Langvie / Learn German with movies / Der Untergang
Learn German with Der Untergang.
Der Untergang is a German biography film from 2004, and Langvie rates it C1. Learn the words you are missing first, then watch it without pausing.
The words to learn before you watch
These are the 20 words at B1 and above that Der Untergang says most often. Each one comes up between 4 and 12 times, so a card for each pays off several times in one evening.
| Word | Level | Meaning | Said |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Krieg | B1 | war | 12 |
| verlassen | B1 | to leave, to abandon | 11 |
| der Kampf | B1 | fight, battle | 10 |
| der Angriff | B1 | attack, offensive | 8 |
| erschießen | B1 | to shoot dead | 7 |
| das Recht | B1 | right, law | 7 |
| der Westen | B1 | west | 7 |
| der Norden | B1 | north | 6 |
| sich handeln um +Akk | B1 | to be a matter of | 6 |
| das Versprechen | B1 | promise | 6 |
| der Zivilist | B2 | civilian | 6 |
| die Kapitulation | C1 | surrender, capitulation | 5 |
| kapitulieren | C1 | to surrender | 5 |
| die Politik | B1 | politics, policy | 5 |
| schreien | B1 | to scream, to shout | 5 |
| sich melden | B1 | to report, to check in | 5 |
| überlegen | B1 | to consider, to think over | 5 |
| der Verwundete | B2 | wounded man | 5 |
| der Widerstand | B2 | resistance | 5 |
| der Beschuss | C1 | shelling, incoming fire | 4 |
The full list in the app has all 1,374 words, each with its plural or past forms, a recording, and the line from the film where it is said.
How hard Der Untergang is in German
Langvie counts every word the film uses and how often each one is said. The level is the band that covers 80% of what is said, and for Der Untergang the words from A1 to C1 make up 93%.
| Level | Words | Share of what is said |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 254 | 32% |
| A2 | 168 | 19% |
| B1 | 318 | 20% |
| B2 | 107 | 6% |
| C1 | 358 | 16% |
| C2 | 169 | 7% |
The count leaves out function words, greetings, numbers and names, so it covers the words a learner has to learn. Of those, as the film says them, 49% sit above A2 and 29% above B1. Learning the list above first cuts both numbers most, because those are the words said again and again.
How to learn it in Langvie
Open Der Untergang and press Learn Top-50 words for this movie. The fifty words it says most enter your deck at once. They come back tomorrow, then after 6 days, 13 and 29, and a word you miss returns before the session ends. Once the list stops surprising you, watch.
Other films at C1
- Das Boot, 1981
- Fight Club, 1999
- Interstellar, 2014
- M, 1931
- Saving Private Ryan, 1998
- Schindler's List, 1994
Learn the words from Der Untergang tonight.
The full list is free in the app, with the meaning in English, Spanish, Ukrainian or Russian.
Questions
Is Der Untergang good for learning German?
Yes, from about B2 up, if you learn its word list first. Words from A1 to C1 cover 93% of the words it says that a learner has to learn, and 49% sit above A2.
Where do the words come from?
From the German subtitles, matched to what is said. Names of characters and places are left out, and every word is stored in its dictionary form, so ging and gegangen both count as gehen. The levels are estimates, taken from the Goethe Institut lists up to B1 and from how common a word is above that.