Goethe A1 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Hören Teil 1

First listening part of Goethe A1: short everyday messages such as voicemail or announcements, each played twice, with true/false or picture multiple-choice items.

Hören Teil 2

Listening part with short dialogues or monologues on everyday topics; you pick one of three written options, a, b or c, after hearing the recording twice.

Hören Teil 3

Listening part with short public announcements, for example at a station or in a shop; you match each announcement to the correct picture or written item.

Distractor numbers in listening

In A1 audio, two numbers are often mentioned but only one answers the question; the corrected number after 'aber' or 'leider' is usually the right one.

Signal words in audio

Words like 'aber', 'leider', 'doch' and 'nicht mehr' introduce a correction or negation; the information after them usually determines the correct answer.

W-question words

German question words: wann (time), wo (place), wer (person), wie viel (quantity, uncountable), wie viele (quantity, countable), warum (reason), wie (manner).

Uhrzeit in announcements

Times are said as 'um zehn Uhr fünfzehn' or 'Viertel nach zehn'; 'halb elf' means 10:30, not 11:30, a frequent listening trap.

Lesen Teil 1

Reading part with two short texts, often an email or letter, followed by true/false statements about the content; the answer must be stated in the text.

Lesen Teil 2

Reading part with a notice or advertisement and multiple-choice questions; the correct option repeats information given directly in the text, not an inference.

Lesen Teil 3

Reading part where short ads or notices are matched to people's situations; the correct ad meets every stated condition such as day, place and price.

geöffnet vs geschlossen

Opposite pair meaning open versus closed; on signs and ads these words decide whether an option fits the question, so read them carefully.

ab and bis on signs

Prepositions used for time and price ranges: 'ab 8 Uhr' means from 8 o'clock, 'bis 18 Uhr' means until 6 pm, 'ab 5 €' means from 5 euros.

kostenlos and gratis

Both mean free of charge; they appear in ads and notices and signal that no price is required, which matters in matching tasks.

Nur für Kunden

Fixed sign phrase meaning customers only; it restricts who may use a service or enter a place and often makes an ad wrong for a non-customer.

Zutritt verboten

Fixed notice meaning no entry or access forbidden; it appears on doors and gates and signals that a place cannot be used by the public.

Schreiben Teil 1

Writing part where you produce a short message of about 30 words covering three given points, such as greeting, reason and request.

Schreiben Teil 2

Writing part where you fill in a form or write a brief reply with personal details such as name, address, date or time as requested.

Greeting and closing formulas

Informal letters open with 'Liebe/Lieber …' or 'Hallo …' and close with 'Viele Grüße' or 'Bis bald'; formal letters use 'Sehr geehrte …' and 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen'.

Verb-second position

In a German main clause the conjugated verb stands in second position: 'Ich komme morgen um acht Uhr.' If a time phrase comes first, the subject follows the verb.

Separable verbs in main clauses

Verbs like anrufen, einkaufen and aufstehen split: the prefix goes to the end of the sentence, as in 'Ich rufe dich später an.'

Modal verb word order

With können, müssen, wollen or möchten, the conjugated modal verb is in second position and the infinitive goes to the end: 'Ich kann heute nicht kommen.'

weil-clause word order

After the conjunction 'weil', the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause: 'Ich komme nicht, weil ich arbeiten muss.'

nicht versus kein

'Nicht' negates verbs and adjectives; 'kein' with the correct ending negates nouns: 'Das ist nicht teuer.' but 'Ich habe keine Zeit.'

Time before place

German word order places the time expression before the place expression: 'Wir treffen uns um sieben Uhr am Bahnhof.'

Sprechen Teil 1

Speaking part where you introduce yourself with name, age, country, languages, job and hobby, and spell your name or give your phone number.

Sprechen Teil 2

Speaking part using prompt cards with theme words; you form a question about the theme and your partner answers it, then roles switch.

Sprechen Teil 3

Speaking part where you make polite requests to your partner and react to their answers, accepting or refusing with a short reason.

Polite request with könnten

Pattern for requests: 'Könnten Sie mir bitte …?' or 'Ich möchte gern …'; after 'möchte' the infinitive stands at the end of the sentence.

German alphabet names

Letters are named differently from English: A is 'ah', E is 'eh', I is 'ih', U is 'uh', J is 'jott', Y is 'üpsilon'; doubled letters are said as 'doppel-'.

halb elf

German clock time meaning half past ten, that is 10:30, not 11:30; this differs from English usage and is a common source of errors.

du versus Sie

Informal 'du' is used with friends, family and children; formal 'Sie' with officials, doctors and strangers, and it always takes the verb form of the third person plural.

Accepting and refusing requests

Accept with 'Ja, gern.' or 'Kein Problem.'; refuse politely with 'Es tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht.' and add a short reason.