Classes & certificates

Explore the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world with this beginning-level language class. Master the basics of Spanish with a proven communicative approach that combines our popular in-person class with robust online resources to keep you learning between classes.

Refine and deepen your ability to discuss past events. Learn the future and conditional tenses, and become familiar with the subjunctive mood. Polish your verbal communication skills as you discuss education, the workplace and cultures of the Hispanic world.

These translation exams test reading knowledge of French, German, Italian or Spanish and meet the requirements of UW–Madison graduate programs. Register at least one week prior to your chosen exam date. No refunds after registration.

This mini-course sets you up for success in Spanish 1 with a slow introduction to the fundamentals of the Spanish language.

Struggling with French pronunciation? Want to become more comfortable speaking French? This six-lesson online course contains clear explanations, practice exercises, and sets of drills to help you understand and refine the fundamentals of French pronunciation with one-on-one feedback from your instructor. Enrollment is ongoing; you’ll have two months to complete the course. A great preparation or review! No prerequisite needed. Audiobook: "Secrets of French Pronunciation" by Camille Chevalier-Karfis. Please contact your instructor for purchase information.

One of the best ways to improve your spoken Spanish is by improving your writing. Learn to tell your story in a well-written narrative. A Spanish writing expert guides you through those tricky past tenses, gives you personalized feedback, and helps you compose better sentences and paragraphs.

This refresher course has something for everyone. Brush up your Spanish writing by eliminating common errors while gaining better skills. Perfect the use of written accent marks, articles, gender, word order and tricky verb conjugations. Gain confidence by learning to proofread your own writing.

In as little as six months, greatly improve your professional proficiency in Spanish and gain the cultural knowledge you need to conduct business in Spain and Latin America. Learn to communicate professionally via email, telephone, video conferencing and in-person.

Join other Francophiles as you learn the basics of French with listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Learn to introduce yourself, use numbers, and talk about cities, hotels and travel. Textbook and workbook required.

Build your vocabulary as you improve your ability to converse in the present tense and become familiar with past tenses. Practice conversing while learning relevant cultural information. Materials provided in class.

Refine and deepen your ability to converse in the past and future tenses as you discuss families, work, travel and customs in France and the Francophone world. Materials provided in class. Prerequisite: French 2.

Polish your skills as you discuss the culture and history of France and the Francophone world. Refine your knowledge of tense, lexicon and register while improving your reading and listening abilities. 

Open to anyone who wants to study French for reading and translation. We cover essential grammar and vocabulary to provide knowledge that is especially useful for students preparing for the French graduate-level reading knowledge exam.

Master the basics of German: numbers, the alphabet, introducing yourself, and having simple conversations while learning about German culture. We use an integrated approach that will quickly have you speaking and writing. No prerequisites.

Continue to learn words, phrases, and the history and traditions of German-speaking people as you immerse yourself in a fun and relaxed environment. Prerequisites: German 1 or instructor's consent. Textbook required. Complete information about textbook provided the first day of class.

Continue to learn German conversation and grammar, the history and traditions of German-speaking people, and tips for travelers as you immerse yourself in a fun and relaxed environment. Prerequisites: German 2 or instructor's consent.

Open to all students who want to study German for translation. Great for meeting graduate program language requirements or for genealogy work. Key skills you'll learn include taking advantage of similarities between English and German, expert dictionary use and recognizing easy grammar cues.

Italian 1 is designed for beginning learners who wish to gain a practical knowledge of the Italian language and familiarize themselves with Italian culture. Learn the vocabulary and grammar necessary to communicate effectively in key social situations and while traveling.

Continue exploring the richness of Italian culture while enhancing your ability to have everyday conversations about travel, holidays, and daily routines in the present tense. We also introduce the past tense. Increase your vocabulary and communication skills with an integrated teaching approach.

Practice and refine your conversational Italian on a variety of everyday and cultural topics while also improving your language skills through listening practice, reading short passages, and writing activities. This class will focus on using past tense and complex grammatical structures.