GERMAN LANGUAGE
SELF-PACED COURSE
1. About this Course
It reviews the fundamentals taught in two to three semesters of German language at college. The CLEP exam incorporates into a single test both Level 1 and Level 2 content.
"Our course will review the fundamentals of German grammar, German sentence structure to start, then the alphabet and basic pronunciation rules followed by verb conjugation rules. Present tense to start followed by German past tenses. As in simple past - der Imperfekt used in writing - as well as the narrative past tense das Perfekt, used in spoken German. We shall also study the four different cases, Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ und Genitiv which determine the correct adjective endings in German. The passive mode, das Passiv, used quite a bit in German, will be covered too as well as the Subjunctive, Konjunktiv and Imperative, the use of adverbs, as well as the most common categories of German pronouns (Personalpronomen and Relativpronomen, personal and relative pronouns,)," explains our instructor Dr. Tania Hinderberger-Burton.
"This course will also provide you with the necessary vocabulary to be able to communicate adequately in the German language.You will be able to ask and answer a wide range of questions, talk about yourself and your family, your daily activities and describe your immediate surroundings. At the end of each module, a section called “Jetzt üben wir! ” let’s practice! will allow you to review and practice grammar and material covered in that particular module."
The CLEP examination is designed to measure knowledge and ability equivalent to that of students who have completed two to three semesters of college German language study. It contains approximately 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Note that colleges may award different amounts of credit depending on the test taker's test scores.
Our “German Language” course is completely self-paced. There are no prerequisites to take this course, and it is entirely free.
The goal of the creator of this course – Modern States Education Alliance, a non-profit organization – is to prepare you to pass the College Board's CLEP examination and obtain college credit for free.
2. Required Knowledge and Skills
The CLEP exam is administered in three separately timed sections:
• Sections I and II: Listening
• Section III: Reading
Sections I and II (40%): Listening
15 % Rejoinders: Ability to understand spoken language through short stimuli or everyday situations.
25 % Dialogues and Narratives: Ability to understand the language as spoken by native speakers in longer dialogues and narratives.
Section III (60%): Reading
16% Part A:. Discrete sentences (vocabulary and structure). Mastery of vocabulary and structure in the context of sentences.
20% Part B: Short cloze passages (vocabulary and structure). Mastery of vocabulary and structure in the context of paragraphs.
24% Part C: Reading comprehension: Ability to read and understand texts representative of various styles and levels of difficulty (e.g., passages of about 200 words; shorter pieces such as advertisements, signs, etc.)
3. Course Modules
Following are the main topics and percentages of the exam’s questions, mostly based on the College Board's description of the course:
Module 1: Introductions and Greetings
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Alphabet / Pronunciation
1.2 Personal Pronouns: Formal vs. Informal
1.3 Auxiliaries sein and haben in the Present Tense
1.4 Greetings, Introductions
1.5 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 2: Family, Acquaintances and Friends
2.0 Introduction
2.1 German Nouns
2.1.1 Capitalization and Gender
2.1.2 Number and Plural Formation
2.2 Cases and Articles
2.2.1 Nominative
2.2.2 Accusative
2.2.3 Dative
2.2.4 Genitive
2.3 People
2.3.1 Family
2.3.2 Acquaintances and Friends
2.4 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 3: Living
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Rooms and Furniture
3.2 German Adjectives
3.2.1 Placement of Adjectives in a Sentence
3.2.2 Case Endings of Adjectives
3.3 Negation
3.3.1 nicht in Sentences and Questions
3.3.2 kein to Negate Nouns
3.4 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 4: My Town and Neighborhood
4.0 Introduction
4.1 In Town
4.2 Prepositions of Location
4.2.1 The Accusative Case - Wohin gehen sie?
4.2.2 The Dative Case - Wo sind sie?
4.3 On the Go
4.4 German Modal Verbs - können, wollen, müssen, dürfen, sollen
4.5 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 5: My Daily Routine
5.0 Introduction
5.1 The Present Tense of Weak Verbs
5.2 The Present Tense of Irregular Verbs
5.3 Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns
5.4 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 6: At School and University
6.0 Introduction
6.1 At the University
6.2 Interrogative Pronouns
6.3 Professions
6.4 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 7: Leisure Time and Hobbies
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Days, Months, Seasons, and Holidays
7.2 Calendar and Appointments
7.3 Leisure Time, Hobbies, and Travel
7.4 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 8: Last Weekend
8.0 Introduction
8.1 Writing and Talking about Past Events
8.1.1 Simple Past Regular Verbs
8.1.2 Simple Past Irregular Verbs
8.1.3 Past Participle of Verbs with haben or sein
8.2 Strong Verbs: Simple Past and Present Perfect Table
8.3 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 9: Separable and Inseparable Prefix Verbs
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Separable Prefix Verbs
9.2 Meaning and Usage
9.3 Negation with nicht
9.4 Inseparable Prefix Verbs
9.5 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 10: Word Order
10.0 Introduction
10.1 Main Clause
10.1.1 Main Clause
10.1.2 Position of the Finite (conjugated) Verb
10.1.3 Conjunctions: Und, Aber, Oder
10.2 Subordinate Clause / Conjunctions
10.2.1 Position of the Conjugated Verb
10.2.2 Questions and Answers
10.3 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 11: Health - Gesundheit!
11.0 Introduction
11.1 The Human Body
11.2 Morning Routine
11.3 Compounds
11.4 At the Doctor’s Office
11.5 German Adverbs
11.5.1 Placement of Adverbs
11.5.2 Adverbs of Time
11.5.3 Adverbs of Place
11.5.4 Sequence of Adverbial Expressions
11.6 Jetzt üben wir!
Module 12: Relative Clauses
12.0 Introduction
12.1 Relative Pronouns
12.2 Gender and Number
12.3 Relative Adverbs: wo and was
12.4 Jetzt üben wir!
4. About Tania Hinderberger-Burton, American University
Dr. Tania Hinderberger-Burton is a Parisian-born German citizen. She attended schools in both countries prior to receiving my doctorate in Germanic Literatures and Languages in New York and a business degree from the Wharton School. She worked as a journalist in German media, first at the Germany’s largest German wire service dpa, then as senior editor/international radio broadcaster for a live German broadcast/VOA.
She taught German for over 25 years at different institutions: In WshDC at the German School, the German Cultural Center/Goethe Institut, at American University as well as Johns Hopkins’ Graduate School SAIS. She teaches all levels of German and particularly enjoys teaching Business German and Germany Today covering current events, business, culture, and life in Germany, it’s multiethnic population and social democratic system.
5. How CLEP Works
Developed by the College Board, CLEP (College-Level Examination Program®) is the most widely accepted credit-by-examination program.
CLEP’s credits are accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities, according to the College Board. These tests assess college-level knowledge in 33 subject areas.
Modern States Education Alliance is the non-profit organization behind these edX-style courses. Its project is called “Freshman Year for Free” and its mission is to make college more accessible and affordable through free, high-quality online education.
• 'Passing the CLEP and Learning with Modern States' orientation course