Bespoke German Lessons in London

with a Native German Tutor Private German lessons, small group classes, corporate language training and exam preparation courses with an Oxford-educated native German tutor with over 20 years of teaching experience.

From absolute beginner to advanced 2-5 students, weekly lessons evenings & weekends

Please note that, due to COVID-19, all our German lessons are held remotely until further notice. Just get in touch if you have any questions.

Private one-to-one German lessons are ideal for students who want to learn German fast, with teaching material that is tailored to their needs and interests. Learn more about my private German lessons here and get started soon.

Sign up for one of my beginner, intermediate or advanced German classes in Central London and learn German in a small group of only 5 students. Daytime, evening and weekend German courses for £40 per class. Find out more here and join the class that suits you best. ​

Expand your business in Germany,Austria and Switzerland with in-company German language training for your employees. One-on-one & group training, tailored to your objectives. Find out more information about my corporate German lessons here and book your trial training now.

Are you studying toward an exam in German? Get help from a native German tutor with extensive experience and an excellent track record in preparing students for GCSE, A-Level, IB, Pre-U, Test DaF, Goethe-Institut exams, etc. Find out more.

Learn German fast with a German lessons specialist

Olesen Tuition offers bespoke German lessons in London and online for all levels and ages. Whether you are an absolute beginner, speaking at an intermediate level or even working towards fluency, you will find the right kind of support here to learn German properly. The demand for German tuition in London has grown rapidly in the last ten years, however high quality teaching and experienced tutors are still difficult to find. I founded Olesen Tuition after teaching German for 20 years, with the aim to provide well structured and professional German lessons and I have developed lesson plans and teaching material focused on the fundamentals of German grammar, which are the key to mastering the language. Working mostly with my own material, my tuition is tailored to my students' learning objectives and with their progress in mind. I offer lessons that combine conversational German, listening exercises, reading and writing assignments with well-balanced grammar training, so that my students learn German fast.

German language lessons tailored to your objectives

My tutoring services include private German lessons and intensive German courses in London and online for everyone who needs to learn German quickly; German group classes of 2-5 students in Central London for beginner, intermediate and advanced students; in-house German language training for companies in London; business German courses for employees who need to learn German from scratch or improve their language skills for work; and exam preparation tutorials for all proficiency tests and examinations in the German language. So whatever your requirements, my German lessons will improve your German and boost your confidence to speak wherever possible. Get in touch now and learn German with me.

Jens Olesen is the best teacher with whom I have ever studied. A man of tremendous sensitivity and compassion, he really understands not only the linguistic needs of his students, but the emotional requirements as well. He works wonders to help students overcome the anxieties of approaching a challenging language for the first time. He is highly professional, dedicated, reliable, and he has a great sense of humour to boot. I would recommend him without any reservations whatsoever. Eric K. Professor ◄ 1 / 6 ► Please reload

FAQ about my German lessons services

What makes German a difficult language to learn? ​ The answer is twofold. First, there are many grammar rules to learn. From word order in German sentences, its cases (nominative, accusative, dative and genitive), numerous prepositions, adjective endings to the subjunctive - there are lots challenges that any student faces. However, most of it's rules are logical and consistent, so once you understand them in theory it just takes practice. Second, German vocabulary is far from straightforward, either. It's words are nuanced and context-specific and can rarely be translated literally from English into German and vice versa. On the other hand, many German nouns are compounds of two or more individual words, which is why our nouns tend to be so long. So when putting them together, the compound noun normally receives a very clear new meaning. One of the most important lessons that students need to learn is how to send their ideas through a 'grammar filter' to check what they can actually say in German. While the process entails a simplification as far as the choice of words is concerned, it increases the likelihood of grammatical accuracy. Find out more about my method called 'simple but correct' here. Having said all that, many people before you managed to learn German, so why wouldn't you? ​​​ 2. What advice do you have for anyone who needs to learn German quickly? 1) Get a good understanding of German syntax. If you understand where to place a word in a German sentence, you'll know how to compose a sentence properly. This is absolutely crucial to learning German fast because whether or not people understand you is in large part determined by word order . ​ 2) Learn to conjugate verbs (i.e. regular, irregular, separable verbs and reflexive verbs) by looking at logical patterns that apply to them and make sure that subject and verb always agree. Otherwise, your interlocutors might get confused as you communicate conflicting information. ​ 3) As soon as you understand the four cases and their function in a sentence, you'll master the difference between subject, direct and indirect object. This is crucial when dealing with German nouns. Even though nominative and accusative are the most common cases, don't underestimate the importance of dative and genitive; for they make your German sound sophisticated, provided of course you learnt how to use them correctly. ​ 4) Once you have a good understanding of the cases, you need to turn to pronouns, prepositions and adjective endings and learn how they change the normal usage of the cases. However, it's important that you learn each of these topics steps by step and that you get enough practice with each before you move on to the next grammar topic. ​ 5) Build your vocabulary range by using flash or index cards. These cards are highly effective and cater to visual, cognitive, haptic learners alike. As popular as apps, such as duolingo and memrise, might be at the moment, they will never be as effective as flash cards that you write yourself. Besides the meaning of each word, I also tell my students to add other information to the cards to make them even more effective. And my students usually know between 80% and 90% of all words they have learnt from me. ​ 6) Work with a good tutor who can explain all of the above and more ;). ​ 7) Watch, read, and listen to as much German as possible, in order to be immersed in the language. ​ 8) Travel to a German-speaking country to practice your German. ​

3. How long does it normally take to become fluent in German? ​ This might be the toughest question to answer, as it depends on a number of factors, such as frequency and duration of lessons, talent for learning languages (it just doesn't come easy for everyone), the amount of time people are able to invest in homework and revision outside of lessons, and so on. However, the average time it takes my students to learn German from scratch is between 12 and 18 months - with private one-to-one lessons, once or twice a week for two hours each. You will find more information on the time frame here and on my private German lessons page. If you're keen to learn German fast but you prefer being part of a small group of fellow students, then check my new intensive German courses. ​ 4. Do I need to commit to a certain number of lessons when learning German with you? No, when booking private one-to-one German tuition with me, the only policy I have is a 24-hour cancellation policy. Other than that, you can stop taking lessons with me whenever you want or you have achieved your goal. For the cancellation policy in my group lessons, please check my German classes page here. ​ 5. Would I be able to get a regular weekly slot or do we need to rearrange after each lesson? ​ Most of my students have a regular weekly slot, unless they prefer to keep their lessons more flexible or my availability is so limited that I'm not able to offer a regular slot. The latter is usually just a matter of weeks. ​ 6. Do you teach in the evenings and on weekends? And where do you normally teach? ​ Yes, I offer tuition every day of the week from early in the morning to late in the evening: that is, Monday to Friday 7am to 11pm; Saturday and Sunday 9am to 10pm. The location of my lessons depends on whether they are private lessons, small group classes, exam preparation tutorials, corporate German language training or online German lessons. Generally, my lessons are held at my students' premises, in their office or mine, in a quiet cafe in Central London or remotely by Skype or Facetime. ​ 7. Should I opt for private or group lessons? What is the biggest difference between them? ​ The biggest difference between one-to-one lessons and learning in a small group is the intensity of the teaching you receive. We all know that it's relatively easy to stay quiet in a class room setting if you don't want to contribute to the lesson. This is not possible in private lessons where the focus is on you. While this might sound scary, this is how you learn most effectively. That's why students progress more quickly through private lessons than group classes. On average, you can cut down the time it takes to become fluent in German by more than half in one-to-one tutorials when compared to a class of 10 or more students, and by more than a third compared to my smaller group classes with a maximum number of 5 participants. The ideal compromise for many of my students are my intensive German courses that allow you to learn German fast, while being less expensive than private tuition. You'll find more information on my intensive German courses here. ​ 8. Do you work with a book or any specific material? ​ I usually work with a combination of my own material, tailored to my students' individual requirements, and texts and exercises from various sources. There is no such thing as the perfect text book and there is no material that suits everyone, so this strategy is usually in the best interest of my students and makes learning German challenging but also rewarding. ​ 9. Are there any online resources that you would recommend? ​ Of course. I have put together a list of links and resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced German students which you find here. ​ 10. Why do people learn German? German has the reputation of being a difficult language. So when people decide to embark on this journey, they usually have a very good reason to do so. Their partner might be from a German-speaking country and they don't want to feel left out when conversations switch to German. Their child might sit an exam in German and might need some professional preparation and guidance to get top marks. Or, they need to learn German for work. According to leading UK employers, German is the most important foreign language that they want their employees to speak, so learning German can be a smart investment in your career. Business experts suggest that German language skills will be particularly important in post-Brexit Britain. Whatever the reason, a clear objective will keep you going when the language gets touch and the initial excitement wears off.