Learn German in NYC :: Williamsburg

More about Level 1

Taught in English. Level 1 is for students who don’t have a clue about German and for those who maybe took a little bit of German in high school...but let’s be honest, you were passing notes. If you can struggle through saying things like: I am American, I study French, I like football, and I have a dog, then you should check the Level 2 descriptions to be sure a Level 2 class isn't more appropriate for you.

Part of the time in most of our Level 1 classes is spent on how to learn a language in general. If you are "good at languages" or took a college-level Spanish class before (even if it was a while ago) you might want to consider going straight into a Level 2 class. If you choose to skip Level 1 and have not previously studied the language, we highly recommend 2 to 4 hours of private lessons and a Bridge to Level 2 Workshop to get caught up and be ready to dive in (even if you have another romance language under your belt).

If you are more advanced than some of the absolute beginners in your Level 1 class, but not ready for Level 2 yet, please be aware that our Level 1 classes start at the very beginning. While you can take advantage of brushing up on some of the fundamental concepts and still benefit from the class overall, please be patient while the others are learning the language from the absolute beginning for the first time.

More about Level 2

Level 2 is for those who have had some German before, even though they still might need a review of the basics. They feel a little bit comfortable saying a few things about themselves in German, even if only at a very basic level in the present tense with a very limited vocabulary. That means, they can pretty much say "Hello, my name is ___, I live in Brooklyn. I have a cat, but I do not have a dog. My brother is a doctor…" but would really struggle through more complex sentences like "I want to eat at McDonald's tonight, but I forgot that you aren't available."

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a specific class. We try to do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone (or once you start class), we'll work with you to make a game plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students place themselves accurately.

More about Level 3

Level 3 is for those who are fairly comfortable speaking in the present tense, are starting to get more comfortable with the past tense, present perfect and past perfect (Ich kaufte, Ich habe gekauft, Ich hatte gekauft) and are ready to be introduced to the future tense (ich werde kaufen) and the future perfect tense (ich werde gekauft haben). You should also be familiar with the concept of cases and somewhat comfortable using the Nominative, Accustive and Dative case. Level 3 German will solidify your understanding of the three aforementioned cases as well as the Genitive case.

If you are not an absolute beginner, determining what level you are can be really difficult. However, our professors can usually gauge it very quickly after speaking on the phone with you – even if just for a minute or two.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a class. We do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If you need to be placed into a different level, we can discuss that when we call for the placement test. We prefer to do this placement call after you sign up online because about 60-70% of students do place themselves accurately.

More about Level 4

Level 4 are starting to understand how the major verb tenses work, are adding to their growing vocabulary, and are ready to gain confidence when speaking and using several different verb tenses. The course covers verbs in all tenses (particularly both past tenses), active and passive voice, and indicative, imperative, and subjunctive mood; all cases of nouns, pronouns, and articles (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive); adjective endings and comparative and superlative forms; and word order in statements, questions, and dependent clauses. This course will emphasize using all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) to practice those grammar elements and expand vocabulary in context, primarily through conversational activities in class and reading more complex texts, as well as completing a range of task-based activities (e.g., planning travel, finding an apartment, etc.).

If you are not an absolute beginner, determining what level you are can be really difficult. However, our professors can usually gauge it very quickly after speaking on the phone with you – even if just for a minute or two.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a class. We do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If you need to be placed into a different level, we can discuss that when we call for the placement test. We prefer to do this placement call after you sign up online because about 60-70% of students do place themselves accurately.