Guten Tag! If you’re not aware already, there is a new, German series on TV in the US, Australia and the UK. It is called Deutschland 86. This is the sequel to the 2015 series, Deutschland 83.

The first series followed the story of a young man from the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik aka. East Germany) who was sent to the BRD (Bundesrepublik Deutschland aka. West Germany) to work as a spy for the Stasi (Staatssicherheitsdienst, aka. State Security Service). Deutschland 86 is the much-anticipated sequel to this drama series, which is set during the time of the Kalter Krieg (Cold War). There are 10 episodes (Folgen) in total.

Deutschland 86 first aired in Germany in October 2018, followed by Australien (Australia), and then die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika (United States of America). Lastly, it aired in March 2019 here in das Vereinigte Königreich (United Kingdom).

A sequel to Deutschland 86 has also been confirmed: Deutschland 89 will air in 2021.

Have you ever considered using TV shows to improve your language learning?

The series uses Untertitel (subtitles), which makes it good for language learners as it allows you to listen to the German while reading the English. That means that, however fluent in German you currently are, you will be able to enjoy this Sendung (TV programme).

If you are very new to German, just watch it and get a feel for the sound of the language.

If you are more advanced with your German, maybe try ignoring the subtitles and see how many words/sentences you can understand without them. If any new words come up that spark your interest, pause the show and write them down. This is a more active way of watching a foreign-language show, so it takes a bit more time and focus, but it’s useful if you want to use TV to improve your German comprehension and listening skills.

It is also interesting to watch and see the style of 1980s Germany. You can see what the houses looked like, what the fashion was like, and so on. And because of its subject matter, you can learn a bit about German history this way, too.

Here you can watch the trailer to Deutschland 86 (in German – I could not find one with English subtitles).

This show is just one example of many German TV series out there for you to watch. So if this show is not available in your country, another one will be! Search ‘German TV series’ to see what is available to watch in your country. 🙂

Have you seen Deutschland 83 or 86? Do you watch any other, German TV shows? Let me know in a comment below. Bis bald (see you soon)! 

 

Related vocabulary:

TV programme – die Sendung

TV series – die Serie

Episode – die Folge

Subtitle – der Untertitel (plural: die Untertitel)

West Germany – Westdeutschland, or Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD)

East Germany – Ostdeutschland, or Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR)

Stasi – der Staatssicherheitsdienst

Cold war – der Kalter Krieg

Spy – der Spion

1980s – die 80er Jahre