Upper intermediate

1. 01

   The Passive — Vorgangspassiv vs. Zustandspassiv

   Two passives, one choice: werden for the process, sein for the state. Plus passives with modals and the elegant escape hatches Germans use instead (man, sich lassen, -bar).

2. 02

   Participles as Adjectives — der singende Vogel, das gekaufte Auto

   Partizip I for things in progress, Partizip II for things already done — and how Germans chain them into monster adjectives you can learn to unpack from the inside out.

3. 03

   Verb Prefixes — Inseparable, Separable, and the Stress-Sensitive Doubles

   be-, ver-, er- glue themselves to the verb; auf-, zu-, mit- leap to the end of the sentence. And the tricky doubles (über-, um-, durch-...) decide their behaviour purely by where the stress falls.

4. 04

   Nominalstil — Turning Sentences into Noun Phrases

   German newspapers convert whole clauses into compact noun packages: 'Weil es regnete' becomes 'wegen des Regens'. Learn the preposition swaps and where the verbs hide inside the nouns.

5. 05

   Beyond weil and denn — The Grown-Up Connectors

   zwar ... aber, einerseits ... andererseits, nicht nur ... sondern auch, and the adverbs trotzdem, dennoch, folglich and insofern — with the punctuation traps that come with them.

1. 01

   Abstrakte Substantive — Abstract Nouns

   8 cards. The heavy lifting nouns of German media and essays: Entwicklung, Voraussetzung, Zusammenhang and friends. Learn them with articles — they're mostly die, but not always.

2. 02

   Wirtschaftsdeutsch — Business German

   8 cards. Core vocabulary for German office life and negotiations: Umsatz, Angebot, Nachfrage and the paperwork in between. Der, das or die — always with the article.

The word bank for this level is coming soon — A1 and A2 are already available.

1. 01

   Meinungsverschiedenheiten im Meeting — Disagreeing in a Project Meeting

   14 lines, with audio. Push back on a deadline diplomatically, defend your position, and find a compromise.

2. 02

   Schaden bei der Versicherung melden — Filing an Insurance Claim by Phone

   16 lines, with audio. Report water damage, answer detailed questions, and understand your obligations.

3. 03

   Über einen Film streiten — Arguing About a Film

   13 lines, with audio. Defend an unpopular opinion about a movie, argue about endings, and agree to disagree.

4. 04

   Sprechstunde beim Professor — Office Hours with the Professor

   14 lines, with audio. Discuss a thesis topic, defend your research question, and get concrete feedback.

5. 05

   Beim Networking-Event — Working a Networking Event

   14 lines, with audio. Introduce yourself professionally, keep small talk alive, and end a conversation gracefully.

6. 06

   Debatte: Homeoffice — Debating Remote Work

   12 lines, with audio. A structured debate: opening statements, rebuttals, and a fair conclusion.

7. 07

   Mieterhöhung verhandeln — Negotiating a Rent Increase

   13 lines, with audio. Question a rent-increase letter, cite comparables, and reach a written agreement.

8. 08

   Elternabend — Parents' Evening at School

   14 lines, with audio. Raise a concern about homework load, handle pushback, and volunteer for a working group.

Exercise sets for this level are coming soon — A1 and A2 are already available.