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Read German Books with Inline Translation

Read German books with translation on demand, so long sentences stop being a wall.

Upload a German EPUB or text and read it in the original. When a sentence runs on with the verb at the very end, translate the paragraph and see how it fits together, then keep reading.

Free, no sign-up.

See how German reads with a translation

Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt.

When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.

Franz Kafka, Die Verwandlung (1915), public domain

Free German books to start with

Every book below is in the public domain and takes under three hours to read. Open one to read it with translation, word lookup and audio.

Browse all German books in the catalog

Why learn German by reading books

German word order, with the verb pushed to the end of subordinate clauses, is much easier to learn from real sentences than from rules. Seeing the translation next to the original shows the pattern.

Compound nouns are long and often new. Tap one to see its meaning in context, and save it as a flashcard.

Gendered articles and case endings only stick through repetition. Reading a book gives you thousands of examples without a drill.

What you get

  • Inline translation

    Tap any German paragraph to see it translated, and tap a single word to see what it means in that exact sentence.

    How inline translation works

  • Audio narration

    Have each paragraph read aloud in a German voice while you follow the text.

    How audio narration works

  • Flashcards from your reading

    Save words you look up and practise them as flashcards, tied back to the German book they came from.

    How flashcards works

  • Your own books

    Upload any EPUB, PDF or text file in German. Your books stay in your browser; nothing is stored on a server.

    How upload your books works

German reading: common questions

Can I read German books without a subscription?
Yes. PolyglotReader is free and your books stay in your browser. Upload a German EPUB, PDF or text file and start reading.
Does it explain German compound words?
Word lookup translates the word in the context of its sentence, which helps with compounds and with separable verbs where the prefix sits at the end of the clause.
Where can I find German books to read?
Project Gutenberg and Wikisource have many public-domain German books, including Kafka, Goethe and the Brothers Grimm. Upload the EPUB or paste the text.