Madrid PAU German (Alemán II) (Spain Madrid PAU) cheat sheet

Typical PAU German texts are 250–400 words: press articles, interviews, short literary excerpts, or opinion pieces on youth, environment, technology, or German-speaking society.

Read the questions before the text; most items are ordered by paragraph, so answers follow the text sequence.

Signal words for contrast (aber, jedoch, allerdings, trotzdem, dennoch) usually mark the idea a question targets.

True/false items require textual evidence: locate the exact line; if the statement adds a cause, quantity, or negation absent from the text, it is false.

Synonym-based questions test paraphrase: match meaning, not word form (e.g., 'Fahrrad' ≈ 'Rad', 'Betrieb' ≈ 'Unternehmen').

Inference items ask what is implied, not stated: choose the option the text supports without adding new facts.

Reference questions (Was bedeutet 'dabei', 'dort', 'er'?) are resolved by the nearest preceding noun matching gender and number.

For gap-fill summaries, check connectors and pronouns for grammatical fit (case, gender, tense) as well as meaning.

Cases: nominative = subject; accusative = direct object and after durch, für, gegen, ohne, um; dative = indirect object and after aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu; genitive = possession and after wegen, trotz, während, statt.

Two-way prepositions (an, auf, in, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen) take accusative for motion/direction and dative for position (Wohin? → Akk.; Wo? → Dat.).

Verb position: main clause = verb second (V2); yes/no question and imperative = verb first; subordinate clause (weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, damit) = verb final.

Perfect tense: haben with most verbs, sein with motion/state change (gehen, fahren, kommen, werden, bleiben) and sein/bleiben/werden; past participle ge-…-t or ge-…-en.

Modal verbs: present singular changes vowel (kann, muss, will) and takes the infinitive at the end; Präteritum forms are konnte, musste, wollte, durfte, sollte, mochte.

Adjective endings depend on article type: after der/die/das → -e/-en; after ein/eine → mixed; with no article → strong endings (-er, -es, -e).

Konjunktiv II for politeness and hypotheticals: würde + infinitive, hätte, wäre, könnte; used in polite requests (Könnten Sie…?).

Word formation: separable prefixes (auf-, an-, mit-, aus-) stress the prefix and split in main clauses (Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf); inseparable (be-, ver-, er-) do not split.

PAU writing tasks are usually 120–150 words: an email/letter, an opinion text, or a narrative; address all bullet points in the prompt.

Register rules: informal du/ihr with friends; formal Sie with greetings 'Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren' and closing 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen'.

Email frame: 'Liebe/r …,' or 'Hallo …,' + opening sentence stating purpose ('Ich schreibe dir, weil …') + body + closing ('Bis bald', 'Viele Grüße').

Opinion text structure: thesis (Ich bin der Meinung, dass …), two arguments with connectors (erstens, außerdem, zum Beispiel), counterpoint (andererseits), conclusion (Zusammenfassend …).

Connectors to score: deshalb, trotzdem, obwohl, während, sowohl … als auch, einerseits … andererseits, im Gegensatz dazu.

Narrative past uses Präteritum for narration (war, hatte, ging) and perfect for spoken dialogue; keep tense consistent.

Check verb-second in main clauses and verb-final after weil/dass/wenn; misplaced verbs are the most penalized error.

Word-count control: aim 10% above the minimum; count only content, and avoid padding with repeated phrases.

German-speaking countries: Germany (Berlin), Austria (Vienna/Wien), Switzerland (Bern); German is also an official language in Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

Swiss German (Schwyzerdütsch) is the everyday spoken variety; Standard German is used in writing and formal contexts.

Austrian German vocabulary differs: Erdapfel (potato), Jause (snack), Topfen (quark); greetings include 'Grüß Gott'.

Formal address: Sie with surname and title (Frau Dr. Müller); first names with du require mutual agreement, common among students and colleagues.

German school system: Grundschule (primary), then tracked secondary (Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule); Abitur grants university access.

Public holidays vary by Land: 3. Oktober (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) is national; Faschingsdienstag and Allerheiligen are regional.

Environmental culture: Mülltrennung (waste separation), Pfand (deposit) on bottles, and the Energiewende are common exam topics.

Media and daily life: öffentlich-rechtliche Sender (ARD, ZDF), Tageszeitung, and the dual vocational system (Ausbildung) are frequent cultural references.