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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Beginners German 1: fang an! short course
Beginners German 1 is a 16-unit short course that introduces you to the language and culture of German-speaking countries. Aimed at complete beginners, it helps you develop reading, listening, speaking and writing skills through 3–4 hours of study per unit. You’ll build confidence using basic structures and essential vocabulary to meet and greet people, talk about yourself and navigate everyday situations. Alongside language learning, you’ll gain insight into the cultural diversity across German-speaking regions. On successful completion, you will receive a digital badge that can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or used as a certificate.
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. Now associated with economic success, science and technology, German also has a long-standing reputation as a language of poets and thinkers.
This short course offers you an excellent introduction to the German language. You’ll learn the essentials of reading, writing, speaking and listening in German. You’ll also develop key skills that will enhance your future study of the language.
As you study over 16 units, you’ll learn to:
You will also have many opportunities to develop your intercultural understanding through engaging with learning materials which reflect German-speaking countries and their people, and by learning about places and sightseeing in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Delivered through user-friendly, ‘bite-sized’ blocks, in each unit you’ll discover useful words and set phrases. Audio material, featuring recordings by native speakers of German, and a wide variety of speaking activities will aid your pronunciation. Throughout the course, you’ll build up your own German phrase book covering a variety of topics and typical situations. Along with completing the activities and quiz in each unit to strengthen your learning, you’ll gain a solid foundation of basic German to move onto the next level, Beginners German 2: mit vergnügen! (LGXG002).
Viel Erfolg und bis bald!
Please note that although this course is non-accredited, it can be used towards the module Making your learning count (YXM130) to gain OU credits.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
You will have access to discussion forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in as these forums combine support from fellow students with input from a language-specialist learning adviser. Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.
The course is made up of 16 units, with each unit expected to take about 3–4 hours to study. In total, you’ll need around 64 hours to complete the course.
You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months depending on your course registration date and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.
All learning materials are delivered entirely online and there is no formal tuition for this course.
Your study is self-directed and you’ll have access to a course website, which includes:
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
There are no entry requirements for this course. It’s suitable if you are completely new to German and to language-learning, and it does not assume any prior knowledge.
You will be given guidance on developing your language-learning skills such as different techniques to memorise vocabulary and approach grammatical topics.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXG001 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
StartEngland fee
At anytime before 31/07/2026£195
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
You can start this course anytime.
You can start this course anytime.
Level info