Goethe A1 key terms

The word used to identify a person, place, or thing. On A1 forms you write your first name and surname separately, and you often have to spell it aloud letter by letter.

The details of where someone lives, usually street, house number, postal code, and town. You write it on forms and say it when giving personal information in speaking or listening tasks.

The five-digit number placed before the town name in a German address. You must recognise it in listening texts and write it correctly into forms during reading and writing tasks.

A printed or online page with empty fields you fill in with personal details. A1 writing and reading tasks often ask you to complete one with name, address, date of birth, and signature.

The day, month, and year a person was born. You write it in forms and say it in speaking tasks; in German you often use the ordinal number, for example 'am dritten Mai'.

How many years someone has lived. In A1 you ask 'Wie alt bist du?' and answer with a number, and you may read age information in short personal texts.

A word or symbol for a quantity, such as eins, zwei, drei. Numbers appear in prices, times, phone numbers, and addresses, so you must understand them when heard and write them correctly.

The time of day shown on a clock. A1 listening tasks ask when something happens, and you must understand both formal times like 'vierzehn Uhr dreißig' and everyday ones like 'halb drei'.

An arranged time to meet someone or to have an appointment, for example at a doctor or office. You hear or read when it is and may have to write the day and time.

A chart showing the days, weeks, and months of a year. In A1 you use it to talk about dates and days, and reading tasks may show a simple weekly schedule.

One of the seven days of the week, such as Montag or Freitag. You need these words to understand opening hours, appointments, and short messages about plans.

Saturday and Sunday, the days most people do not work. A1 texts often mention weekend plans, and questions ask what someone does or where they go on those days.

The amount of money you must pay for something. In listening and reading tasks you compare prices or find how much an item or ticket costs.

A place where things are sold, like a shop or small store. A1 tasks mention shops, their opening hours, and what you can buy there.

The hours during which a shop, office, or building is open. You read or hear them in notices and announcements and answer when you can go there.

The list of food and drinks you can order in a restaurant, with their prices. Reading tasks may show a simple menu and ask what a person chooses or how much it costs.

To ask for food, a drink, or goods to be brought to you. In A1 listening you hear people ordering in a café or restaurant and you identify what they choose.

The paper or amount showing what you must pay after eating or buying something. A1 dialogues include asking for it and understanding the total sum.

A set of rooms where someone lives inside a larger building. A1 tasks describe flats, their rooms, rent, and location in short ads or messages.

The money paid regularly, usually each month, to live in a flat or house. You may read this amount in a housing ad and answer how much it is.

A single room inside a home, such as a bedroom or living room. A1 texts say how many rooms a flat has and what each one is used for.

The objects in a room such as a bed, table, chair, or cupboard. Short descriptions of flats mention furniture, and you match items to rooms.

The movement of buses, trains, cars, and people on roads and tracks. A1 listening texts include station and airport announcements about transport and delays.

The place where trains stop so people can get on and off. You hear announcements there and read signs, and you answer which platform or train is meant.

A ticket that allows you to travel on a bus, train, or other transport. A1 tasks ask where to buy one, how much it costs, and where to show it.

Words that tell someone how to get from one place to another, using directions like links, rechts, geradeaus. You follow these in listening tasks and give them in speaking.

A road in a town where cars drive and people walk, often with a name. Addresses and directions in A1 texts include street names you must catch.

A short written message sent electronically. In A1 writing you produce a simple informal email with greeting, a few sentences, and a closing, and in reading you understand short ones.

The words at the start of a letter or email that name the person you write to, such as 'Liebe Anna' or 'Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren'. A1 writing tasks expect a suitable one.

The closing words of a letter or email, such as 'Viele Grüße' or 'Bis bald'. A1 writing tasks require a short, fitting sign-off after the message body.

A short message giving or asking for information, for example to a neighbour or colleague. In A1 writing you write a few sentences to pass on or request simple details.

A message asking someone to come to an event such as a party or meal. A1 tasks ask you to write or understand a simple invitation with date, time, and place.

To say who you are and give basic personal information like name, age, country, and job. This is a core speaking task in A1, often done as a short self-introduction.

The job or profession someone does, such as Lehrerin or Koch. A1 speaking and reading tasks ask what someone works as and where they work.

The activity of doing a job, or the place where you do it. A1 texts mention working hours, colleagues, and what people do at work in simple sentences.

The time when you are not working and can do what you enjoy, like sport or music. A1 tasks ask about hobbies and free-time activities in short dialogues and texts.

An activity you do for pleasure in your free time, such as reading or cycling. In A1 you say what you like doing and understand others describing their interests.

A small word meaning you like doing something, used with a verb, for example 'Ich trinke gern Tee'. A1 tasks test whether someone likes an activity or not.

To say the letters of a word one by one. A1 listening and speaking tasks often require spelling a name or street aloud and understanding spelled letters.