PSEB Class 12 German key terms

The total set of words a learner knows or that a lesson teaches. In the exam it covers nouns, verbs, adjectives and fixed phrases from the prescribed textbook chapters.

The grammatical class a word belongs to, such as noun, verb, adjective, article, preposition or conjunction. Identifying it correctly helps you choose the right ending and position in a sentence.

A noun. In German every noun is capitalised and carries one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neuter. Its plural form must often be learned together with the singular.

A word placed before a noun showing gender, number and case. Definite articles are der, die, das; indefinite articles are ein and eine. Correct article choice is tested heavily in cloze tasks.

The changing of articles, adjectives and nouns to show case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive). Endings depend on gender, number and the case required by the sentence structure.

Grammatical case. German has four: nominative for the subject, accusative for the direct object, dative for the indirect object, and genitive for possession. Prepositions and verbs determine which case follows.

A word expressing an action or state. German verbs change form for person, number, tense and mood, and are placed in a fixed position in main and subordinate clauses.

Changing a verb to match its subject, for example ich gehe, du gehst, er geht. Regular verbs follow predictable endings; strong verbs also change their stem vowel.

Verb tense. The exam mainly requires Präsens, Perfekt, Präteritum and Futur I. Perfekt is formed with haben or sein plus the past participle.

The past participle used to build the Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt, and as an adjective. Regular forms take ge- plus -t; irregular verbs often take ge- plus -en with a changed stem.

A helping verb. Haben and sein form the Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt; werden forms the passive and the future. Modal verbs such as können and müssen also support a main infinitive.

A verb expressing ability, obligation, permission or desire: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, mögen. It sends the main infinitive to the end of the sentence.

A verb with a separable prefix, such as aufstehen or einkaufen. In a main clause the prefix moves to the end; in subordinate clauses and with modal verbs it stays attached.

A small word such as in, auf, mit, für or wegen that links a noun phrase to the rest of the sentence and fixes its case. Some prepositions take a fixed case; two-way ones depend on motion or position.

A preposition that takes the accusative for movement towards a place and the dative for position or movement within a place, for example in, an, auf, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen.

The ending added to an adjective before a noun, such as -e, -en, -er or -es. The correct ending depends on the article type, gender, number and case of the noun phrase.

A subordinate clause that cannot stand alone. It is introduced by a conjunction such as weil, dass, obwohl or wenn, and the conjugated verb moves to the very end.

A joining word. Coordinating conjunctions (und, aber, oder, denn) leave word order unchanged; subordinating ones (weil, dass, wenn) send the verb to the end of the clause.

Word order in a sentence. In a German main clause the conjugated verb stands in second position; if the sentence opens with an adverb, the subject follows the verb.

A clause that describes a noun, introduced by a relative pronoun such as der, die, das or denen. The pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun and its case from its role in the clause.

The passive voice, formed with werden plus the past participle, as in Das Haus wird gebaut. It shifts attention from the doer to the action and appears often in informational texts.

The form used for unreal conditions, wishes and polite requests, for example Ich würde gern kommen or Wenn ich Zeit hätte. It is often built with würde plus the infinitive.

The meaning of a word or expression. In reading tasks you must infer meaning from context when a word is unfamiliar, using surrounding sentences and word-building clues.

The surrounding words and sentences that help you understand an unfamiliar expression. Using context is the main strategy for answering vocabulary questions in the reading section.

A word with a similar meaning to another, such as Beginn and Anfang. Recognising synonyms helps you match statements in questions to wording that differs in the original text.

A word with the opposite meaning, such as hell and dunkel. Noticing opposites helps you reject false statements in true-or-false reading tasks.

The key piece of information in a text, such as a date, name, number or reason. Scanning for it quickly is more efficient than reading every word in detail.

Understanding the overall message or main idea of a text without grasping every detail. Questions on headings, topic or writer's intention test this skill.

Reading for specific facts inside a text, such as times, prices or conditions. Answers are usually found in one or two sentences rather than spread across the whole passage.

The title or heading of a text. Matching headlines to short passages is a common task type and requires catching the main theme rather than isolated words.

A chart or diagram presenting data. Reading tasks may ask you to compare figures, describe a trend or decide whether a statement matches the displayed numbers.

Numerical data presented in an organised way. Useful phrases for describing it include steigen, sinken, zunehmen and abnehmen, often with percentages.

A trend or direction shown by data, for example an upward or downward movement over time. Describing trends is required in chart-based writing tasks.

A short summary of a text giving the main points in your own words, usually with an introductory sentence naming the topic and source. It must not copy sentences from the original.

A factual account of what happens in a text or story, written in the present tense and without personal opinion. It covers setting, characters and main events in logical order.

A discursive essay presenting arguments for and against a question, usually ending with a reasoned personal conclusion. Clear paragraphing and linking words are essential.

A personal view on a topic. In writing tasks it must be stated clearly and supported with reasons, using phrases such as meiner Meinung nach or ich bin der Ansicht, dass.

A reason given to support a position. Strong exam answers state the argument, explain it and illustrate it with an example, often using deshalb, außerdem or einerseits.

A letter, formal or informal. Formal letters use Sie and a set opening and closing formula; informal letters use du and a friendly tone. Register must stay consistent throughout.

An electronic message written in a formal or informal register. Exam tasks often give three bullet points that must all be addressed in complete, connected sentences.

The opening greeting of a letter or email, such as Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren or Liebe Anna. It is followed by a comma and the next line begins with a lower-case word.

The closing greeting of a letter or email, such as Mit freundlichen Grüßen or Viele Grüße. It stands on its own line and is not followed by a full stop.

Fixed phrases and expressions learned for a particular task, such as giving an opinion, disagreeing politely or structuring a presentation. Using them correctly raises marks for expression.

Rendering a text from one language into another while keeping the meaning. In the exam it usually runs from German into the target language, and accuracy matters more than stylistic flair.

The way words are pronounced. Key points include long and short vowels, the ich- and ach-sounds, and the pronunciation of umlauts and the letter combination -er at word endings.

The stress placed on a syllable or word. Correct stress affects intelligibility, and in German the first syllable of native words is usually stressed, while many foreign words are stressed later.