Compiled by Holly DeCarlo-White
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs
If you’d like to know the difference between schnitzel and Schweinfurt, or start to panic when a German waiter or waitress approaches you, or if you consider “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” your favorite German phrase, it may be time to consider taking a German language course.
View a quick list of basic German phrases to know here.
The U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart offers options to learn the language on-post through the following offices:
Army Community Service
The Directorate for Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Army Community Service, located in Building 2915, Panzer Kaserne, offers a free Host Nation Orientation as part of all incoming community member in-processing to introduce newcomers to an overview of Germany. Attendees learn about German customs and culture, a few basic German language phrases, public transportation options and how to purchase tickets, plus a short walking tour in downtown Stuttgart.
Pre-registration is required for spouses/dependents to attend this class with ACS. Spouses/dependents also do not have to attend this class with their sponsor, they can do so anytime throughout the year. Service members and civilian personnel are registered though the Central Processing office as a part of in-processing training.
ACS also offers a free German Immersion class every Monday from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at ACS and every Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Patch Fitness Center. Learn the German language and culture in both the classroom and social setting to make your stay in the Stuttgart area more enjoyable. Classes and coaching for students at various levels of understanding at each session.
On the flip side, do you want to improve your English? ACS also offers a free English as a Second Language class every Monday and Thursday (except holidays) from 9 – 11 a.m. Take advantage of free English classes that are open to community members wanting to sharpen their English skills. Classes include a textbook and no registration is required.
For more information, call DSN: 431-3362/civ. 07031-15-3362.
Free Capital City Visitation Tours
The garrison Public Affairs Office hosts quarterly tours in partnership with the U.S. Forces Liaison Office and the City of Stuttgart, departing from Panzer Kaserne. The full-day tour provides an overview of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, how the German Government works, and the history of the German-American friendship. The tour also takes participants on a walk to a few of Stuttgart’s landmarks downtown. Lunch is provided.
Sign up for the tour – provide full names and contact information to sign up, first come first serve, open to all ID cardholders ages 14 and up, limited to 40 participants each tour.
SKIES (Adults & Children)
Child, Youth and School Services offers a German language course for both adults and children (ages 5-15) on multiple installations through the School of Knowledge, Inspiration, Exploration and Skills (SKIES). Classes run throughout the year for two-month sessions.
Children’s classes are focused on learning German by immersion, allowing them to acquire new words, phrases, and grammatical concepts in a fun and exciting setting. German culture topics are also covered in this class including: holidays, songs, and traditions.
Adult classes are tiered for each proficiency level and are designed to enable students to learn the German language and culture in a fun and relaxed setting. Learn to converse in everyday activities such as shopping, ordering food in a restaurant, using a vat form and going to local markets.
Testing is provided for Intermediate/Advanced students to receive a proficiency certificate. Books and class material information is determined by the instructor.
To register, contact CYSS Parent Central Services at DSN: 430-7480/civ. 0711-680-7480, or through webtrac online here.
Stuttgart Panzer Education Center
The University of Maryland University College offers German language, history and culture classes through the Education Center in Building 2915, Panzer Kaserne.
This course is an introduction to the German language, intended for students with no prior experience with the language. By the completion of the course, students should be able to communicate in German in certain concrete, everyday situations related to personal and basic needs. Students will also have a sense of how some social situations might affect language use and how to use German in a culturally appropriate way. There are substantial opportunities to practice speaking and listening, both with the instructor and with other classmates during this class.
To contact all the universities on-post, visit: http://www.stuttgart.army.mil/services-education.html
USO Stuttgart
The USO Stuttgart, located in Building 2915 on Panzer Kaserne offers free “Day in the Life” classes and tours on and off-post to help newcomers feel more comfortable taking transit, shopping and traveling on the local economy and beyond.
To view their schedule of events, visit https://www.facebook.com/usostuttgart
Off-Post
There are several universities that offer all levels of the German language in the Stuttgart area, Esslingen and Tübingen.
Intensive courses are offered through the Volkshochschule Stuttgart, or VHS, with varying language levels from A1-C2. Classes are offered in day, weekend and evening sessions. Students in each classroom come from all over the world so the class environment also provides and opportunity to meet perople of other nationalities also adjusting as newcomers to Stuttgart. Students can stop in for an assessment with staff during open assessment hours on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays (excluding breaks and holidays) from 4-6 p.m., at the Treffpunkt Rotebühlplatz, Rotebühlplatz 28, 70173 Stuttgart, room F306/F307 or complete a pre-assessment online at www.sprachtest.de.
For more in information, visit: www.vhs-stuttgart.de.
The VHS Böblingen-Sindelfingen can also provide assistance with registration for language and immersion classes for all ages and levels.
- Böblingen, VHS im Höfle, Pestalozzistr. 4
- Sindelfingen: VHS im Gustav-Heinemann-Haus, Böblinger Str. 8
For information visit: https://www.vhs-aktuell.de/programm/german.html.
Editor’s Note: Updated location of ACS German Immersion classes from RSO to Patch Fitness Center.