Contact and information

Learning is an individual process. How much time you need to attain a certain level depends on various and individual factors: your commitment, your time input, and your taking advantage of additional practice resources.

Should you already have studied one or more languages, you may learn German faster. It makes a big difference if you participate in a language course in your home country or in Germany, where you will be exposed to the German language outside the classroom.

As a rough guideline, we estimate it will take the following amount of instruction to complete each language level:

A1 : approx. 60-150 hours (80-200 TU*)
A2 : approx. 150-260 hours (200-350 TU*)
B1 : approx. 260-490 hours (350-650 TU*)
B2 : approx. 450-600 hours (600-800 TU*)
C1 : approx. 600-750 hours (800-1000 TU*)
C2 : approx. 750+ hours (1000+ TU*)

* TU = Teaching Unit; a teaching unit consists of 45 minutes of instruction.

Learn more about the CEFR Language Levels A1-C2

The Goethe-Institut is the official cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. This means that we focus only on German language and culture. We teach German 100% in German and in doing so offer a completely immersive experience. Our instructors teach with modern and innovative methods that are effective for language learning. These methods create classes that are entertaining, interactive, communicative and fun. Our classrooms are equipped with modern technology - smartboards instead of blackboards. At the Goethe-Institut Budapest, we offer you a flexible learning experience: we offer not only classic face-to-face instruction, but also online learning or a combination of both (online Blended Learning). We offer the format that is right for you - no matter how busy your lifestyle is.

If you have never studied German before, start at level A1.1. You can book a class online or get in touch with the language office.

If you have previous knowledge of German but are unsure which level is right for you, we welcome you to take our placement test. Take the written part of the placement test online. For a brief oral assessment, one of our teachers will give you a call during our assessment times Tue, Wed and Thu between 4pm and 6pm.

Book your placement test

To ensure quality and consistency, courses may only be attended by students who are officially enrolled in that course. If you are already enrolled in a course, you may switch into a different course being held in the same semester up until the end of the third session of the course (subject to availability and administration fee).

Our German program is offered on 6 main levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. Each level is divided into sub-levels:
A1.1 & A1.2
A2.1 & A2.2
B1.1 & B1.2 & B1.3
B2.1 & B2.2 & B2.3
C1.1 & C1.2 & C1.3
C2+
You start with sublevel x.1 and progress to the next higher sublevel after completing a course.

If you have no prior knowledge of German, you will start at A1.1.

Please visit the site for the Goethe-Institut Germany for more information.

The Goethe-Institut teaches German according to the immersion method, which means we strive for our courses to be as much in German as possible. Don't panic! We have decades of experience in over 150 locations worldwide with this method - we know you will succeed!

All teachers at the Goethe-Institut Budapest are either native speakers or are required to demonstrate a level of C2 proficiency in the German language. In fact, non-native speakers who mastered the German language are a wonderful source of inspiration for learners and they can give you a first hand insight perfecting your practice.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible as a minimum number of participants is required. This minimum also depends on the type of course. In addition, other organisational reasons may cause cancelling of the course.
We will send you information, if a course that has already been paid for has to be cancelled before it starts. Should this happen, we will try to propose an alternative solution or we will refund the course fe