Spoken German · Köln-Ehrenfeld
Finally speak German. Even from zero.
Jonas is a physio in Cologne: he spends his days getting people to talk, without ever losing patience. With you, he speaks German out loud, and corrects your mistakes in writing, off to the side, without cutting you off.
- Total beginners welcome
- Five minutes is enough
- Free during the beta
Hear a real exchange
A Saturday, told to Jonas.
You talk, he answers out loud. Your mistake goes off to the side, never in the middle of your sentence.
Jonas
Na, wie war dein Wochenende? Du klingst ein bisschen müde.
So, how was your weekend? You sound a bit tired.
You
Am Samstag habe ich durch die ganze Stadt gelauft.
On Saturday I walked across the whole city.
Jonas
Ach so, zu Fuß? Dann spürst du heute bestimmt deine Waden. Wo warst du denn überall?
Oh, on foot? Your calves must be feeling it today. So where did you go?
Not textbook German. The German they speak in Cologne.
You might know your declensions by heart. But at the counter, on the phone or with your in-laws, nobody talks like your book.
What you learn elsewhere
- Guten Tag, wie geht es Ihnen? — to everyone, even the neighbour your age
- Declension tables to fill in, never to say
- A synthetic voice from nowhere, with no warmth
- Sie everywhere, or du everywhere, with no idea when to switch
What you learn with Jonas
- Na, alles klar? — what people actually say in passing
- Cases learned by speaking, and corrected in the margin when they slip
- A warm Hochdeutsch, a western accent, no dialect
- The little words that matter: genau, doch, eigentlich, Mensch
Don't speak a word yet?
Your first sentence in German, in five minutes.
Three units to start: Jonas says a sentence, slowly, with its translation underneath. You repeat it out loud, and your pronunciation is scored word by word. Then the guided lessons take over, one sentence at a time.
- 1Say hello and your name
Hallo! · Wie geht's? · Gut, und dir?5 min - 2Say where you're from
Ich komme aus Frankreich. · Ich wohne in Paris. · Woher kommst du?5 min - 3Say you didn't understand
Ich verstehe nicht. · Kannst du das wiederholen? · Langsamer, bitte.5 min
Three moves. The rest is conversation.
You tap and talk
One button, your voice. Like a voice note to a friend in Cologne.
Jonas answers out loud
Within seconds, calmly. He slows down when you get stuck, and always keeps it going.
Your mistake goes in the margin
Explained in English, off to the side. You keep talking and read it later.
A real conversation partner, not an exercise.
Scenes in Cologne
The Brauhaus and its Köbes, the bakery, the cancelled train, coffee with the in-laws. Each with a goal to reach.
He remembers you
Your name, your job, what you talked about last time. No more of the same questions every session.
Your level, tracked
A five-question spoken test to start, then your level reassessed after every session.
A notebook that fills itself
Every phrase you meet goes in with its translation. Jonas brings it back at the right moment.
Your pronunciation, word by word
Green, yellow or red under each word you say, and a “Why?” to see what's off.
A review after every session
Your recurring mistakes, three things to work on, five phrases to keep.
Questions
I've never studied German. Is this for me?
Yes. The first three units start from “Hallo!”. Every sentence is said slowly, with its translation, and all you do is repeat it.
Is Jonas real?
No. He's a character, carefully written, with a life story that never changes: Ehrenfeld, the practice, Rudi, FC Köln. His voice is synthetic and his portrait is a drawing. We'd rather say so.
What kind of German does he speak?
Everyday German as it's spoken today, with Rhineland warmth. No dialect, no textbook language.
How much does it cost?
Nothing during the beta. Prices will come later, announced in advance.
Request your invite.
falaí is in private beta: we open spots a few at a time, to keep conversations good and listen to every piece of feedback.