The "Deutsch--Warum nicht?" website is comprehensive and suitable for both beginners and advanced students. The site includes exercises, word lists and grammar explanations. The program focuses on a story, which can be a more effective and entertaining method for learning a foreign language.
For those who want an introduction to practical German, the BBC's "German Steps" website is a great resource. This program presents practical situations, such as introductions, making reservations and shopping. "German Steps" also allows you to chart your progress, and provides vocabulary lists and grammar tips.
If you merely want to pick up a little German quickly to use on a trip or to impress German-speaking friends, look into Radio Lingua's "One Minute German." The short, audio-based lessons cover basic German phrases and can be downloaded from the website (see Resources) or iTunes.
To supplement your German studies, it is important to have a good German-English dictionary. A free dictionary is available at dict.leo.org. The website includes a forum for those seeking clarification of slang, idioms and obscure words.
Most students will also need additional assistance with the grammatical aspects of the German language. For this, german-grammar.de clearly explains the intricacies of German grammar and even provides accompanying exercises.
Experiencing how German is used in the real world is important for anyone seeking to understand the language.
To improve your listening comprehension, ITunes has a great selection of podcasts in German in a variety of subjects and formats.
It is also possible to listen to German radio online. Listenlive.eu provides a directory of German-language radio stations ranging from music to news and talk.
If you are looking to read in German, you may choose to seek out German newspapers and periodicals such as "Die Welt," "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" or "Der Spiegel," all of which have Internet versions. And for a bit of lighter reading, the website of the German tabloid "Bild" is entertaining and simply written.
The primary aim of learning German or any language is to communicate. Fortunately, finding a German student or native speakers with whom to practice is as easy as setting up a Skype account. Creating a profile at languageexchange.org will also enable you to find German speakers who share your interests.