German: Beginners – Part 1

Course starts 1 October 2026

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Thursdays, 4.45-6.45pm.

The weekly course schedule below is intended to give an overview of the main topics likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change according to the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.

Week 1: Greetings and farewells, alphabet; introducing yourself

Week 2: Forms of address; asking how someone is; introducing other people

Week 3: Leisure time activities; expressing likes and dislikes

Week 4: Countries; languages; numbers up to 20

Week 5: Shopping for food and drinks, numbers up to 100

Week 6: Ordering food and drinks, talking about eating habits

Week 7: Daily routines, days of the week, telling the time (24-hour clock)

Week 8: Accepting and declining invitations, telling the time (12-hour clock)

Week 9: Family and relationships, describing a person

Week 10: Expressing expectations, hopes and dreams

Key grammar points

* Present tense verb conjugations 

* High frequency irregular verbs and stem vowel change verbs

* Modal verbs wollen, können, müssen

* Word Order 

* Nominative and Accusative cases 

Key functions

*  Understanding, asking for and giving simple personal information

*  Talking about likes and dislikes (leisure activities, interests, means of transport)

*  Ordering in a café, at a restaurant

*  Accepting and declining invitations 

*  Talking about family and relationships 

Course aims

To develop the four language skills to enable learners to communicate at a very basic level with speakers of the target language in a limited range of practical, real-life settings.

Course objectives

• Develop the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing for very basic routine communication in the target language.
• Familiarise learners with a range of high-frequency vocabulary and grammar structures for very basic routine interaction in the target language.
• Develop an appreciation of the culture and civilisation of the country (or countries) in which the target language is spoken.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to:

• use very simple phrases and utterances to provide basic personal information, such as name, address, family members and nationality;
• interact in a simple way using a very basic range of language in routine everyday contexts;
• understand the gist of very short, simple written texts and audio/video excerpts containing the highest frequency vocabulary items and basic grammar structures;
• produce simple phrases and very short texts using basic structures and vocabulary items.

Level and demands

This course is for complete beginners as well as those who have learnt some expressions and phrases through travel or socialising.

Pitched at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Find your language level

Teaching methods

You will learn through practical scenarios and task‑based classroom activities that encourage the active use of the target language. Sessions typically integrate meaningful tasks, scenarios for pair and small‑group work, and collaborative problem‑solving in a supportive and friendly environment. These tasks bring together speaking, listening, reading, and writing, enabling you to apply the language purposefully in real‑world situations.

The course is designed to build your spoken and listening abilities while deepening your understanding of cultural nuances, etiquette, and everyday usage. We will work with new grammatical structures through meaningful, communicative tasks, and you will continue developing your reading and writing skills both in class and independently through self‑study.

Assessment methods

You will be set short, optional assignments to consolidate your learning and to allow you to progress at your own pace.

Ms Paula Eberlin

Paula is a Departmental Lecturer in German. She contributes to the Weekly Class and Intensive Weekend programmes as well as teaching German and French at the Oxford University Language Centre. She studied at Durham University and previously worked in the City of London before pursing an academic career. She joins us from Regent’s University, London.

Digital badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.

After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses

Textbooks

To participate in the course fully, you will need access to the following textbook:

/ Sabine Jentges et. al

Recommended reading

Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.

Library facilities

All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.

• More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website. 
• This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.

Preparatory reading

• A1.1. DaF leicht. Deutsch als Fremdsprache für Erwachsene. Course and Workbook with DVD-ROM / Sabine Jentges et. al

Module code: O26P550XDW

How to enrol

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