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 opportunity to take further your basic knowledge of the German language. You’ll continue to develop the essentials of reading, writing, speaking and listening in German. You’ll also improve key skills that will enhance your future study of the language.
Throughout Beginners German 2: mit Vergnügen! you will learn to:
Through studying a variety of topics, you will develop your intercultural understanding through engaging with learning materials, which reflect German speaking countries and their people, and through 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.
You’ll also have learned and improved your strategies to memorise and use German vocabulary and grammar. Along with completing the activities and quiz in each unit to strengthen your learning, you’ll have built and developed your own language notebook and gained a solid foundation of basic German to move onto the next level, Beginners German 3: richtig so! (LGXG003)
Viel Erfolg und viel Vergnügen!
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).
The course is taught entirely online, with the aid of a learning adviser to offer support where needed. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine peer support with input from the language specialist learning adviser(s). 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.
However, it's beneficial if you have some basic knowledge of German, similar or equivalent to the language, skills and vocabulary practised in Beginners German 1: fang an! (LGXG001).
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 LGXG002 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.