Free learning from The Open University

Getting started with German 1

Almost 100 million people speak German as their main language. Most of them live in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, making German one of the most widely-used languages in Europe. Although now associated with economic success and advances in science and technology, German has a long-standing reputation as the language of poets and thinkers, die Sprache der Dichter und Denker. The German speaking countries are also a popular tourist destination, offering visitors a great variety of landscapes - from the sandy beaches in the North to the majestic alps in the South, not to forget hills, lakes, rivers, vineyards and the historic and buzzing cities of Berlin, Zürich and Vienna. In this 2-week course you will go on a journey through Germany, Austria and Switzerland and introduce you to the language skills you need to start understanding and using German. You will start from the basics - simple greetings, introducing yourself and using numbers. Progressing towards being able to join conversations in German and to understand and use the language in a variety of scenarios. This OpenLearn course is an extract from the beginning of the Open Centre for Languages and Cultures short course, LXG001 Beginners German 1: fang an! After completing this free course, you may wish to register for the full course to continue your learning!