Intensive German Courses: The Most Effective Way to Boost Your Level Quickly (Join Our January Courses!)

f you want to make real progress in German, the biggest problem is rarely motivation – it’s time. Weekly classes and apps are great, but if you’re busy with work, family, and everything else, it can take months (or years) to feel a real shift in your level.

That’s exactly where intensive German courses come in.

Instead of stretching one lesson across an entire week, you immerse yourself in the language for several hours a day over a short period – often just one or two weeks. Done properly, this kind of focused learning can move you forward one mini-level (or more) in an astonishingly short time.

Below is a comprehensive look at why intensive German courses are so effective, who they’re right for, how to get the most out of them, and how you can join Olesen Tuition’s January intensive German courses to start the year with real momentum.

Why Intensive German Courses Work So Well

1. Massive exposure in a short time

In a standard class you might have 90 minutes once a week, then a long gap until the next session. By the time the next lesson arrives, you’ve forgotten half of what you did before.

On an intensive course, you might have 1.5-4 hours of German every day for one or two weeks. That’s the equivalent of several months of “normal” lessons compressed into a short period.

This gives you:

• Far more listening and speaking practice

• Repeated exposure to the same grammar and vocabulary in different contexts

• Enough contact with the language that it stops feeling “foreign” and starts feeling familiar

It’s the difference between sipping German occasionally versus taking a deep dive and staying underwater long enough to really adjust.

2. Less forgetting, more consolidating

One of the biggest enemies of language learning is forgetting.

When you only study once a week, the pattern often looks like this:

Lesson → forget 60% → quick recap → add new content on shaky foundation

Intensive courses break that cycle. Because you’re using German every day, there’s far less time for knowledge to fade. You keep revisiting the same structures and words before they have a chance to disappear.

That means:

• Grammar finally sticks

• Vocabulary moves from passive recognition to active use

• You stop translating in your head and start thinking in German (at least for familiar topics)

For many learners, this daily repetition is the missing piece that transforms “I sort of understand this” into “I can actually use this when I speak”.

3. Real improvement in confidence and speaking

Consistent contact is one side of the story. The other is confidence.

On an intensive course, you speak German again and again:

• In pair work

• In small group discussions

• In role plays (ordering food, asking for directions, talking about weekend plans, etc.)

• In structured, level-appropriate debates at higher levels

You learn to:

• Open your mouth without planning every sentence in English first

• Make mistakes, get corrected, try again – and realise the world doesn’t end

• React to what others say instead of reciting memorised phrases

After just one intensive week, many learners say they feel different – more relaxed, more natural, and less nervous when they have to use German in real life.

4. A clear focus and structured progress

Good intensive courses aren’t just “more hours” – they’re strategically designed.

At Olesen Tuition, each intensive course focuses on a specific level band:

• A1.1–A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 (and exam preparation)

Within that, each course has:

• Clear objectives (e.g. “talk about past holidays confidently”, “master word order with subordinating conjunctions”, “prepare for the B2 exam writing tasks”)

• Carefully sequenced lessons that build on each other

• Daily revision so nothing gets left behind

• Plenty of speaking built around the core grammar and vocabulary you actually need

Instead of feeling like you’re just collecting random worksheets, you can see how each day’s work fits into a bigger picture.

5. Motivation, momentum – and the psychological “reset button”

An intensive course is also a psychological reset.

Maybe you:

• Have been at the same level for months and feel stuck

• Don’t feel that your weekly classes match how much effort you’re putting in

• Had a busy period with little time for German and want to get back on track

A short, focused burst of learning can help you:

• Regain momentum after a pause

• Break through plateaus (e.g. the notorious A2→B1 or B1→B2 jump)

• Reconnect with the language in a more serious, committed way

Because you’re investing concentrated effort in a short period, your brain also receives a clear message: German matters now. That alone often changes how you approach the language afterwards.

6. Perfect for specific goals (exams, moving country, career needs)

Intensive German courses are ideal if you have a concrete goal and a deadline:

• You need B1/B2 for a visa or citizenship

• You’re starting university in Germany or Austria in the autumn

• You’ve accepted a job in a German-speaking environment

• You plan a long trip to Germany, Austria or Switzerland and want to be functional when you arrive

In these situations, a relaxed “I’ll get there eventually” approach just doesn’t work. You need real progress within weeks, not years. Intensives are designed for exactly that.

Who are Intensive German Courses Best For?

Intensive courses are especially effective if:

• You have a clear level already (A1.1, A2, B1, B2, etc.)

• You can commit to several hours a day for the duration of the course

• You’re willing to do a bit of homework in the evenings (short but focused)

• You like the idea of “getting it done” rather than dragging things out

They are ideal for:

• University students in the holidays

• Professionals taking a week off to upskill

• Gap-year students

• Those about to move to a German-speaking country

• Learners who are simply tired of slow progress and want to feel a jump

If you’re unsure about your level, it’s worth doing a placement test or contacting us directly – at Olesen Tuition, we’re very happy to help place you in the right group.

Why January Is the Perfect Time to Take an Intensive German Course

January is one of the best months of the year to focus on German:

• You’re in “fresh start” mode after the holidays

• Work and university schedules may be quieter

• Many people set New Year’s resolutions like “learn German properly” – and an intensive course is the most concrete way to act on that

Our January intensive German courses at Olesen Tuition are designed specifically to harness this energy. You can:

• Start at your current level (from A1 to C1)

• Get a strong push in the first weeks of the year

• Build a solid base you can refine with weekly classes or self-study afterwards

Instead of promising yourself you’ll “be more consistent this year”, you can create real progress in the first 1–2 weeks – and ride that wave of confidence into the spring.

What Olesen Tuition’s January Intensive Courses Look Like

While the exact timetable varies, our January intensives typically include:

• Small groups only – so you speak a lot (not just sit and listen)

• 1.5h teaching hours per day, Monday to Friday

• Level-specific content, aligned with CEFR (A1–C1)

• Lots of speaking practice, guided by expert native tutors

• Systematic work on:

  • Grammar (explained clearly, in real language)

  • Vocabulary for everyday situations and topics

  • Listening and reading tasks using authentic or semi-authentic texts

  • Pronunciation and intonation

You’ll also get:

• Short, targeted homework to reinforce each day’s work

• Feedback on your speaking and writing – not just “correct/incorrect” but how to say it more naturally

• Advice on how to continue after the course with self-study and/or weekly classes

We offer both in-person courses in London and online intensive German courses, so you can join from anywhere.

To explore dates, levels and booking details, simply get in touch via the Olesen Tuition website.

How to Prepare for an Intensive German Course (and Get the Most from It)

A few simple steps make a big difference:

1. Do a light warm-up beforehand

In the week before your intensive, spend 10–15 minutes a day with German:

• Review key grammar from your current level

• Listen to a short podcast or watch a video in German

• Browse one or two posts on our German language blog “Auf Deutsch, bitte!”

This wakes up your “German brain” so you hit the ground running.

2. Treat the course like a temporary priority

During your intensive week(s), try to:

• Protect those hours as if they were work meetings – be present and focused

• Keep evenings relatively free for homework and light revision

• Limit multitasking (emails and WhatsApp can wait)

Because intensives are short, this kind of temporary focus is realistic – and it maximises your return on investment.

3. Use the blog and extra materials as reinforcement

Between lessons, you don’t need to drown yourself in extra grammar books. Instead, use our blog posts and materials to:

• Read short articles on topics like German word order, German cases, Adjective declensions in German, etc.

• Do brief vocabulary exercises to consolidate what you’ve learned

• Pick up cultural insight that will make classroom content more meaningful

Our blog “Auf Deutsch, bitte!” is designed precisely for this: short, clear, high-quality explanations and examples written by an Oxford-educated native tutor with over 25 years’ experience.

4. Keep a daily “output diary”

During your intensive, write a few sentences every day about:

• What you learned

• Where you still feel shaky

• A new phrase you want to remember

Bring these notes into class or into a follow-up online lesson for us to correct and expand. This simple habit turns passive exposure into active language you own.

Why Intensive Courses with Olesen Tuition Work Particularly Well

There are many intensive courses out there. What makes Olesen Tuition different?

• Top-rated German language school with exceptional client reviews

• All courses taught by highly qualified, native German tutors

• A long track record of 95%+ top grades for GCSE, A-level and exam students

• A focus on small groups, individual feedback and real communication

• Integration with our ongoing weekly courses and online lessons, so you can continue after January

Because we’re a specialist, not a general language school, you benefit from depth of expertise in German specifically.

How Our Blog Supports Intensive Course Learners

Our blog “Auf Deutsch, bitte!” is an integral part of the learning experience:

• Over 600 posts explaining German grammar and vocabulary clearly

• Regular topics linked to what we cover in intensive courses:

  • word order in main and subordinate clauses

  • cases and prepositions

  • Konjunktiv II for polite requests and hypotheticals

  • tricky verbs with prepositions

• Cultural articles that deepen your understanding of the German-speaking world(Christmas in Germany vs Austria vs Switzerland, German Christmas idioms, Silvester traditions, etc.)

Intensive course participants often use the blog to:

• Review tricky topics after class

• Explore new vocabulary beyond the textbook

• Prepare questions for their tutor

This combination of live teaching + high-quality written explanations is one of the reasons our students progress so quickly.

Ready to Make January the Month Your German Really Moves Forward?

If learning German is on your list of goals for the coming year, an intensive course in January is one of the smartest decisions you can make:

• You compress months of study into a short, focused period

• You massively increase your exposure to real German

• You build confidence and momentum that carry you through the rest of the year

At Olesen Tuition, we’d be delighted to help you:

• Find the right January intensive course for your level and goals

• Combine it with online one-to-one lessons for maximum progress

• Use our German language blog to keep your skills sharp long after the course ends

You can explore dates, levels and availability on our website, or simply contact us to discuss what would work best for you.

Neues Jahr, neues Deutsch – fangen wir im Januar an.