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German as a Foreign Language (DaF)

German is spoken as a first language by approximately 90 to 105 million people worldwide. In the European Union, German is actually the most widely spoken language. The German language has over five million words. There are many interesting facts about this language: The letter ß (called “Eszett”) exists only in the German alphabet, and by stringing nouns together, seemingly endless words can be formed. In addition, there are words that exist only in German, such as “Abendbrot” (the fact that people eat open-faced sandwiches in the evening rather than a hot meal is typically German) or “Fernweh” (the opposite of “Heimweh,” or homesickness).

© Universität Siegen
Siegen

Course Offerings

Winter Semester 2026/27

General Language Courses

German 1 - Target Level A1.1 (6 ECTS)

German 1 – Target Level A1.1 (Virtual Mobility) (6 ECTS)

German 2 – Target Level A1.2 (6 ECTS)

German 3 – Target Level A2.1 (6 ECTS)

German 4 – Target Level A2.2 (6 ECTS)

German 3 and 4 - Overall Level A2 (6 ECTS)

German 5 - Target Level B1.1 (6 ECTS)

German 5 - Target Level B1.1: Focus on Technology (6 ECTS)

German 6 - Target Level B1.2 (6 ECTS)

German 8 - Target Level B2.2 UNIcert®II (6 ECTS)

German 9 - Level C1, Part A (6 ECTS)

 

Academic Writing

German Writing Skills: Academic Writing for Learners of German as a Foreign Language (3 ECTS)

 

Literature Courses

Discovering German-Language Literature: Cultural Studies and Language Skills Training: starting at Level A2.2 (3 ECTS)

 

Intercultural Communication

SiegMUN (Model United Nations Siegen) Preparation and Support Seminar (3 ECTS)

 

Intensive Courses in February/March 2027

Registration is available via email starting in January

Intensive German Course – Target Level A1.1 (6 ECTS)

Intensive German Course – Target Level A1.2 (6 ECTS)

 

German as a Foreign Language (DaF) for Staff

German as a Foreign Language (DaF) Staff Course Cycle A1.2 – B1.1

Course Offerings

Summer Semester 2026

General Language Courses

German 1 - Target Level A1.1 (6 ECTS)

German 2 – Target Level A1.2 (6 ECTS)

German 3 – Target Level A2.1 (6 ECTS)

German 4 – Target Level A2.2 (6 ECTS)

German 3 and 4 – Overall Level A2 (6 ECTS)

German 5 - Target Level B1.1 (6 ECTS)

German 6 - Target Level B1.2 (6 ECTS)

German 7 - Target Level B2.1 (6 ECTS)

German 9 - Level C1, Part B (6 ECTS)

 

German for Specific Purposes

German for Professional Life: Oral Proficiency: Level B1.2 and above (3 ECTS)

German for Professional Life: Written Skills: Level B1.2 and above (3 ECTS)

 

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Tandem Course (3 or 6 ECTS)

A Look Behind the Scenes—Intercultural Language Project at School: “Stage and Exchange” (3 ECTS)

 

Intensive Course in September 2026

Registration opens in July via email

Intensive German Course – Target Level B1.1 (6 ECTS)

 

German as a Foreign Language (DaF) for Employees

German as a Foreign Language (DaF) Staff Course Cycle A1.2 – B1.1

Registration and Deregistration

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Registration for our German courses in the 2026/27 winter semester takes place via unisono and is open during the first and second registration periods:

Registration Phase 1: August 17 – September 6, 2026
Registration Phase 2: September 21 – October 4, 2026

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If you are unable to attend a course after all, you can drop the course via unisono from September 7 through September 20, 2026. After this date, please send an email to daf@spz.uni-siegen.de to drop the course.

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Registration for the A1.1 and A1.2 intensive courses in February/March 2027 will open in January 2027. To register, please send an email to daf@spz.uni-siegen.de.

Placement Test

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The placement tests are held in person only. Please attend only the session for which you have been admitted. 
If you are unable to attend your appointment due to illness or another valid reason, please notify us by email as soon as possible. If you fail to show up for your test appointment without a valid excuse, you will not be entitled to a new appointment. 

Please note that there are only a limited number of placement test dates available. You can view these in unisono; there are no additional test dates.

If you anticipate that your arrival in Siegen will be delayed, please contact us via email as soon as possible.

 

New Students
Students who were admitted to one of our general German as a Foreign Language (DaF) courses in the past two semesters
Students who were admitted to one of our general German as a Foreign Language (DaF) courses more than two semesters ago
  • If youpassed the course: Register for the next course.
  • Course discontinued / not passed: Register for this course again.
Registration for the Placement Test

Other Offers

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UNIcert® Certificate

About UNIcert®
zertifikat

TestDaF

About TestDaF
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German Writing Advice

About Counseling Services
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Tandem

About Tandem
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Language Café

About the Language Café
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Movie Nights

Movie Nights

Cultural Resources

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Movies & TV Shows

  • The Goldfish, directed by Alireza Golafshan (2019)
  • Good Bye, Lenin!, directed by Wolfgang Becker (2003)
  • Beautiful, directed by Karoline Herfurth (2025)
  • Balloon, directed by Michael Herbig (2018)
  • Honey in My Head, directed by Til Schweiger (2014)
  • No-Ear Rabbits, directed by Til Schweiger (2007)
  • Tschick, directed by Fatih Akin (2016)
  • Manitu’s Canoe, directed by Michael Herbig (2025)
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Music

  • Major Tom – Peter Schilling (1982)
  • Here’s to Us – Andreas Bourani (2014)
  • Breathless Through the Night – Helene Fischer (2013)
  • Rainbow Colors – Kerstin Ott (2018)
  • Through the Monsoon – Tokio Hotel (2005)
  • Days Like These – Die Toten Hosen (2012)
  • That’s How You Are – Peter Maffay (1979)
  • Just a Quick Stop to Save the World – Tim Bendzko (2011)
  • How Beautiful You Are – Sarah Connor (2015)
  • Weekend – DJ Herzbeat feat. Sarah Lombardi (2020)
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Bibliography

  • Faust – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1808)
  • William Tell – Friedrich Schiller (1804)
  • When Will Things Finally Be the Way They Never Were – Joachim Meyerhoff (2013)
  • East Frisian Blood – Klaus-Peter Wolf (2009)
  • Perfume – Patrick Süskind (1985)
  • The Noon Woman – Julia Franck (2007)
  • Summer of Truth – Nele Löwenberg (2011)
  • The School of Magical Animals – Margit Auer (2013)
  • The Rider on the White Horse – Theodor Storm (1888)
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Newspapers & Magazines

  • Zeit Wissen
  • Spiegel
  • Stern
  • GEO
  • Spectrum of Science
  • Bunte

Language Learning Links

schreibmaschine
26

The German written language consists of so many letters, plus the three umlauts—ä, ö, and ü—and the Eszett ß.

globus
6

German is an official language in six countries: Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

three
3

The German language has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.

letters
5

The five most frequently used letters in German are e, n, i, s, and r.

Scenes from Germany

The A2 course helped me a lot. I learned German well and can now speak and write better.

Lana J.

The course is excellent, and the exercises are very helpful. The learning activities are fun.

Shubham S., studiert Mechatronics

The course is very well-structured and motivating. I've learned a lot and feel more confident speaking.

SK Saqlain, studiert Informatik

I learned a lot in the course. It's very interesting, and I learned a lot about grammar. The course moves a little fast, but our instructor is very accommodating.

Akif Z., Mitarbeiter

Our German as a Foreign Language (DaF) Teachers

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This section is currently being edited.

Eva Dammers
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; has been with the Language Center since the Winter-Spring semester of 2025/26
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Cornelia Grauel

Cornelia Grauel lives and works in Siegen. She has been teaching German as a foreign language at the Language Center since 2018. She places great importance on engaging with students from all over the world. She places particular emphasis on structured and practical instruction that specifically guides and supports learners in their language development. She has expanded and deepened the skills necessary for this through numerous professional development courses.

Cornelia Grauel
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; has been with the Language Center since the Summer Semester of 2018
Platzhalter

This section is currently being edited.

Christine Islamov
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; with the Language Center since the 2016–17 winter semester
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Sebastian Kaufmann

Sebastian Kaufmann teaches German as a foreign language with a great passion for languages, people, and life—in his free time, he enjoys reading, playing sports, traveling, and spending time with friends. He especially enjoys reminiscing about places like Lübeck, Cologne, and Hamburg; he loves sushi (and green Jell-O, too); and he appreciates inspiring books like *The Neverending Story*. His motto, “Come as you are,” guides him in the classroom, and he looks forward to meeting many curious people from all over the world.

Sebastian Kaufmann
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; with the Language Center since the Summer Semester of 2010
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Petra Kindgen

This section is currently being edited.

Petra Kindgen
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; with the Language Center since the Summer Semester of 2020
Platzhalter

This section is currently being edited.

Dr. Edith Münch
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; with the Language Center since the Summer Semester of 2021
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Olena Oshchepkova-Scheppe

This section is currently being edited.

Olena Alexandrovna Oshchepkova-Scheppe
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; has been with the Language Center since the Winter-Spring semester 2025/26
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Svetlana Weber

This section is currently being edited.

Svetlana Weber
German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instructor; with the Language Center since the 2017–18 winter semester

Do you have any questions? Feel free to contact us:

Appointment for a Consultation
 
Language Center at the Student Services Center (Building F-S)

Sandstraße 16-18
57072 Siegen


German as a Foreign Language (DaF) Department at the Language Center of the University of Siegen
 
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Dr. Kristina Seibert
Dr. Kristina Seibert (German as a Foreign Language Program Coordinator)    

Room: F-S 308
Phone: +49 271 / 740 3016
daf@spz.uni-siegen.de

 

 

 

© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Jessica Berger
Jessica Berger, M.A. (Administrative Support for German as a Foreign Language Courses)

Room: F-S 308
Phone: +49 271 / 740 3005
daf@spz.uni-siegen.de
 

 

 

Come visit us on the 3rd floor—we’d be happy to help you.

 

SSC Sandstraße