German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany

Start German with real recorded conversations: greetings, directions, passport control and customs, the city, the consulate, a first visit and phone calls, with native audio on every line and practice after every lesson.

• Free
• Absolute beginner
• 3 weeks · ~2 hrs/week
• 6 lessons
• ~3 hours
• Certificate on passing the project

Free account required to open the lessons. No card, no fees.

About this course

Part 1 of a German course for Nigerians heading to Germany to work or study, built on the US Foreign Service Institute's German Basic Course recordings, now in the public domain. In six lessons you greet people and check that you are understood, ask the way, get through passport control and customs, find your way around a city, deal with a consulate, visit someone at home and make telephone calls. Every lesson plays real conversations at natural speed in the same consistent voices, then gives you each sentence slowly and clearly so you can listen and repeat. An interactive practice set follows every lesson: hear a line and choose what it meant, type what you hear, build sentences from word tiles, and match German to English, with anything you get wrong coming back until you get it right. The recordings were made in the 1960s for American diplomats in West Germany; each lesson says what has changed (the euro, today's forms of address) and how the same moment works for a Nigerian arriving today, from visas and registering your address to the language certificates employers and embassies ask for. You finish by recording your own three-scene conversation portfolio. Part 2 covers setting up a home, shopping, travel, a working day and social life.

Your first day in Germany. You need to greet people, ask the way, cope when you miss the answer, and order something to eat. This lesson gives you those moments on real recordings: two people saying good morning, a man asking a passer-by where the café is, and a guest asking a waitress what is good. By the end you can greet someone by the time of day with the right title, ask and answer 'how are you?', ask the way and follow the answer, ask someone to slow down or repeat, and count to twelve.

What you'll learn

• Greeting people and asking how they are
• Checking understanding and asking someone to slow down
• Asking for and understanding directions
• Passport control and customs in German
• Numbers and prices
• Dealing with a consulate or an office
• Visiting someone at home politely
• Making and answering telephone calls
• Listening to natural spoken German
• Du or Sie: choosing the right form of address
• German pronunciation for Nigerian English speakers

Course syllabus — 6 lessons

1. Wir sind in Deutschland: greetings, directions and a first meal26 min
2. In München: small talk, then passport control and customs31 min
3. Seeing the city: asking the way, trams and somewhere to eat40 min
4. Im Konsulat: asking for a visa and filling in the form44 min
5. Herr Allen klingelt bei Herrn Wilson: a visit, a loan and a lift to the post office36 min
6. Telefongespräche: phone calls, messages and spelling your name28 min

Frequently asked questions

Is German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany free?

Yes. German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany take to complete?

3 weeks · ~2 hrs/week. There are 6 lessons, about 3 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany?

Absolute beginner. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany?

You will build practical skills in Greeting people and asking how they are, Checking understanding and asking someone to slow down, Asking for and understanding directions, Passport control and customs in German, Numbers and prices, Dealing with a consulate or an office, Visiting someone at home politely, Making and answering telephone calls, Listening to natural spoken German, Du or Sie: choosing the right form of address, German pronunciation for Nigerian English speakers. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for German for Beginners 1: Arriving in Germany?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your German conversation portfolio: Part 1 and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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