# How to Learn German with Nicos Weg: Study the Scene Before You Watch It > Most learners watch Nicos Weg and understand half of it. Learn the key phrases of a scene first, then watch it, and the noise turns into German you actually understand. - URL: https://hsalem.com/learn-german-with-nicos-weg-study-before-you-watch/ - Author: Hassan Salem (https://hsalem.com/about/) - Published: 2026-11-06 - Topics: Germany, Learning German, Products, Language Learning You open the first episode of Nicos Weg. Nico lands in Germany, his bag disappears in a taxi, and everybody around him talks fast. You catch "Hallo". You catch "Tasche". Then you are lost. So you pause. You rewind. After two minutes you switch on the English subtitles, and now you are reading English instead of hearing German. I did exactly this for weeks. I thought I was learning. I was mostly reading. **Short version:** the series is great, the order is wrong. Learn the key phrases of a scene first, then watch it. If you want the ready-made version of this, [start with the A1 guide here](https://products.hsalem.com/l/rrpygw?layout=profile). ## Why watching Nicos Weg alone is not enough Nicos Weg is one of the best free German courses out there. Deutsche Welle made a full story for three levels, A1, A2 and B1, and it follows Nico from Spain through real life in Germany: the airport, a shared flat, the doctor, a job interview, the bank. The problem is not the series. The problem is how we use it. When you hear a sentence with five words you never saw before, your brain is busy decoding. It has no free space left to listen. You hear sound, not language. And every time you pause, the story breaks, your motivation goes down a little, and one day you just stop opening the next episode. ## The fix: study the scene before you watch it Language teachers have a name for this. They call it **pre-teaching vocabulary**. Before a listening task, they give the class the key words. Then the students are not decoding anymore. They are recognising. Recognising feels completely different. You hear "Ins Zentrum, bitte" and you think: I know that one. That small moment is what keeps people learning. It feels like progress, because it is progress. So I turned it into a routine. It takes about 10 minutes per scene: 1. **Read** the key expressions and words of the scene. Cover the English and test yourself. 2. **Say them out loud.** Twice. Your mouth has to learn German too, not only your eyes. 3. **Watch the scene.** Listen for the phrases you just practised. You will hear them. 4. **Speak and check.** Answer one speaking task about your own life, then fill in three gaps to see what stuck. That is the whole method. Simple. But doing it for every scene by yourself means pausing, writing, looking up, sorting. Hours of work before you even start learning. I already did those hours for you. [**Get the A1 guide**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/rrpygw?layout=profile) · [**A2**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/nicos-weg-a2?layout=profile) · [**B1**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/xmafk?layout=profile) · [**All three, cheaper**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/yamndj?layout=profile) ## What "Study Before You Watch" is It is a study guide for each level of Nicos Weg. One page per scene, in the same order you hear it in the film. Every page has: - **Key expressions** with English translations. Only the phrases you will really use. No filler, no "Mhm", no repetition. - **Key words** with the article in colour (der, die, das) and the plural. - **A "Good to know" note** that explains one grammar point in two sentences, not two pages. - **A speaking task** about your own life, not about Nico's. - **A fill-the-gap exercise** with the first letter as a hint. Answers and translations are at the back. - **Space for your own notes**, because many people still learn best with a pen. And every level comes with a bonus **Anki flashcard deck**, so the words come back to you on your phone at the right moment, German to English and English to German. *What you get in each level*
LevelPDF pagesScenesKey expressionsKey wordsAnki cards
A16858391335726
A29380571404975
B18774537401938
Bundle2482121,4991,1402,639
> You do not need more German content. You need to understand the content you already have. ## Here is what one page looks like This is scene 2 of A1: Nico takes a taxi and people say goodbye at the airport. ![A sample page from the Nicos Weg A1 study guide with key expressions, key words, a grammar note, a speaking task and a fill-the-gap exercise](https://hsalem.com/api/media/file/dp06f4fjrsskth0ytnvwxi0wobrh.webp) *A1, scene by scene: expressions, words, a grammar note, speaking and a quick check.* A few of the phrases on that page: **Nicos Weg A1, scene 2: Taxi and goodbyes** | Article | German | English | | --- | --- | --- | | | Ich bin gut angekommen. | I arrived safely. | | | Ins Zentrum, bitte. | To the city centre, please. | | | Gute Reise! | Have a good trip! | | | Mach's gut! | Take care! | | der | Flughafen | airport | | die | Reise | trip, journey | Now imagine having this ready for all 212 scenes, from Nico's first "Hallo" to his B1 exam. [**See the A1 guide on Gumroad**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/rrpygw?layout=profile) ## Why I rebuilt it from scratch My first version was a long vocabulary file. Close to 30 learners bought it, and it helped. But when I used it myself again, I saw the problem. It had too much. Too many words that appear once and never again. Too little help to actually speak. So I started over with one question: what do you need in the ten minutes before you watch a scene? The answer was shorter lists, better order, one clear grammar point, and a reason to open your mouth. That is this new edition. If you bought the old file, the new one is already in your Gumroad library for free. ## Is it for you? **Yes, if:** - you watch Nicos Weg and understand less than you want - you depend on English subtitles and want to stop - you are preparing for an A1, A2 or B1 exam and need everyday phrases in context - you learn better with a plan than with random apps **No, if:** - you want the full transcript of the series. This is not a transcript. It is a selection of the phrases that matter, plus my own explanations and exercises. - you are already above B1. Then the series itself will feel easy. ## What it costs Each level is **€4.99**. The bundle with all three levels is **€9.99** instead of €14.97. For comparison, one private German lesson usually costs more than the whole bundle, and that lesson is over after 60 minutes. These guides stay with you for every scene, every repeat, every exam. You also get every future update in your Gumroad library at no extra cost. [**A1: Study Before You Watch, €4.99**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/rrpygw?layout=profile) [**A2: Study Before You Watch, €4.99**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/nicos-weg-a2?layout=profile) [**B1: Study Before You Watch, €4.99**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/xmafk?layout=profile) [**The A1 to B1 bundle, €9.99 (best value)**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/yamndj?layout=profile) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is Nicos Weg? Nicos Weg is a free German course by Deutsche Welle (DW). It is a video series in three levels, A1, A2 and B1, about Nico, a young man from Spain who builds a new life in Germany. You can watch it for free on dw.com/learngerman and on DW's YouTube channels. ### Is Nicos Weg enough to reach B1? It is enough to train your listening and everyday phrases up to B1, if you work with it actively and not only watch. For the speaking part of the exam you also need to practise answering out loud. That is why every page of the guide has a speaking task. If you are preparing for the B1 exam, the [B1 German Fluency Book](https://products.hsalem.com/l/german-b1-fluency?layout=profile) covers the speaking part in more depth. ### Which level should I start with? Watch the first five minutes of the A1 series without subtitles. If you understand almost nothing, start with A1. If you follow most of it, try A2. If A2 feels easy, go to B1. Not sure? The bundle covers all three, so you can move up when you are ready. ### Do I need the guide to watch Nicos Weg? No. The series is free and you can watch it without anything. The guide makes each scene easier to understand and helps you remember what you hear. Think of it as the preparation, the series is the practice. ### Does the guide include the full transcript? No. It contains the key expressions and words of each scene in film order, with my translations, grammar notes, speaking tasks and exercises. It is an unofficial study companion and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Deutsche Welle. ### What format is it? A PDF that works on your phone, tablet and laptop, and prints well on A4. Plus an Anki deck (.apkg) that you open in the free Anki app on your computer or Android, or in AnkiMobile on iPhone. ## Start with the next scene you watch Next time you open Nicos Weg, don't press play first. Open the page, read it, say it, then watch. After one scene you will feel the difference. [**Get the A1 to B1 bundle and save €4.98**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/yamndj?layout=profile) Or start small with [**A1**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/rrpygw?layout=profile), [**A2**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/nicos-weg-a2?layout=profile) or [**B1**](https://products.hsalem.com/l/xmafk?layout=profile). Viel Erfolg! *Study Before You Watch is an unofficial study companion. Nicos Weg is a free course by Deutsche Welle. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by DW and contains no video and no full transcripts.*