German Language Courses in Freiburg, Germany

Die Sprachpension / The Language Guesthouse, Vogtsburg im Kaiserstuhl (near Freiburg):
The Language Guesthouse is run like a normal Bed and Breakfast with guests on vacation from Germany and all parts of the world – The only difference: Guests of the Language Guesthouse have the choice to book accommodation for their holidays or individual German language training with accommodation and meals. The Language Guesthouse provides a concept of immersion teaching adapted to the individual requirements and needs of adult learners. Accommodation in a B&B is a part of this concept. It provides a family-like setting, but doesn’t claim adult people shall fit in a real family of a foreign country. They are anxious to keep their privacy. Students have meals together with their language trainer.

* Communicative language school - what’s that?

Most likely you don’t want to learn German in order to master German grammar. Instead, you want to communicate with people in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. You want to understand, read, speak, and write in German. Of course, this will be hard to achieve without studying grammar. Grammar is not the focus of language instruction, but it is a necessary element, making the language more comprehensible.

From your first lesson, the aim of instruction at the Language Guesthouse is communication. The goal is to understand the German language and to express yourself comprehensibly in this new language. If you don’t speak German but come to Germany for the first time, you face numerous challenges. Among them, I suppose, are:

- You need to buy a ticket at the train station
- You get lost and need to ask someone for directions
- You are eating at a restaurant and want to ask the waiter a question
- You want to write a postcard or letter to someone in Germany
- You want to buy some clothes or a pair of shoes
- Perhaps you meet an interesting person and want to introduce yourself to him, telling him what you like or dislike, what you did yesterday, or what you plan to do this evening
- You want to read a concert announcement, a movie poster, or an advertisement

And if you already have been studying German for some time, maybe you would like to :

- understand a lecture given in German
- begin your studies at a German university
- participate in a conference or convention
- read German newspapers, listen to a radio broadcast, or watch a television program
- be a pleasant, polite, and interesting participant in a German conversation
- apply for an internship or a job in a German companyCommunicative language training prepares you for situations like these.

And by using this type of instruction, you also will build a German vocabulary and increase your knowledge of German grammar. These skills are essential to expressing yourself in German.

* How do we work together?

We learn a language by speaking and listening to it. This may sound obvious, but for generations, language teachers have relied primarily on grammar exercises, reading, and translating. The easiest way to learn a language is: (1) read or listen to interesting stories that provide real information, (2) explore subjects that we truly want to know more about, and (3) discuss topics that we are genuinely interested in.

Also, we assimilate a language more easily if we experiment with it, exploring unfamiliar topics despite our missteps and mistakes. In fact, the language student who speaks or writes flawlessly is limiting himself to the structures and vocabulary he already has mastered. He will not gain confidence and make progress in the language until he experiements, through trial and error, with new language skills.

Therefore, errors made by language learners are not useless or negative. They indicate the areas of grammar and vocabulary that the student does not understood completely and should practice more intensively. They also provide direction for the teacher, who focuses her instruction on weak areas, seeks ways to clarify her explanations, and provides appropriate language exercises.

Quality Learning Environment:  In order to find the courage to experiment with an unfamiliar language, we need a comfortable learning atmosphere. If we are relaxed, we are more likely to experiment with a new language than if we are stressed. In our language classes, we practice all four of the essential skills: listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, and free writing, often in an enjoyable but practical way, as though we were facing real life situations.

Since we are not merely a language school but also are a family-like community, we have many opportunities to practice German as real life communication—for example, during meals and in our Active+Creative Programme.  

Students usually spend two to four acadmic hours (one academic hour is forty-five minutes) in individual language classes each day. Courses for couples, families or mini groups up to 5 participants are likewise possible, if all students have a similar level of previous knowledge.

- Individual (one-to-one) classes are standard
- Classes for couples, families, small groups up to 5 participants of similar previous language skills are provided on request.
- Special German classes for students with specialized interests (business, technology, science, medicine)
- preparation of language exams (i.e. Zertifikat Deutsch, TestDaF...)
- Active+Creative program (trips, sightseeing, hiking, creative in-house activities)

The Aims of The Language Guesthouse:
…to meet the individual academic needs and requirements of each student,
…to help him to make the most of his language course,
…to help him to experience authentic life in Germany,
…to provide a hospitable and relaxed learning and living environment

Breisgau, a picturesque district in southwestern Germany, stretches from the Black Forest to the Rhine River. The landscape varies, with mountains, hills, lowlands, and water.  The highest peaks in Breisgau are the 1,284-meter Schauinsland ("Lookintothecountry"), the “house mountain of the city of Freiburg,” and the 1,241-meter Kandel, which is located near the town of Waldkirch. Wine and fruit are cultivated in the rolling foothills of the Black Forest and on the slopes of Tuniberg and Kaiserstuhl ("Emperor's chair"), groups of hills which arise from the Rhine River plains. Kaiserstuhl is formed from volcanoes, it’s located near the city of Breisach.

The climate of Breisgau ranks among the warmest in Germany. Not only do grapes grow here; fruits (cherries, strawberries) and vegetables (asparagus) also flourish. Many gardens include peaches, apricots, almonds, and figs.

The cultural and economic centre of Breisgau is the university city of Freiburg, which has 220,000 inhabitants. The city has a picturesque, historic old town center. However, Freiburg’s landmark is the Gothic cathedral (Münster). The Münster’s 116-meter tower has been praised as “the most beautiful tower in Christianity.”

...for language students is not a mere leisure time occupation, but a language training in real communication. It is conducive to practice new acquired language structures up to a confident mastery and active application. It helps to overcome the frequent fear of speaking, to automate listening comprehension and speaking and enables the student to use the language competently. In a particularly relaxed and efficient way this is achieved during meals and activities joint with the language trainer and maybe other German or international participants.

As a language trainer I adapt my speaking to the student's level of understanding, talk to him or her and encourage him to speak, to express his opinion, impression or knowledge about the current topic. If possible, I try to start from his or her special areas of interest.

The current offer of the Active+Creative Programme for language learners is:

- Plywood fretwork (crafted manually or by mechanical fret saw) using traditional motives/ templates from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge)
- Cookery or Bakery of German and international dishes
- Diverse parlour and board games
- Shorter or longer walks and hikes, visits to museums, city/castle... tours, visit of evening lectures and local events of the season.

The immersion concept of the Language Guesthouse ("Living + Learning Combined") suggests that learning takes place not in a class room but in real life. So we consequently accommodate and teach our students under the same roof: In the Language Guesthouse - which is a guesthouse not only for language students, but also for Bed & Breakfast guests from all over the world.

The accommodation options include the following:

- 1 cosy single room on the 3rd floor
- 1 spacious double / triple room on the 3rd floor
- 1 bright and comfortable guests' bathroom on the 3rd floor
- 1 living room / alternatively double bedroom on the 2nd floor
- 1 big kitchen & dining room on the 2nd floor
- 1 separate toilet on the 2nd floor
- 1 large mediterranean balcony with table and seats for 6 guests
- 1 apartment (55 sqmetres) in the old winegrower's house with 2 rooms, full equipped kitchen and bathroom.
- The house also has an inner patio with sitting area and mediterranean plants and flowers.