Finnish matriculation German advanced - independent foundations cheat sheet

Match the answer to the W-word: wer, was, wo, wann, wie viel, wohin, woher.

Negations such as nicht, kein, nur and außer can reverse the answer.

halb drei = 2:30; Viertel vor acht = 7:45; sechzehn ≠ sechzig.

Listen for corrections after aber, leider, statt and ausnahmsweise.

Do not choose the last number heard without checking the destination or subject.

Identify the text type before reading for detail.

Scan for dates, prices, opening hours, conditions and negation words.

Read compounds from the final element: der Fahrkartenautomat = der Automat.

False friends include bekommen, also, bald, Gift and Chef.

The correct answer must be supported by the text, not by general knowledge.

Learn nouns with article and plural; gender controls the case forms.

Main clauses keep the conjugated verb in second position, even after a time phrase.

Subordinate clauses with weil, dass, wenn and ob put the verb at the end.

Modal verbs sit in position two and send the infinitive to the end.

mit, nach, aus, zu, von, bei, seit + dative; durch, für, gegen, ohne, um + accusative.

Learn nouns with article and plural; the final element of a compound decides gender.

Use collocations: einen Termin vereinbaren, Bescheid sagen, Sport treiben.

Distinguish kennen/wissen and legen/liegen, stellen/stehen, setzen/sitzen.

Avoid literal translations such as Ich bin 20 Jahre; say Ich bin 20 Jahre alt.

Match register: du forms with friends, Sie forms with formal contacts.

Identify recipient and purpose first; choose du or Sie consistently.

Formal frame: Sehr geehrte ... / Mit freundlichen Grüßen; informal: Liebe/Hallo ... / Viele Grüße.

Cover every task point with one clear sentence, especially reason and request.

Keep the conjugated verb second; after a time phrase invert the subject and verb.

Capitalize all nouns and keep umlauts; use commas before weil and dass.