Today's words · 🗣️ Language & integration courses
Back to class: 10 German words for language courses
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On your first day of German class, understanding the teacher is already the lesson.
A new classroom, faces you've never seen, and a teacher by the whiteboard asking ‘Welches Niveau haben Sie?’ Your mind goes blank.
Here are ten words you'll hear every day at a language school or in an integration course. They'll help you sign up, get through the placement test and chat with your classmates. 📚
📋 The ten words at a glance
- der Integrationskurs — integration course (German language and orientation course for immigrants)
- der Kurs — course
- die Sprache — language
- die Volkshochschule — adult education centre
- das Niveau — level, standard
- der Test — test
- teilnehmen — to take part (in), to participate
- der Kursleiter — course instructor, course leader
- der Intensivkurs — intensive course
- integrieren — to integrate; (sich ~) to fit in, to integrate
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Integrationskurs
[in-teg-ra-TSYOHNS-koors]integration course (German language and orientation course for immigrants)(Pl. die Integrationskurse)
📌 Im Integrationskurs lernt man Deutsch und etwas über Politik und Geschichte.
→ In the integration course you learn German and something about politics and history.
💡 Integration + s + Kurs — that little s is German word glue 🧩
Bonus The final test includes „Leben in Deutschland“ (Life in Germany).
der Kurs
[KOORS]course(Pl. die Kurse)
📌 Ich mache einen Deutschkurs.
→ I'm doing a German course.
💡 Same root as English course, from Latin ‘running’ 🏃 A course runs from start to finish!
Bonus language course = der Sprachkurs · German course = der Deutschkurs
die Sprache
[SHPRAH-khuh]language(Pl. die Sprachen)
📌 Wie viele Sprachen sprichst du?
→ How many languages do you speak?
💡 The noun from sprechen (to speak) 🗣️ What you speak is a language.
Bonus mother tongue = die Muttersprache
die Volkshochschule
[FOLKS-hohkh-shoo-luh]adult education centre(Pl. die Volkshochschulen)
📌 Ich mache einen Deutschkurs an der Volkshochschule.
→ I'm doing a German course at the adult education centre.
💡 Volk (folk) + Hochschule (college) = a college for all the folk 🏫 Everyone says VHS.
⚠ It's not a university — it's an adult education centre anyone can join.
das Niveau
[nee-VOH]level, standard(Pl. die Niveaus)
📌 Der Kurs hat ein hohes Niveau.
→ The course is at a high level.
💡 French word, French sound 🥐 The eau at the end is just ‘oh’.
Bonus Welches Niveau hast du? = What level are you?
der Test
[TEST]test(Pl. die Tests)
📌 Morgen schreiben wir einen Test.
→ We're having a test tomorrow.
💡 Straight from English — no escaping tests in any language 📝
⚠ You ‘write’ a test in German: einen Test schreiben (or machen).
teilnehmen
[TILE-nay-men]to take part (in), to participate(nimmt teil an + dat. – hat teilgenommen)
📌 Nimmst du auch an dem Deutschkurs teil?
→ Are you taking the German course too?
💡 Teil (part) + nehmen (take) = literally ‘take part’ 🙋
⚠ Separable, with an + dative: Ich nehme an dem Kurs teil.
der Kursleiter
[KOORS-ly-ter]course instructor, course leader(Pl. die Kursleiter (f: die Kursleiterin))
📌 Unsere Kursleiterin kommt aus Leipzig.
→ Our course teacher is from Leipzig.
💡 Kurs + Leiter (leader) = the one who leads the course 👩🏫
Bonus A female teacher is die Kursleiterin; many people just say Lehrer.
der Intensivkurs
[in-ten-ZEEF-koors]intensive course(Pl. die Intensivkurse)
📌 Im August mache ich einen Intensivkurs Deutsch.
→ In August I'm doing an intensive German course.
💡 Looks just like English intensive 🔥 Several hours of German every day!
Bonus Courses once or twice a week are often an Abendkurs (evening class).
integrieren
[in-teg-REE-ren]to integrate; (sich ~) to fit in, to integrate(integriert – hat integriert)
📌 Er hat sich gut in die Klasse integriert.
→ He has fitted in well in the class.
💡 From Latin integer (whole) = become part of the whole 🤝 -ieren verbs take no ge- in the perfect.
Bonus sich integrieren = to fit in, to settle in
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
A German integration course (Integrationskurs) has two parts: a language course that aims for level B1 and an ‘orientation course’ about politics, history and society. Depending on your residence situation it may be required, or you can apply to join.
The easiest place to find a course is the Volkshochschule. Almost every town has one, and besides German they offer cooking, yoga and other languages. They're often cheaper than private schools.
In class, people often use first names and du with the teacher, but it depends on the group. Watch how others do it on day one. ☕
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You want to ask a new classmate, ‘Are you taking this German course too?’
- ① Nimmst du auch an dem Deutschkurs teil?
- ② Integrierst du auch den Deutschkurs?
- ③ Nimmst du auch den Deutschkurs an?
Show the answer
① Nimmst du auch an dem Deutschkurs teil?
teilnehmen goes with an + dative, and teil moves to the end of the sentence.
Introduce yourself out loud with ‘Ich mache einen Deutschkurs an der Volkshochschule.’ Here's to raising your Niveau! 💪
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🔕 Sundays & holidays