Now associated with economic success, science and technology, German also has a long-standing reputation as language of poets and thinkers.

This course will introduce you to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the linguistic skills you need to start understanding and using German. This introduction offers the perfect opportunity to develop the skills needed to communicate effectively in German in everyday contexts!

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!

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• Say hello, goodbye and some of the first phrases to use when meeting a German speaker
• Count from one to ten
• Understand the basic rules of German pronunciation
• Pronounce different German-speaking countries and places
• Introduce oneself and say where one is from.