Semester course

Target group: international master’s students and doctoral candidates at UHH (all disciplines)
Period: October 19, 2026 – December 14, 2026
Time: Monday  2:15-4:45 PM
Location: VMP5, room tba
Lecturer: Sabina Paleta

This compact German course at the A1.1 level is designed for international master’s and doctoral students at the University of Hamburg who have no prior knowledge of German.

Learning Objectives: You will acquire general communication skills in German and practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking using an activity-based approach. The course also offers you the opportunity to meet other doctoral students at the University of Hamburg and to network with one another.

In this course, we use the textbook „Momente A1.1“ (Hueber).

If you attend regularly, you can receive a certificate of participation (without a grade).

Target group: International master’s students and doctoral candidates at the University of Hamburg (all disciplines)
Dates: November 2, 2026 – December 14, 2026
Time: Mondays, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Location: VMP 5, Room 3144
Lecturer: Armine Danielyan

Course description:

This A2-level course is designed for master’s and doctoral students at the University of Hamburg who have a basic knowledge of German and would like to refresh and deepen their skills. The course focuses on oral skills for everyday life and university settings:

• Small talk with acquaintances and colleagues, e.g., about food, housing, travel / business trips
• Simple administrative conversations, e.g., with the travel expense office or at the library
• Vocabulary related to university life and the workplace
• Review and reinforcement of relevant grammar
• Listening comprehension exercises in everyday situations

Short intensive courses

University-specific German for international PhD students, B1

Course 1: Oct. 29, 2026 – Dec. 03, 2026 (6 sessions, every Thursday)
Course 2: December 10, 2026 – January 28, 2027 (6 sessions, every Thursday)
Time: Thursday 4:15–5:45 pm
Location: VMP5, room NN
Lecturer: Kristin Hartwig

These two courses (6 sessions each) are designed for international staff and doctoral students who would like to improve their German language skills at level B1. The courses cover different topics but are not designed to build on one another. Therefore, you have the option of taking both courses or just one.

Topics—Course 1 (October 29, 2026 – December 03, 2026)

•  Writing simple emails in everyday work situations
•  Being able to report on one’s own work, using university vocabulary
•  Participating in discussions: Identifying pros and cons, making decisions, and justifying them
• Giving short oral summaries / brief presentations
• Scanning and reading in detail: Understanding important information in texts
• Finding your way around in everyday life in Germany
• Practicing pronunciation
• Review relevant grammar topics: prepositions of place, past tense

Topics—Course 2:  (December 10, 2026 – January 29, 2027)

• Participating in conversations and discussions: including giving recommendations, justifying a point, expressing agreement, disagreement, and opinions
• Making phone calls in everyday life and at work: scheduling appointments
• Formulating brief oral summaries
• Asking and answering questions (with more detail)
• Scanning and reading for detail: understanding key information in texts
• Finding your way around in everyday life in Germany
• Practicing pronunciation
• Reviewing relevant grammar topics: Subjunctive II for polite requests, temporal prepositions

Semester course

Target group: international students, doctoral candidates, and research assistants at the University of Hamburg (UHH)
Dates: Oct. 20, 2026 – Jan. 26, 2027
Time: Tuesdays, 10:15–11:45 a.m.
Location: VMP5, Room 3144
Lecturer: Dr. Susanne Guckelsberger

What exactly are the differences between everyday language and academic language? And how does one communicate in an academic context in German? This course is designed to serve as a bridge to communication in higher education and academia and is aimed at international students, doctoral candidates, and researchers.

Topics

• A comparison of academic and everyday language
• writing in an academic style: focus on verbs
• listening strategies for academic topics (with podcasts)
• use of "ich", passive and passive-alternatives in everyday and academic language
• vocabulary related to visulas (e.g. diagrams, tables)

Target group: international students, doctoral candidates, and research assistants at the University of Hamburg (UHH)
Dates: 15 April – 15 July 2026
Time: Wednesdays, 10:15–11:45 am
Location: VMP5, room 3034
Instructor: Dr. Susanne Guckelsberger

This course is aimed at international students, doctoral researchers, and academics who wish to systematically improve their academic German, both written and spoken. This semester, the course will focus on the following topics:

• Understanding and producing complex noun phrases
• Metaphorical expressions in academic communication
• Prepositions in academic contexts
   
   
   

Target audience: International postdocs at the UKE
Dates: Oct. 22, 2026 – Jan. 28, 2027
Time: Thursdays, 4:15–5:45 p.m.
Location: UKE, Room NN
Lecturer: Dr. Britta Moldenhauer

This German course at the A2 level is designed for international postdocs at the UKE who already have some knowledge of German. The exact course level will be determined based on the placement test results as either A2.1 or A2.2.

Learning Objectives: You will develop general communication skills in German and practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking using an action-oriented approach. The course also offers you the opportunity to meet other postdocs at the UKE and network with one another.

In the course, we will use the textbook “Momente” A2.1 or A2.2 (Hueber).

With regular attendance, you can receive a certificate of participation (without a grade).

Further Information and Registration:

For information about German courses at the UKE and to register, UKE postdocs are welcome to contact the EXPLORE team at the UKE Dean’s Office: explore"AT"uke.de

Target audience: International postdocs at the UKE
Period 1: October 20, 2026 - November 24, 2026
Period 2: December 1, 2026 - January 19, 2027
Time: Tuesday, 4:30-6 PM
Location: UKE, Room TBD
Lecturer: Sabina Paleta

These two courses (6 sessions each) are designed for postdocs who wish to improve their German language skills to the B1 level, both spoken and written. The courses cover different topics but are not sequential. You may therefore choose to take both courses or just one.

Topics – Period 1 (6 weeks)

• Introducing yourself and your work: orally and in writing
• Conducting conversations with colleagues: asking for information, offering help, scheduling appointments
• Small talk and intercultural communication
• Review and application of relevant grammar
• Pronunciation and communication training

Topics – Period 2 (6 weeks)

• The UKE Workplace: Vocabulary related to workplaces, laboratories, clinics, and universities
• Communicating with the administration: Understanding forms, writing emails, making phone calls
• Review and application of relevant grammar
• Pronunciation and communication training

Target group: International postdocs at the UKE
Period 1: October 20, 2026 - November 24, 2026
Period 2: December 01, 2026 - January 19, 2027
Time: Tuesday, 6:15-7:45 PM
Location: UKE, Room NN
Lecturer: Sabina Paleta

These two courses (6 sessions each) are designed for international postdocs at the UKE who wish to improve their German language skills to the B2 level, both spoken and written. The courses cover different topics but are not sequential. You may therefore choose to take both courses or just one.

Topics – Period 1 (6 weeks)

• Presenting research interests: introducing your own research and answering questions
• Conducting professional discussions with colleagues
• Academic vocabulary for everyday work at the UKE
• Review and application of relevant grammar
• Pronunciation and communication training

Topics – Period 2 (6 weeks)

• Writing in a professional context: professional emails; meeting minutes
• Giving verbal instructions: providing work instructions, guiding processes
• Discussing charts and graphs
• Review and application of relevant grammar
• Pronunciation and communication training
• The courses also offer you the opportunity to get to know other postdocs at the UKE and to network with one another.

Target Group: International early-career researchers in the Faculty of Humanities
Dates: November 3, 2026 – January 26, 2027
Time: Tuesdays, 4:15–7:30 p.m.
Location: Warburgstr. 26–28, Room 2002
Teacher: Sabine Laborn
Coordinator: Mariapaola Gritti

In cooperation with the Faculty of Humanities (GW), the Language Center offers special German courses for international early-career researchers at GW at levels A1 and A2 (beginner levels).

This course introduces you to basic German grammar and vocabulary and gives you the opportunity to practice communicating in German in a range of everyday life situations.

By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

• introduce yourself and others and ask basic questions
• understand and use everyday phrases
• understand and participate in simple conversations about everyday life and about present or past events
• read and write simple texts

You will have learned about and practiced the following areas of grammar:

• nouns and articles
• personal pronouns
• prepositions
• conjunctions
• adjectives
• present tense
• past tense
• affirmative, interrogative, and negative sentences
• main clauses and subordinate clauses

The course will be adjusted to the level of language competence of the group, with the possibility of splitting the class into two sections, one for complete beginners and one for more advanced speakers.

We would kindly ask you to assess your current level of German. To do this, please complete the Einstufungstest Deutsch als Fremdsprache (Klett) and enter your result when you book the course. Additionally, please send your test result to Mariapaola Gritti (mariapaola.gritti"AT"uni-hamburg.de) If you are a complete beginner, you do not need to take the placement test.

Contact:
Are you a early-career researcher in the Faculty of Humanities and interested in learning German at the A1 or A2 level? If so, please contact Dr. Mariapaola Gritti (mariapaola.gritti"AT"uni-hamburg.de), coordinator at the Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at the University of Hamburg.

Additional contact:
Dr. Susanne Guckelsberger (susanne.guckelsberger"AT"uni-hamburg.de), Coordinator for Special Courses at the Language Center of the University of Hamburg.