Maharashtra SSC German (MSBSHSE) key terms

The skill of understanding spoken German, tested by listening to short dialogues or announcements and answering questions about what was said. Candidates identify key facts, times, places and intentions rather than translating every word.

Important words in a listening or reading text that carry the main information, such as names, numbers and verbs. Finding them quickly helps you locate the answer without understanding every single word.

Numbers and clock times in German, including forms like 'halb acht' (7:30), 'Viertel nach drei' (3:15) and prices such as 'zwölf Euro fünfzig'. Listening tasks often test these because small mishearings change the answer.

The date written and spoken in German, using ordinal numbers and months: 'am dritten Mai', 'der 3. Mai'. Ordinals up to 19 take -te, from 20 onwards -ste, and the preposition 'am' is used for dates on which something happens.

Numbers used for order or position, such as 'erste', 'zweite', 'dritte' and 'zwanzigste'. They behave like adjectives and take endings, as in 'am ersten Tag' or 'die dritte Übung'. Needed for dates and sequencing events.

Understanding instructions and announcements, such as 'Bitte einsteigen', 'Öffnen Sie das Buch' or 'Der Zug fährt ab'. Exam listening often uses public announcements and classroom instructions, so recognising the imperative helps you answer correctly.

The skill of understanding written German texts such as notices, emails, advertisements and short articles, then answering true/false or multiple-choice questions. Candidates must distinguish main ideas from details and infer meaning from context.

The type of a text, for example 'Anzeige' (advertisement), 'E-Mail', 'Speisekarte' (menu), 'Fahrplan' (timetable) or 'Einladung' (invitation). Recognising the type tells you what information to expect and how to read it efficiently.

The title or headline of a text. It usually signals the topic and helps you predict content before reading details, which saves time in reading-comprehension tasks with several short texts.

The labels 'true' and 'false' used in comprehension questions. A statement is 'richtig' if the text supports it and 'falsch' if the text contradicts it or does not say so; watch for small changes in numbers or negation.

Words that reverse meaning, such as 'nicht', 'kein', 'nie', 'niemand' and 'nichts'. Missing a negation is a common cause of wrong answers, because 'Er kommt nicht' means the opposite of 'Er kommt'.

A short personal message in German, usually with a greeting ('Liebe Anna', 'Hallo Herr Meier'), an opening line, body, closing formula ('Viele Grüße', 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen') and signature. Writing tasks often ask for one of these.

The way you address someone at the start of a letter or email. Informal: 'Liebe/Lieber + name'; formal: 'Sehr geehrte Frau ...' or 'Sehr geehrter Herr ...'. Choosing the right register is part of the marking scheme.

The closing phrase of a letter or email, such as 'Viele Grüße', 'Liebe Grüße' (informal) or 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen' (formal). It is followed by a comma and the writer's name on the next line.

The choice between informal 'du' and formal 'Sie'. Use 'du' with friends, family and classmates; use 'Sie' with adults you do not know, teachers and officials. Verb forms and pronouns must stay consistent throughout a text.

The polite 'Sie' form, which always takes the same verb ending as 'sie' (they): 'Kommen Sie?', 'Können Sie mir helfen?'. The pronoun is always capitalised in writing, and the possessive is 'Ihr/Ihre'.

A short guided composition on a familiar topic, such as 'Meine Ferien', 'Mein Hobby' or 'Meine Familie'. Markers look for clear structure, correct verb position, suitable vocabulary and a logical sequence of ideas.

Linking words that join ideas, such as 'und', 'aber', 'weil', 'denn', 'deshalb', 'trotzdem' and 'außerdem'. Using them correctly improves coherence, but each one affects word order differently, so learn the pattern with the word.

German word order. In a main clause the conjugated verb is in second position; in a yes/no question it comes first; in a subordinate clause the conjugated verb moves to the end. Time expressions can occupy position one.

A subordinate clause introduced by a conjunction such as 'weil', 'dass', 'wenn' or 'ob'. The conjugated verb goes to the end: 'Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.' Needed for complex sentences in writing tasks.

Changing a verb to match person, number and tense, for example 'ich gehe, du gehst, er geht, wir gehen'. Regular verbs follow patterns; strong verbs change their stem vowel, as in 'fahren – du fährst' or 'sehen – er sieht'.

The common past tense in spoken German, formed with 'haben' or 'sein' plus the past participle: 'Ich habe gelernt', 'Ich bin gefahren'. Use 'sein' with verbs of movement and change of state, and with 'bleiben' and 'sein'.

The past participle used in the Perfekt. Weak verbs take ge-...-t ('gemacht'); strong verbs take ge-...-en and often change the stem ('gesehen', 'geschrieben'). Verbs with inseparable prefixes drop ge- ('besucht', 'verstanden').

Verbs such as 'können', 'müssen', 'dürfen', 'wollen', 'sollen' and 'mögen' that express ability, obligation, permission or wish. They push the second verb to the end in the infinitive: 'Ich muss heute lernen.'

Verbs with separable prefixes such as 'aufstehen', 'einkaufen' or 'anrufen'. In main clauses the prefix separates and goes to the end: 'Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.' In the Perfekt the prefix joins the participle: 'aufgestanden'.

The four German cases: Nominativ (subject), Akkusativ (direct object), Dativ (indirect object) and Genitiv (possession). Articles, pronouns and adjectives change form according to case, so recognising the case is essential for accuracy.

The words 'der/die/das' (definite) and 'ein/eine/ein' (indefinite) that precede nouns and show gender, number and case. In the negative, 'kein' follows the same endings as 'ein'.

The negative article used before nouns: 'kein Auto', 'keine Zeit', 'kein Geld'. It declines like 'ein' and is used instead of 'nicht ein'. 'Nicht' negates verbs and adjectives; 'kein' negates nouns that would otherwise take 'ein' or no article.

The endings added to adjectives before nouns, which depend on the preceding article and the case: 'das kleine Kind', 'ein kleines Kind', 'mit dem kleinen Kind'. Predicative adjectives take no ending: 'Das Kind ist klein.'

Pronouns that replace nouns: 'ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie' in the nominative, with accusative forms 'mich, dich, ihn' and dative forms 'mir, dir, ihm'. They keep texts from repeating the same noun.

Small words such as 'in', 'auf', 'mit', 'für', 'seit' and 'ohne' that link nouns to the rest of the sentence and fix the case. Some take the accusative, some the dative, and some change case with motion versus position.

Prepositions that take the accusative for movement towards a place and the dative for position: 'Ich gehe in die Schule' (accusative) versus 'Ich bin in der Schule' (dative). Common ones are 'in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen'.

The vocabulary a candidate controls, organised by exam topics such as family, school, hobbies, shopping, travel, health and daily routine. Learning words in themed groups with articles and example sentences makes them easier to recall in tasks.

A group of words sharing a root, such as 'fahren, die Fahrt, der Fahrer, die Fahrkarte'. Learning families instead of single words multiplies usable vocabulary and helps you guess unfamiliar words in reading texts.

Compound nouns formed by joining words, such as 'Hausaufgabe', 'Fahrkarte' or 'Geburtstag'. The last element determines gender and meaning: 'die Hausaufgabe' is feminine because 'die Aufgabe' is. Breaking them into parts helps comprehension.

Words with similar meaning ('beginnen' / 'anfangen') and opposite meaning ('groß' / 'klein'). Multiple-choice vocabulary items often test these relationships, so knowing alternatives prevents choosing a near-miss option.

An apology or excuse, used in polite formulas such as 'Entschuldigung, können Sie mir helfen?' or 'Entschuldigen Sie die Verspätung'. Useful in short writing tasks and in listening dialogues where someone asks for help.

An invitation, either a short text ('Ich lade dich zu meiner Geburtstagsparty ein') or a written card giving date, time and place. Writing tasks may ask you to invite a friend and ask for a reply.