Learners will engage in discussions, roleplays, and interactive tasks designed to improve comfort and confidence when speaking. Cultural exploration remains central, with an emphasis on how German speakers express values, identity, and everyday life across regions and communities.

* While we accept registrations up to week two, please enroll at least a week before the start date. This is when class confirmation/cancellation decisions are made, and your registration can make a difference. 

Can-Do Statements:  

Upon successful completion of this course, learners will be able to: 
- Discuss daily life, routines, hobbies, and weekend activities 

- Describe past events using appropriate verb forms 

- Talk about favorite foods, eating habits, and restaurant experiences 

- Make suggestions, form polite requests, and write short notes or emails 

- Understand short texts and interviews about food culture and everyday life 

- Discuss day to day events at work and practice formal phone conversation/e-mail etiquette 
 
Grammar & Communication Structures 

Verb tenses in the past (Perfekt, Präteritum) & verbs with prepositions 

Passive voice, passive sentence structure 

Infinitive constructions with um…zu, anstatt…zu, ohne…zu 

Sentence structure and word order 

Future, Modal verbs, Conjunctive II, Temporal Prepositions 

 
Themes & Vocabulary 

Food, cooking, restaurant culture, and dietary habits 

Recipes 

Work correspondence 

Formal requests and conversations at work 

Drafting formal e-mail correspondence  

Rehearsing formal phone calls and leaving messages 

Use of the Language: This course has been designed in such a way that most of the class time will be devoted to communication and will be taught in the target language (i.e., the language that you are studying).  As you already have some experience with the language, you are encouraged to use the target language as much as possible from Day 1.  You are not expected to understand everything, and you can expect to be pushed beyond your comfort zone. However, your instructor is there to make sure you can succeed in meeting the goals of the activities and of the class in general.  Our goal is for you to be able to communicate in the target language, and we cannot learn to speak a language without speaking it.  Please remember that we learn best by making mistakes, and we encourage you to try to do your best.  Don’t forget that your instructor is there to support you in class and is also available via the Matrix messaging system for assistance.  
 

Tech Support: For any technology issues, initiate contact by submitting a ticket: https://tiny.utk.edu/tlcsupport 

Technology Needed: 
 
For both online and in-person classes 
- Functioning desktop or laptop; tablets are not recommended, and phones are not a good option
- Access to a stable Internet connection
 

For online classes - 

 - Webcam: we ask that you use your webcam in class as this helps to create a feeling of classroom community.  
- Microphone 
 
Digital literacies requirements -

- For both online and in-person classes, understanding of how to log in and navigate Matrix, our learning management system, to access resources (e.g., homework, eBook for Spanish, etc.); a Matrix Getting Started Guide is made available to students once the class is confirmed. 
- For online classes, several Zoom tutorials are available to learn basic skills (e.g., mute/unmute, turning camera on, use of chat, etc.): Zoom Tutorials