Learn the German around you.
SifuLingo is a web app for the German words you meet in daily life. Scan them from letters, signs, menus and books, read them again in short stories at your level, and review each one shortly before you'd forget it (spaced repetition). It opens in the browser on your phone or laptop, so you don't need an app store.
Launching soon. Join early access to get one email the day SifuLingo opens. Browse the free resources now
Who this is for
For people who need German for daily life.
If you've moved to Germany or Austria, or you're about to, you need German for the landlord, the letters from the Amt, the supermarket, the contract you have to sign and the exam with a date on it. SifuLingo teaches the words that come up in your own week.
You just moved here
Letters from the Amt, signs in the U-Bahn and supermarket labels all use words you'll meet again. Scan them once and the app brings them back for review. When the Amt wants you in person, Prepare writes a script for the appointment: what they'll probably say and what you say back.
You're moving soon
Start with the words for your job, your paperwork and your neighbourhood. Describe your first appointment, such as the Anmeldung, and Prepare writes a script for it before you arrive.
You're taking a course
Classes from A1 to B1 move fast, and last month's words are gone before the exam. Save them here and they keep coming back for review.
It does vocabulary. It won't replace your course.
SifuLingo doesn't teach grammar or speaking, and it won't get you through a B1 exam on its own. The grammar cheatsheets on this site are free and need no account.
Courses hand you vocabulary and leave the remembering to you. I built SifuLingo for that part, because after years of apps I still couldn't understand basic words at the supermarket. If you're not taking a class, it works the same way with the words you scan.
Features
You choose the words
you study
There's no fixed course. The words come from what you read and scan, so you study the ones you need.
01
Scan words with your camera
Point your camera at a letter, a menu or a book. Tap the words you want and save them to your list.
02
Prepare the conversation
Describe the appointment in your own words, for example the Bürgeramt, the doctor or a call to the landlord. You get a script: what they'll probably say, what you say back, and the words you need for it.
03
Review before you forget
Each word comes back shortly before you'd forget it, and the gap grows every time you get it right (spaced repetition). Each day you review only the words that are due.
Stories
Learn your words in stories
The app writes short stories with AI around your vocabulary, at your level. Translate the parts you don't understand, and listen while you read.
Translate a sentence
Select a sentence you don't understand and the translation appears below. You don't have to switch apps.
Save words
Select any word to see its meaning and save it to your list. It shows up in your reviews later.
Listen to the story
Play the story read aloud and hear how each word is pronounced.
Conversations
Rehearse the conversation first
Describe the appointment: who you're talking to and what you need from it. Prepare writes a script of the likely conversation, with the answers they might give and your reply to each. Read it at home, then take it with you.
Read the whole script first
The most likely conversation, step by step. Print it as it is, or as a gap fill or role cards to practise with someone.
Follow along at the counter
Step by step mode shows one step at a time. Tap what they said and your reply appears. If they say something the script doesn't cover, there's a fallback line.
Keep the words afterwards
Every script lists its key words in dictionary form. Save them with one tap and they show up in your reviews.
Why I built this
Hi, I'm David. After years of Duolingo and other apps, I wasn't learning much German. I stayed in the Ruby league and still couldn't understand basic words at the supermarket.
So I built this app to learn the German I saw around me.
You save words from real life, and the app puts those words into stories written for you. Reading a word in a story and reviewing it on a schedule is how I remember it.
It's helped me a lot already. I hope it does the same for you.
DavidDeveloper of SifuLingo
Pricing
SifuLingo isn't open for purchase yet. These are the prices it will have when it opens. Leave your email and I'll write to you then.
Monthly
€7/month
Try it for a month
Yearly
€84€49/year
Save €35 a year compared with paying monthly
- Scan 10 documents per day
- Reviews timed shortly before you'd forget each word
- Stories at your level
- Audio for stories
- Prepare: a script for each appointment you describe
- Word suggestions based on your level and goals
- Every new feature I ship, included
30-day money-back guarantee
This will apply from the day it opens: if you use it for a month and don't feel it has helped your vocabulary, send me an email and I'll refund you in full, no questions asked.
Not sure it fits your situation? Book a 15-minute call and ask me.
No account needed
Start with the free resources
Read short stories written with AI, look up grammar on one-page cheatsheets, and learn the words and phrases for everyday situations.
Remember the German you see every day.
SifuLingo isn't open yet. Leave your email and I'll write to you when it is.
Frequently asked questions
What to know before you decide.
How is this different from Duolingo?+
Duolingo is good for building a study habit and learning the basics. For vocabulary I found it slow, and the words weren't the ones I needed. That's fine if you're learning for fun. If you need German soon, SifuLingo lets you pick the words yourself from what you read and scan, so you study only those.
Another subscription?+
I don't like subscriptions either. The services the app runs on have ongoing costs. The subscription pays for them and for the time I spend on new features. It's €7 a month or €49 a year, and you can ask for a refund in the first 30 days.
How is this different from DeepL or Google Translate?+
DeepL and Google Translate tell you what something means when you need it. SifuLingo saves the word and brings it back for review, so you meet it again before you'd forget it.
Does it teach grammar?+
No. SifuLingo does vocabulary: it works on the problem of forgetting words faster than you learn them. For grammar there are free one-page cheatsheets on this site, and they need no account.
Is there a free trial?+
You can't buy SifuLingo yet, so there's nothing to try right now. The free resources are open today and need no account. When it opens there won't be a free trial. You pay for the first month, and if it isn't helping you can ask for a refund within 30 days, no questions asked. See the free resources.
Does it work?+
Spaced repetition is well-established science. I haven't measured SifuLingo's own results, and people learn differently. If you try it for a month and it isn't making a difference, tell me and I'll refund you. No questions asked.
Can it help me prepare for an appointment?+
Yes, that's what Prepare is for. You describe the situation, for example a Bürgeramt appointment or a call to the landlord. It writes a script of the likely conversation: what they'll probably say, what you say back, and a fallback line if they say something else. Read it before you go, or follow it on your phone in Step by step mode. It doesn't translate the conversation as it happens.
Does it work for Austria?+
Yes. Standard German is the same in both countries, but many everyday words differ. SifuLingo learns from what you scan, so in Vienna you save Jänner and Erdäpfel, and in Hamburg you save Januar and Kartoffeln. A textbook teaches only one of each pair.
Is there an iPhone or Android app?+
No, it isn't in the App Store or Google Play. SifuLingo is a web app: you open it in the browser on your iPhone, Android phone or computer, and the same account works on all of them. On a phone, add it to your home screen and sign in. From then on it opens full screen with its own icon, like an installed app. I'm one developer, and with a web app every fix and feature reaches you the moment I ship it, with no store review in between. It needs an internet connection, because I haven't built offline reviews yet. How to add it to your home screen.
Can I talk to you before deciding?+
Yes. I'm one person building this, and talking to you tells me more than guessing what you need. It isn't a sales call. Book 15 minutes and tell me your situation.