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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 sandwiches in the evening rather than a hot meal is typically German) or Fernweh (the opposite of Heimweh).

© Universität Siegen
Siegen

Intensive Course in September 2026

Registration will be available via email starting in July.

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

German as a Second Language for Employees

German - DaF Staff Course Cycle A1.2 - B1.1

Registration and Unregistration

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

Registration Phase 1: February 16 – March 8, 2026
Registration Phase 2: March 23 – April 5, 2026

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If you are unable to attend a course after all, you can drop the course via unisono from March 9 to March 22, 2026. After this date, please cancel your registration by emailing daf@spz.uni-siegen.de
.

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Registration for the B1.1 intensive course in September 2026 will open in July 2026. Please register by emailing 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 approved. 
If you are unable to attend your appointment due to illness or another important reason, please notify us by email as soon as possible. If you fail to show up for the test 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 you will be delayed in arriving in Siegen, 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
  • Course passed: Register for the follow-up 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®
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TestDaF

About TestDaF
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German Writing Tutoring

About our 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 the 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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References

  • 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

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26

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

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

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

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

Scenes from Germany

The A2 course was very helpful. 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’ve picked up a lot of grammar. The course moves a bit quickly, but our instructor is very accommodating.

Akif Z., Mitarbeiter

Our German as a Second Language teachers

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This section is currently being edited.

Eva Dammers
Instructor of German as a Foreign Language, at the Language Center since the fall 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 instructor, at the Language Center since the summer semester of 2018
Platzhalter

This section is currently being edited.

Christine Islamov
Instructor of German as a Foreign Language, at the Language Center since the 2016–2017 winter semester
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Sebastian Kaufmann

Sebastian Kaufmann teaches German as a foreign language with a deep 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, or Hamburg, loves sushi (and green Jell-O), and 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
Instructor of German as a Foreign Language, at 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 instructor, at the Language Center since the summer semester of 2020
Platzhalter

This section is currently being edited.

Dr. Edith Münch
German as a Foreign Language instructor, at 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
Instructor of German as a Foreign Language, at the Language Center since the winter semester of 2025/26
© Sprachenzentrum Universität Siegen
Svetlana Weber

This section is currently being edited.

Svetlana Weber
Instructor of German as a Foreign Language, at the Language Center since the 2017–2018 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 Coordinator)    

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

 

 

 

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

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

 

 

Visit us on the 3rd floor; we’d be happy to assist you.

 

SSC Sandstraße