Praxis German: World Language flashcards

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

Main idea question strategy

Answer by summarizing what the whole passage or audio segment accomplishes, not by matching a repeated keyword; a detail-true option can still miss the main point.

Distractor with repeated vocabulary

An option that echoes a word from the audio but addresses a different question is a classic trap; verify what the question asks before selecting it.

Negation polarity check

When the source contains nicht, kein, nie, or ohne, the correct option must preserve that negative meaning; a positive paraphrase is wrong even if other details match.

Sie versus du cues

Formal Sie appears with titles, last names, and Konjunktiv II politeness; du appears with first names, family terms, and colloquial forms, indicating the relationship between speakers.

German two-digit numbers

Numbers 21–99 are spoken units before tens: einundzwanzig is 21, siebenundvierzig is 47. Write digits as you hear them to avoid reversing the order.

Station and travel announcement lexis

Key terms include Gleis and Bahnsteig for platform, Verspätung for delay, Anschluss for connection, and Ausfahrt for exit; these recur in announcement tasks.

Modal particle function

Particles such as doch, ja, mal, and eben carry tone rather than content: doch often contradicts an assumption, mal softens a request, ja implies shared knowledge.

Inference item method

Combine two explicitly stated facts to reach the unstated conclusion; reject options that require outside knowledge or that rest only on emotional plausibility.

Right-headed compounds

In German compounds the final element determines category and basic meaning: a Haustür is a door, a Türhaus is not a standard word. Parse from the right.

Separable prefix reunion

Prefixes like an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit-, and zu- may stand at the end of a clause; reattach them to the verb before interpreting the sentence.

Konjunktiv II in reading

Forms like würde, hätte, wäre, and könnte mark hypothetical or polite statements; an option presenting that content as accomplished fact misreads the passage.

Contrast connectors

Allerdings, dennoch, jedoch, and the pair zwar … aber signal a reversal; the author's actual position usually appears in the clause after the contrast marker.

Nominalization unpacking

Formal German packs actions into nouns, as in die Durchführung der Prüfung; convert to a verb phrase to identify who performs the action.

Preposition case cues

Mit, zu, nach, bei, and von take dative; für, ohne, gegen, and um take accusative; case endings help identify the grammatical role of ambiguous nouns.

Text type first

Identify whether the text is an advertisement, letter to the editor, official notice, or contract before reading for detail; genre predicts which information is central.

Keyword sentence reading

For detail questions, locate the keyword, read the entire sentence containing it, and judge the option against that sentence alone rather than against general impressions.

Interpersonal scoring criteria

Responses are rated on task completion and appropriateness, then text type and organization, then language control; a missing required element limits the score regardless of accuracy.

Formal email frame

Open with Sehr geehrte Frau or Sehr geehrter Herr plus surname and a comma; begin the body lowercase; close with Mit freundlichen Grüßen and your name, no period after it.

Register consistency

Choose Sie or du at the start and maintain it in pronouns, possessives, and verb forms; mixing Ihr and dein within one message is a register error.

Repair phrases in speech

Phrases such as Wie bitte?, Könnten Sie das wiederholen?, and Meinen Sie …? keep an interaction going and demonstrate communicative competence rather than failure.

Polite suggestion forms

Konjunktiv II structures like Ich würde vorschlagen … or Könnten wir …? produce appropriately polite requests and proposals expected at higher proficiency levels.

Answer then extend

In an interpersonal speaking turn, give the required response and add a reason or a follow-up question to show sustained, independent interaction.

Spoken past tense choice

Use Perfekt for past events in conversation, and Präteritum mainly with haben, sein, and modal verbs; written narration favors Präteritum throughout.

Prompt bullet coverage

Interpersonal prompts list required content points; address each one explicitly, since an unaddressed bullet is treated as an incomplete task by raters.

Verb-second rule

In a German main clause the conjugated verb occupies the second position; if an adverb or phrase starts the sentence, the subject follows the verb.

Subordinate clause word order

After conjunctions such as weil, dass, obwohl, wenn, and während, the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause.

Presentational connectors

Use zunächst, darüber hinaus, dennoch, folglich, and abschließend to mark sequence and argument structure, which raters weigh as organization.

Essay structure convention

State the thesis in the introduction, develop one idea per paragraph with support, and close by restating the position without introducing new arguments.

Narrative time markers

Zuerst, danach, anschließend, and schließlich sequence events clearly; pair them with consistent tense to keep a spoken or written narrative coherent.

Fluency pause fillers

Replace hesitation sounds with content-bearing phrases such as Das ist wichtig, weil … to maintain flow and add substance during planning gaps.

Comprehensibility pronunciation targets

Contrast ü with u and ö with o, distinguish the ich- and ach-Laut, and apply final devoicing so that Tag ends in a k sound.

Reusable structural chunks

Memorize frames such as Ein Vorteil ist …, Im Gegensatz dazu …, and Meiner Meinung nach … so that preparation time goes to content rather than to assembling syntax.