German

Proficiency Levels, Learning Objectives and Course Content

according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

see also: Language Proficiency Levels and Course Levels


A1 CEFR

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she owns. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

A1/1

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • introduce yourself
  • family
  • shopping
  • home
  • daily routine
  • leisure time
  • school and family
  • German in everyday life and at work

Grammar (planned)

  • Sentence: declarative sentences, w-questions, yes/no questions
  • verbs: regular/irregular/separable in present tense, infinitive, modal verbs
  • some verbs in the perfect tense (receptive)
  • articles: indefinite, definite, zero article, possessive
  • negation with nicht and kein
  • nouns nominative/accusative/singular/plural
  • adjectives predicative
  • some important prepositions
  • personal pronouns in the nominative case

A1/2

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples) 

  • profession, work and everyday life
  • offices and authorities
  • health and illness
  • out and about in the city
  • customer Service
  • clothes
  • festivities

Grammar (planned)

  • verbs: modal verbs, imperative, perfect, subjunctive II, prefixes, with dative, past tense have and be.
  • prepositions: temporal, local, modal
  • personal pronouns in accusative and dative case
  • interrogative and demonstrative pronouns
  • position 0

A2 CEFR

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine situations requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

A2/1

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • feelings in everyday life
  • at home, living
  • eating and drinking
  • world of work
  • sports and fitness
  • school and education
  • celebrations and gifts

Grammar (planned)

  • verbs:perfect tense of verbs with prefix, subjunctive II, reflexive, verbs with preposition, past tense of modal verbs
  • s-genitive, indefinite pronouns, objects in the sentence
  • prepositions with both wo/wohin?, the preposition von
  • interrogatives with prepositions, prepositional adverbs
  • subordinate clauses with weil, wenn, dass

A2/2

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • at the weekend: wishes, opposites, suggestions
  • my things: describing and comparing objects
  • communication
  • directions
  • travelling
  • bank and services

Grammar (planned)

  • adjective declination with and without article, comparison
  • subjunctive II, passive present
  • conjunctions: trotzdem, deshalb, ob and indirect questions with interrogative pronouns
  • local, temporal and modal prepositions
  • word formation Nouns and adjectives
  • repetition perfect tense, past tense, subordinate clauses

B1 CEFR

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered at work, school, leisure etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

B1/1

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • happiness in everyday life, childhood and the past
  • entertainment, leisure
  • health and wellbeing
  • languages and multilingualism
  • work and profession
  • services
  • housing

Grammar (planned):

  • past tense irregular and past perfect tense
  • conjunctions: als, wenn, obwohl, um … zu, damit, statt/ohne … zu
  • relative pronouns in the nominative, accusative and dative case
  • present passive (modal verbs)
  • subjunctive II - unreal conditions, past tense
  • prepositions: wegen, trotz, während, außerhalb, innerhalb
  • repetition: verbs + prepositions

B1/2

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • work and colleagues
  • technology and everyday life, digital media
  • advertising and consumption
  • togetherness (rules, laws and manners)
  • social engagement
  • politics and history
  • old and new home country

Grammar (planned)

  • conjunctions: falls, während, nachdem, bevor, als ob, seit/seitdem, indem, ohne
  • two part conjunctions
  • passive perfect/past tense
  • relative clauses with prepositions or with was and wo
  • adjectives as nouns
  • participle I
  • prepositions: außer
  • adjective declination: comparative, superlative
  • prepositional adverbs
  • future tense1

B2 CEFR

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with mother-tongue speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a point of view on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

B2/1

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • Home town and country
  • language
  • work and profession
  • living together
  • science

Grammar (planned)

  • word order in the sentence
  • negation
  • comparative clauses
  • usage of es
  • two-part connectors
  • relative clauses with wer
  • noun-verb phrases
  • passive and passive substitutes
  • indefinite pronouns

B2/2

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • fit for everyday life at university and at work
  • culture
  • history and politics
  • emotions
  • future

Grammar (planned)

  • statal passive
  • comparative clauses
  • textual context
  • modal sentences
  • nouns, verbs and adjectives with prepositions
  • subjunctive I
  • nominalisation
  • modal particle
  • participles as adjectives
  • connectors and prepositions with genitive case

C1 CEFR

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

C1/1

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • everyday life (sense of time, clubs, internet use, shared flats)
  • languages and speaking (constant accessibility, language acquisition, dialects)
  • work (job application, CV, study, multitasking, soft skills)
  • economy (conscience, globalisation, crowdfunding)
  • objectives (social networks, career objectives, good intentions, voluntary activities)

Grammar (planned)

  • connectors
  • (in)separable verbs
  • speech rendition
  • nominal/verbal style
  • subject and object clauses
  • subordinate clauses (..., was, worin, weshalb, wodurch etc.)
  • temporal, causal, concessive, modal and final clauses (nominalisation and verbalisation)
  • unreal ("negative") consecutive clauses (... zu schwer, als dass oder Infinitivsatz mit um)

C1/2

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples)

  • health (medicine, wellness, beauty, bio)
  • legal system (crime, crime stories, court, legislation)
  • soul (synaesthesia, brain research and gender behaviour, giftedness, childhood and educational issues)
  • art (creativity, films, reading habits)
  • retrospection (memory, false memories, face blindness)

Grammar (planned)

  • infinitive clauses (present and perfect tense, active, passive)
  • passive voice (advanced)
  • gerundive ("modal participle")
  • subjective use of modal verbs (assumptions, assertions)
  • prepositional objects: nominalisation and verbalisation
  • connectors (allerdings, mittlerweile, vielmehr …)
  • conditional clauses (special features: participial groups instead of c.c.. (verglichen mit etc)
  • Modality verbs

C2 CEFR

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and explanations in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

C2

Textbook

Information regarding the current textbook for your course is available in the course booking instructions.

Topics of conversation (examples):

  • Complex topics, different discussion topics
  • Grammar (planned)
  • Complex structures, stylistics, nuances, metaphors