Learn Austrian German – the German spoken in Austria

Learn Austrian — free and at your own pace

Around 8.5 million people in Austria speak German as their first language, and Austrian Standard German (Österreichisches Deutsch) is one of three officially recognized national varieties — alongside German and Swiss Standard German. It is the language of Austria's classrooms, ORF broadcasts, courts, and offices, and its distinctive vocabulary is protected under EU law (Protocol No. 10). Whether you're planning to study at one of Austria's largely free public universities, live in Vienna, or work in Alpine tourism, this is the variety you need.

Austrian German is not simply German with an accent. Vocabulary diverges in ways that matter daily: Erdäpfel not Kartoffeln, Paradeiser not Tomaten, Marille not Aprikose, Semmel not Brötchen, and January is Jänner not Januar. Greetings run to Grüß Gott and Servus rather than Guten Tag. Grammatically, Austrians strongly prefer the perfect tense in speech and use sein with more verbs — ich bin gesessen, ich bin gestanden. Pronunciation is softer, less aspirated, and the affectionate -erl diminutive (Sackerl, Stüberl) flavors everyday Austrian speech.

The core difficulty of Austrian German is the difficulty of German itself. The FSI rates German at roughly 750 hours to professional proficiency for English speakers, and the four-case system, three grammatical genders, and adjective declension are the genuinely hard parts — none of them unique to Austria. If you already know standard German, the specifically Austrian layer is small and learnable in weeks: vocabulary swaps, greetings, pronunciation, and the preference for the perfect tense. Bavarian speakers find Austrian almost native; Slavic, Hungarian, and Italian speakers recognize many Habsburg-era loanwords.

Langula's 80 structured A1-to-B2 lessons front-load Austrian vocabulary so you learn Erdäpfel as your default for potato, not as a late correction. The five-box Leitner flashcards drill vocabulary swaps, -erl diminutives, and perfect-tense forms — the heart of the Austrian layer. In-browser pronunciation scoring helps you refine the softer Austrian articulation and nail Grüß Gott before you land in Vienna; audio is never stored, so practice stays private. No download, no sign-up required to begin.

Austrian language or Austrian German? An honest answer

There is no separate Austrian language. Austria’s official language is German, and what people call “Austrian” is Austrian German: the same grammar and spelling as in Germany, with its own everyday vocabulary, pronunciation and set phrases. It is one of the recognised standard varieties of German, alongside the German of Germany and of Switzerland. Beneath the standard, many Austrians speak a regional dialect at home – Bavarian-type dialects in most of the country, Alemannic in Vorarlberg in the far west. Croatian, Slovene and Hungarian are recognised minority languages in parts of Burgenland and Carinthia. What you learn here is the standard Austrians use with anyone from outside their village, and it is understood across the whole country.

English to Austrian: everyday words that differ

Most of Austria’s distinctive words are about food, the calendar and daily errands – exactly what you meet in your first week. Germans understand the Austrian words and Austrians understand the German ones, but using the local word sounds natural and shows you have paid attention. Twenty-three Austrian food terms, among them Erdäpfel, Paradeiser, Marillen, Topfen and Schlagobers, are even listed in Protocol No. 10 of Austria’s EU accession treaty, so they stay on menus and packaging across the country.

Austrian phrases for your first days

Greetings are where Austrian German is most audible. Grüß Gott is the polite all-purpose hello in shops, offices and with strangers. Servus works as both hello and goodbye among friends and colleagues on first-name terms, and Baba is a casual goodbye you will hear a lot in Vienna. The informal phrases in this table are friendly but casual: use them once someone uses them with you, which is a safe rule anywhere German is spoken.

How to learn Austrian German: a plan by goal

Austrian German rewards short, steady practice more than long sessions. Fifteen to twenty minutes a day, reviewing your flashcards before you add new words, keeps the vocabulary pairs from blurring together. Pair the lessons with real Austrian input: ORF news and radio, Austrian films, or menus and signs if you are already there. If you are a complete beginner, remember that the hard part is German grammar itself – cases, genders and adjective endings – so give it time; the Austrian layer comes along with it.