Pancyprian German key terms

Listening comprehension: the ability to follow spoken German and extract main ideas or specific details from announcements, dialogues, interviews and short reports, usually heard twice during the exam.

Key words in a question or text that signal what information is needed, such as names, numbers, places or times; scanning for them helps you locate answers quickly while reading or listening.

Taking brief notes while listening, using abbreviations, symbols and short phrases rather than full sentences, so you can answer detail questions without losing track of the recording.

The purpose for listening in a given task: global listening for the gist, selective listening for particular facts, or detailed listening for exact wording. Identifying it before the audio starts guides your attention.

Listening for the overall meaning or main message of a text without trying to understand every word. Typical tasks ask about the topic, the speaker's opinion or the purpose of the conversation.

Listening only for specific information such as a price, a departure time or a room number, while ignoring the rest of the audio. It is the main skill tested in short announcement and message tasks.

Reading comprehension: understanding written German texts such as notices, emails, advertisements, articles and forms, and answering questions about their content, purpose or implied meaning.

Reading a text quickly to find particular details, for example a date, a condition or a name, without reading every sentence in full. It saves time in multi-text reading tasks.

The title or heading of a text or article. In matching tasks you compare headings with short texts and choose the one that captures the main idea rather than a single detail.

The type or genre of a text, such as Anzeige (advertisement), E-Mail, Bericht, Formular or Aushang (notice). Recognising the genre helps you predict structure, register and likely vocabulary.

A short advertisement, for example for a flat, a job or a second-hand item. Exam tasks often require matching people's needs to suitable ads, so watch for prices, conditions and contact details.

A public notice posted on a board or door, such as opening hours, a cancellation or a building rule. These texts are short and factual, and questions usually target one precise detail.

Grammar and vocabulary tasks in which you fill gaps in short texts by choosing or supplying the correct word form, preposition, conjunction, article or verb ending.

A cloze or gap-fill text with words removed. You complete it using context, grammar knowledge and collocations; the surrounding sentence usually contains the clue you need.

A connecting word such as weil, obwohl, dass, aber or denn that links clauses. Knowing whether a conjunction sends the verb to the end or keeps normal word order is essential for gap-fill grammar tasks.

A subordinate clause introduced by a conjunction or relative pronoun. In German the conjugated verb moves to the final position, for example: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.

Word order in a sentence, including the verb-second rule in main clauses, the verb-final rule in subordinate clauses, and time-manner-place ordering of adverbials.

A small word such as in, auf, mit, für or wegen that links nouns to the rest of the sentence and governs a fixed case, for example mit dem Bus (dative) or für den Kurs (accusative).

Grammatical case: nominative for subjects, accusative for direct objects, dative for indirect objects and many prepositions, genitive for possession. Correct articles and adjective endings depend on it.

The system of endings added to adjectives before nouns, which changes according to case, gender, number and the type of article used, for example ein kleines Haus versus das kleine Haus.

The definite article (der, die, das) or indefinite article (ein, eine) before a noun. Choosing the right form requires knowing the noun's gender, number and case in the sentence.

A habitual word pairing that native speakers use together, such as eine Entscheidung treffen or einen Termin vereinbaren. Fixed combinations are frequently tested in vocabulary gap-fill items.

Separable verbs like aufstehen, einkaufen or anrufen whose prefix moves to the end of a main clause, for example: Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.

The past tense formed with haben or sein plus the past participle, used mainly in spoken German and informal writing, for example: Ich habe den Brief geschrieben.

The past participle used in perfect tenses and passive constructions, for example gemacht, gefahren or besucht. Its form must be learned with each verb.

The simple past tense, common in narratives, reports and formal written German, for example: Er ging nach Hause. Some verbs, such as sein and haben, are also used this way in speech.

A construction with werden plus the past participle that shifts focus to the action rather than the doer, for example: Das Formular wird ausgefüllt. It is common in notices and formal instructions.

The writing section, where you produce a short text such as an email, a letter or a message responding to a prompt, and are assessed on task completion, coherence, range and accuracy.

The opening form of address in a letter or email, such as Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Liebe Frau Weber or Hallo Tom. Choosing formal or informal style must match the task and the relationship.

The closing formula of a written message, for example Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Freundliche Grüße or Liebe Grüße. Formal tasks require a formal closing that matches the opening salutation.

Choosing between the formal Sie and the informal du. Formal letters to businesses or officials use Sie; messages to friends, family or classmates use du. Consistency throughout the text matters.

Useful set phrases for specific functions, such as asking for information, making a suggestion or apologising, for example: Ich würde mich freuen, wenn Sie mir mitteilen könnten, ob ...

Opening contact in a message: greeting the reader, stating who you are and why you are writing, and referring to a previous advertisement, letter or phone call.

A factual written account of an event or experience, usually organised chronologically and using past tenses. In exams it may be a short report for a class magazine or a course.

The speaking section, where you present a topic, describe something or express an opinion in a short monologue that is assessed on fluency, pronunciation, range and coherence.

Stating and justifying a personal view, using phrases such as Meiner Meinung nach ..., Ich finde, dass ... or Ein wichtiger Vorteil ist, dass ... followed by a reason or example.

Short bullet-point notes used to prepare a spoken presentation without reading a full script. They keep you fluent and allow eye contact with the examiner or partner.

Asking for clarification or repetition when you did not understand, for example: Könnten Sie das bitte wiederholen? or Wie meinen Sie das genau? It keeps an interaction going.

Spoken exchange with a partner: asking and answering questions, agreeing, disagreeing politely, making suggestions and reacting appropriately in a short dialogue or role-play.

Opening hours of a shop, office or museum. They appear in notices and announcements, and questions often test a specific day, time or exception such as closed on Mondays.