MATSEC AM German flashcards

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

Meiner Meinung nach

Phrase meaning 'in my opinion'; used to introduce a personal viewpoint in speaking or writing, often followed by verb-second word order.

Redemittel

Standard phrases or expressions used to structure discourse, such as agreeing, disagreeing, or giving examples; essential for oral interaction tasks.

Vortrag

A short presentation in the oral exam; typically structured with introduction, main points with examples, and a conclusion including personal opinion.

Nachfragen

Asking follow-up questions to clarify or gain more information; a key interactional skill in listening and speaking assessments.

Hörverstehen

Listening comprehension; involves understanding main ideas and specific details from audio texts such as announcements, interviews, or conversations.

Bildbeschreibung

Picture description; a speaking task requiring location prepositions (auf dem Bild, links, in der Mitte) and present tense to describe what is visible.

Sinngemäßes Lesen

Reading for gist; quickly identifying the main idea of a text without focusing on every detail, often used before detailed reading.

Detailverstehen

Reading for specific information; scanning a text to locate particular facts, figures, or statements needed to answer questions.

Textsorten

Text types such as Bericht, Leserbrief, Anzeige, or Kommentar; recognizing the type helps predict structure, register, and purpose.

Kohäsion

Cohesion; the use of connectors and reference words (deshalb, außerdem, er, dieser) to link sentences and ideas within a text.

Überschrift

Headline or title; often signals the main topic of a text and is useful for predicting content before reading.

Inferenz

Inference; drawing a conclusion from information not explicitly stated, based on context and logical clues in the text.

Formeller Brief

Formal letter; uses 'Sie', standard salutation 'Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren', and closing 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen'.

Erörterung

Argumentative essay; presents a thesis, supporting arguments with examples, a counterargument, and a conclusion restating the position.

Bericht

Report; factual text in past tense answering W-questions (wer, was, wann, wo, wie, warum) in an impersonal style.

Konnektoren

Connectors such as 'zunächst', 'darüber hinaus', 'folglich'; they link sentences and improve coherence in written texts.

Einleitung

Introduction; the opening section of a written text that states the topic and often outlines the structure or thesis.

Schluss

Conclusion; the final section of a text that summarizes main points and may include a personal opinion or call to action.

Informeller Brief

Informal letter or email; uses 'du' forms, salutation 'Liebe/Lieber', and closing 'Viele Grüße' or 'Bis bald'.

Textproduktion

Text production; the writing component of the exam, assessed on task completion, coherence, range, and accuracy.

Akkusativ

The case for the direct object; also used after certain prepositions (für, ohne, gegen, um) and with two-way prepositions indicating motion.

Dativ

The case for the indirect object; used after prepositions like mit, nach, bei, seit, von, zu, aus, and with certain verbs (helfen, danken).

Genitiv

The possessive case; indicates ownership (das Auto meines Vaters) and is used after prepositions like wegen, trotz, während.

Wechselpräpositionen

Two-way prepositions (an, auf, in, etc.) that take accusative for direction/motion and dative for location/position.

Präteritum

Simple past tense; used mainly in written narration (ich ging, er machte) and with modal verbs, haben, and sein in speech.

Perfekt

Present perfect tense; formed with haben or sein + past participle, used mainly in spoken German for completed past actions.

Nebensatz

Subordinate clause; introduced by conjunctions like weil, dass, obwohl, with the finite verb placed at the end.

Adjektivdeklination

Adjective endings that change according to article type (definite, indefinite, no article) and case, gender, and number.

Reflexivverben

Verbs used with reflexive pronouns (sich waschen, sich freuen); the pronoun can be accusative or dative depending on the verb.

Passiv

Passive voice; formed with werden + past participle (Das Buch wird gelesen), used to focus on the action rather than the agent.

Konjunktiv II

Subjunctive II; used for polite requests (Ich hätte gern), hypothetical situations (Wenn ich Zeit hätte), and unreal conditions.

Wortstellung

Word order; in main clauses the finite verb is in second position, in subordinate clauses it is final, and in yes/no questions it is first.