studied in German or simply love the language. It is not a course for beginners, and there is no grammar drill. The whole app is in German, and that is the point.
What you practice
- 4,400 words and idioms, picked by people, each with meaning, pronunciation and an example sentence.
- Seven types of exercise: meet a new word as a card, choose the word or idiom that fits, then write your own sentence. An AI tells you honestly how it sounds, if you agree to it.
- Spaced repetition, so a word comes back until you still know it a week later.
- Topics you choose: career, psychology, politics, culture, relationships and more. Examples and vocabulary adapt to them.
- Words with a history: from Greek mythology, the Bible, Roman law or French, with the story behind them.
- Five levels, streaks and medals for keeping at it.
A small taste
lakonisch
Laconic: brief and to the point, with a dry kind of wit.
Die Tafel der Fischbude am Hafen war lakonisch: Fisch. Pommes. Bier.
die Nebelkerze
Literally a smoke candle. An argument thrown in to distract from the real question.
Als die Mutter nach dem Zeugnis fragte, warf der Sohn eine Nebelkerze: Ob sie schon den neuen Hund der Nachbarn gesehen habe?
den Bock zum Gärtner machen
Literally to make the goat the gardener. To put someone in charge of exactly the thing they are most likely to ruin.
Den Naschkater zum Hüter der Keksdose zu ernennen hieße, den Bock zum Gärtner zu machen.
Read more
German words with no English equivalent · German idioms explained · Advanced German vocabulary (C1/C2)
Price
The first week is free. After that, Premium Plus costs €39.99 a year or €6.99 a month, paid through the App Store. You can cancel at any time in your Apple ID settings.
Questions
Is the app in English?
No. Everything in gutgesagt is in German: words, explanations, examples and exercises. It is made for people who already understand German very well and want to use it with more range.
What level of German do I need?
Roughly C1 or above. If you can read a German newspaper without a dictionary but notice that you say things more simply than you would like, gutgesagt is for you.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet. It is in the works.