This is a great series! The stories vary a lot; the narrator usually chooses one word or term, such as small talk, doubt, even the Mona Lisa, and tells a brief story around that theme.

The pace is slow and the language simple, meaning that you’ll unlikely feel a need to read the transcript (although you can do so with Spotify’s automatic subtitles).

This is a good introduction into listening to news-type content, which is tailored specifically to B1 level, and it comes with comprehension questions to test your understanding.

The topics are broad, which is ideal for learning new vocabulary.

This will gear listeners up towards B1+, thanks to the range of topics, from the Nazi salute to German hairdressers, and broad grammar usage.

You can also watch the video form of each episode, if you need some visuals to aid your comprehension.

Creator Robin mostly has conversations with one other person in his episodes, with the occasional solo episode. He talks to different people about a range of topics, including virtual reality, loneliness, finance, marriage and more.

The conversations are interesting and easy to follow.

Most learners of German already know Easy German! It’s easy to feel like you know Cari and Manu after just a few listens thanks to their easygoing and warm rapport. They also speak nice and clearly!

One great feature of this podcast is the listener contributions, where Cari and Manu answer listeners’ burning questions.

These bite-sized episodes by Deutsche Welle are an excellent way to learn new expressions. The vocabulary is on the higher end of things (around B2 sometimes), but the explanations are very clear, making it suitable for B1 listeners too.

Transcripts and comprehension questions are available here.

This is an absolute gem. Creator Michaela will teach you everything you need to know about German pronunciation. She often interviews her students and corrects their pronunciation as they go.

You’ll hear about other people’s learning journeys, and will learn to correct your own pronunciation errors.

Michaela’s manner is warm and her content is engaging, and as such Klar und deutlich has become my firm favourite.

Creator Jennifer Wagner covers many different topics in her episodes; themes include the 5 love languages, Denglisch, false friends, Greek mythology and much more.

The pace is really manageable for B1+ (she also makes some episodes for A1-A2 for when you want to feel really smart!) and her range of content means there’s something for everyone. She even occasionally makes video episodes.

Creator Schmidt’s concept is super simple. He chooses two words per episode, and explains them! That’s it.

The vocabulary is generally a minimum of B2 level, but his explanations can be understood by B1 learners, making it the ideal transition podcast for curating some B2 level vocab.

This podcast by Deutsche Welle is officially targeted at C1, but I find it manageable for B2 learners.

It gets listeners used to news-type content, with the support of comprehension questions and the transcript.

Das Thema picks one current issue to explore per episode. The format usually includes a narrator, various other contributors, music and other features to keep you engaged and following.

It’s the perfect format for news updates; even if you find the pace a little fast or the vocabulary complex, as long as you pick issues you know about, you’ll be able to fill in a lot of gaps with your existing knowledge.

Woher weißt du das? is an excellent podcast that covers research about science, everyday life and society. You’ll get exposure to a whole range of vocabulary, and the topics are really interesting.

Zeit has a whole host of other podcasts on news & politics, society, learning, work, sport and more. Check them out here.