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Introduction to German

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Welcome to Introduction to German, part of Foreign Language Learning and Language and Literature school. The aim of this beginner level course is to tell you about the basics of German, no prior knowledge is required. However it helps if you are good at English (used in this guide!) and know some grammar, like the difference between "plural" and "singular", you can move ahead. You can also join the German Stream if you so desire. :)

First steps

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Congratulations! To continue reading this page you just made the first step to learn German. So you can now say the classical phrase: "Ich lerne Deutsch" (rough Anglicized pronunciation: ish lerne Doich).

Now you have two things to master:
Vocabulary
and
Grammar

The trick is that you can't focus just on one of these. You may think that vocabulary is enough. If you know the words, then you can say and write anything you want... but it is not that true. You also have to learn how to say and write it! Fortunately for you there is a good opportunity to practice this right here at Wikiversity.

Vocabulary

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All material concerning the German vocabulary is concentrated at German vocabulary and its subpages. Please help develop it further, possible in cooperation with Wikibooks using the well developed German textbook.

Alphabet and Pronunciation

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Grammar

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See German grammar.

Typing German

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See Typing German characters into a computer.

For a PC, you have quick access by typing the following:
ß - alt+225
ä - alt+132
ö - alt+148
ü - alt+129
Ä - alt+142
Ö - alt+153
Ü - alt+154

On a Mac, the commands are as follows:
ß - ⌥ + s
ä - ⌥ + u, a
ö - ⌥ + u, o
ü - ⌥ + u, u

Note: the umlaut can be assigned to any vowel by first holding '⌥' and pressing the 'u' key. It will then wait for a vowel key to be pressed.

Assignments

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To help you get acquainted with the written language, use this subpage to get in contact with German speaking Wikiversity participants.

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Learning materials and learning projects can be used by multiple departments. Cooperate with other departments that use the same learning resource.

Learning materials and learning projects are located in the main Wikiversity namespace. Simply make a link to the name of the lesson (lessons are independent pages in the main namespace) and start writing!

Learning Resources

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  • A podcast for students Slow German is spoken clearly and slowly. More information at www.slowgerman.com (not cost free)
  • An online learning tool Duolingo helps you practice vocabulary and grammar. More information at www.duolingo.com (free)

Active participants

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