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HomeDepartment of Language and Linguistic ScienceLanguages for AllShort Courses: Conversation and Intercultural Understanding courses

Short Language Courses in 2025/2026

Our eight-week language courses are available for Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Spanish and Ukrainian. Course types include introductory-level courses that allow you to familiarise with a new language, practice-focused language courses to improve your everyday communication skills and specialist language courses for specific purposes.

Course fees: 16 hours over 8 weeks

  • £116 University of York students

  • £150 University of York staff/Over 60s/Students from other HE institutions

  • £160 University of York alums

  • £175 Members of the public

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Languages for All

Register for an LfA short course

Semester 2 Course Dates 

  • February to April 2026: w/c 16 February to w/e 24 April

Registration is now open for our short courses starting in February 2026. You can register by clicking the link below.

Book now

Registration will close on Sunday 08 February.

Timetable and Course Descriptors

Please see the LfA Short Courses Timetable, Dates and Fees 2025/26 for an overview of our courses and class times.

Short courses per language (February to April 2026)

Arabic

  • Introduction to Arabic: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise themselves with the Arabic language and Arabic-speaking cultures.

Chinese

  • Introduction to Chinese: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise themselves with the Chinese language and culture.

English

  • General English Conversation: ideal for students with at least a B1 level or equivalent in English who wish to improve their speaking and listening skills and their overall ability and confidence to communicate in English.

French

  • French Beginners Short Course: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise with the language for use in everyday communication.

  • French Post-Beginners Short Course: ideal for those with some prior knowledge of the language or those who have learnt some French through language learning apps or informally.

German

  • German Beginners Short Course: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise with the language for use in everyday communication.

  • German Post-Beginners Short Course: ideal for those with some prior knowledge of the language or those who have learnt some German through language learning apps or informally.

Italian

  • Italian Beginners Short Course: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise with the language for use in everyday communication.

  • Italian Post-Beginners Short Course: ideal for those with some prior knowledge of the language or those who have learnt some Italian through language learning apps or informally.

  • Italian Pre-Intermediate Short Course: ideal for students who have completed an LfA course or York Language Elective module in Italian at Beginner level and wish to practise and improve their skills further.

Japanese

  • Introduction to Japanese: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise themselves with the Japanese language and culture.

Korean

  • Introduction to Korean 1: ideal for absolute beginners who have no knowledge of the Korean language or its alphabet.

  • Introduction to Korean 2: ideal for beginner-level learners of Korean who already know the Korean alphabet.

Medieval Latin

  • Medieval Documentary Latin: for those interested in familiarising themselves with Medieval Latin through the analysis of Latin language as used in official records and documents from the Middle Ages.

Spanish

  • Spanish Beginners Short Course: ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise themselves with the language for use in everyday communication.

  • Spanish Post-Beginners Short Course: ideal for those with some prior knowledge of the language or those who have learnt some Spanish through language learning apps or informally.

  • Spanish Pre-Intermediate Short Course: ideal for students who have completed an LfA course or York Language Elective module in Spanish at Beginner level and wish to practise and improve their skills further.

Ukrainian

  • Introduction to Ukrainian:  ideal for absolute beginners who wish to familiarise themselves with the Ukrainian language and culture.

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Languages for All