This is the raw text of "Ace the German A1 Test" by Ron Gullekson.

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ACE THE GERMAN A1 TEST

RON GULLEKSON
Copyright © 2014 by Cypress Dome Publishing LLC

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief
quotations in a book review.

www.languagesurfer.com [dead link]

Table of Contents

1. The A1 Test – The Basics

2. The Strategy
3. The General Language Learning Phase
4. Test Preparation
5. Advanced Test Taking Strategies
6. Vocab Checklist
7. Grammar Checklist
8. The Day of the Exam
Resources
References
About the Author

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Introduction
If you can read this, you can pass the German A1 test.

That's not empty talk. The A1 Test is very passable.

Do people fail it? Yes. Not because they can't pass it, though, but because they come into the test ill-
prepared.

In April of 2014, I took the Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 examination at the Goethe-Institut
location in Atlanta, Georgia. I was a little nervous going in, but felt confident I had prepared well.

I ended up scoring 98 out of 100 possible points, which earned me a "sehr gut" qualification. (You
need 60 points to pass.)

Of course, that score made me happy. But here's something that might surprise you: I got those
results without having ever taken a German class.

Admittedly, I lived in Germany for two years, which helped. And I've studied courses on my own. And I
of course did a lot of specific test prep. Yet I never took a German class and never worked with a
German tutor, and I was still able to do extremely well.

I mention this because I know a lot of you can't take classes, for whatever reason.

Maybe classes are outside your budget. Or maybe they aren't offered in your area. Or maybe you've
even taken a class, but your teacher didn't really give you any specific test prep tips.

If that's the case, then you shouldn't let it stop you from attempting the A1 test. Yes, if you can take a
class, great. But I'm proof that you can practically ace the exam by studying entirely on your own.

This book is part strategy guide and part study guide. It draws on my experience as a language
professional and as a language student. More importantly, it focuses in on exactly the information
you need to pass the A1 test.

The book is tailored for students who want to take the Start Deutsch 1 exam, which is the test the
German government recognizes as proof of A1 language proficiency. But the basic principles covered
here can also be useful if you're taking any A1-level language exam that may be offered by other
organizations.

It bears mentioning that I have absolutely no affiliation with the Goethe-Institut or any other language
organization. Also, while I do get into specific information you need to know to do well on the exam, I
will not compromise the integrity of the exam by revealing any test questions or any nonsense like
that.

Because, again, this test is very passable. There's no reason for you to cheat. You just have to study
hard and prepare correctly.

In the following pages, I'll show you how.

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1. The A1 Test – The Basics
This chapter covers two topics:

• A1 Proficiency – What it is and what it means for you

• Test Basics – An overview of the Start Deutsch 1 exam

A1 Proficiency
So what does the "A1" refer to? Well, it refers to a specific level of language ability.

In everyday life, we tend to think of language ability as pass or fail. If someone asks you, "Do you
speak German?" you usually say "yes" or "no", and that's the end of it.

The reality is that language ability can't be gauged by "yes" or "no". It's a skill. And skills are measured
by proficiency.

Consider, for instance, a trumpet player. Maybe he started out in the middle school band, where he
learned the very basics. In high school, he played a little better. He continued to play in college, where
more intense instruction and time helped him play better yet. And then he became a professional
trumpet player, where his skills were further refined and perfected.

From middle school onward, the musician in this example has been able to "play the trumpet". But he
didn’t play as well in middle school as he does now. His skills progressed from "beginner" to "expert"
with time and practice.

It's the same concept for languages. Learning a language is a skill, which means you can reach
different levels of proficiency.

There's something called the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This
is a set of guidelines put together by the Council of Europe that describes six language proficiency
levels:

• A1 – Breakthrough / Beginner
• A2 – Waystage / Elementary
• B1 – Threshold / Intermediate
• B2 – Vantage / Upper Intermediate
• C1 – Effective Operational Proficiency / Advanced
• C2 – Mastery / Full Proficiency

As you can guess, all you have to worry about for the A1 exam is reaching the A1, or beginner, level.
The good news is that this is the easiest level to reach.

The not so-good news is that people often underestimate how much knowledge is actually needed to
reach the A1 level. It's much more than "Guten Tag". According to the CEFR description, reaching the
A1 level requires the following abilities:

"Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the
satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer
questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she

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has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to
help." (1)

That's still pretty broad, but it's probably enough of a guide to serve your needs. The specifics of what
you need to know for the test are covered in this book.

Test Basics
As I mentioned in the introduction, this book focuses mainly on preparing for the Start Deutsch 1
exam. Here we'll go over the five Ws of that test: Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

Who

The exam is created and administered by two organizations working together: the Goethe-Institut and
telc GmbH.

The Goethe-Institut is an organization that offers German language and cultural courses. telc is a
language testing company. Both are headquartered in Germany, with offices outside of Germany as
well.

What

The exam measures your general language aptitude. It consists of four general parts:

• Listening – You listen to short passages – conversations, phone message, and public announcements
– and answer questions about them.

• Reading – You read advertisements, personal notes, and signs, and then answer questions about
them.

• Writing – You do two things: 1) Fill out a form with data, such as personal information. 2) Write a
short letter.

• Speaking – You participate in a group conversation, first introducing yourself and then answering
and asking questions.

In the listening and reading portions, you'll have to answer both multiple choice and true/false
questions.

Each section is worth 25 points, for a total of 100 points for the entire exam. 60 is the minimum
passing score. Your test is further graded as follows:

90-100 Very Good

80-89 Good
70-79 Satisfactory
60-69 Adequate
0-59 Not Passed

Test prices may vary depending on location, on which organization you go through, and on whether
you are taking the test for the first time or retaking the test. I paid $100 (USD) to take my test through
the Goethe-Institut Atlanta center, which is probably close to what you can expect to pay.

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Where

You can take the test at any Goethe-Institut or telc location. You can find the nearest test center to
you by going to the respective centers' websites. (See the Resources section at the end of the book for
more information on how to find your nearest center.)

When

Testing schedules vary, but are somewhat infrequent. At the Goethe-Institut in Atlanta, exams are held
(as of this writing) twice a year: spring and fall. Check the websites for more information.

IMPORTANT: Testing can be somewhat infrequent. Check the websites for dates and plan accordingly.
Also, if you are under a time constraint, contact your testing centers to see what kind of options are
available.

Why

The German government is very serious about its residents being able to speak German. Proof of A1
ability is required for some people seeking visas, such as au pairs and spouses wishing to join their
significant others in Germany. As of this writing, the Start Deutsch 1 test is accepted by the German
government as proof of A1-level ability.

IMPORTANT: I am not a lawyer or an expert on the German immigration system. Please check with
the German consulate to verify exactly what you need and to have any specific questions answered.

Even if you don't need an A1 certification for immigration reasons, you may also want to take the test
to make sure your studying is progressing appropriately. I think it's an excellent test for self-studiers.

***

One last thing about the exam: It is conducted entirely in German. The written instructions are in
German. The verbal instructions from the test proctor are in German, with maybe a few words of the
local language thrown in if the person is feeling nice. And any written correspondence with the test
center will be in German by default (but I'm betting that you can ask if the person you're
communicating with speaks your language – if you need to).

Don't let that throw you off. The good thing is that there are sample exams available for free online, so
you can download those and figure out the instructions ahead of time. But we'll go over the details of
that in a later section.

*****

So those are the basics of the exam. It's really not that intimidating, is it?

You already know more or less what's expected of you and what the test is going to be like. That
alone will put you ahead of many test takers, who go in completely blind.

The rest of the book will help you really get prepared so that you can do as well as possible.

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2. The Strategy
In this chapter, I go over a personal strategy for attacking this test. This is probably the most
important part of the book, so please pay attention.

This chapter covers three topics:

• Strategy overview – An explanation of why you need a language strategy

• How long before you're ready? – A discussion of how much time you should set aside to prepare for
the test.

• The two phases – I recommend two separate phases for preparing for the test. This section explains
exactly what those phases are and what they entail.

Strategy Overview
Here's the problem. You might think that you progress in a language like this: You reach the A1 level,
then A2, then B1, and so on. That makes sense, right?

But that's not necessarily how it goes. When people learn a language – whether they learn it in a class
or by immersion or with self-study – it's never that linear. More likely, you learn a little bit of A1-type
material, but then through general exposure you pick up stuff that's more appropriate for B1 or B2. So
you'll have A1-level knowledge "kind of" down. You're lacking some other A1 abilities, but you might
not realize this since you can handle more advanced stuff. No big deal in day-to-day life, but kind of a
big deal if you're trying to pass a test.

Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. I once worked with a guy from Sri Lanka who
installed computer networking equipment. He spoke what most people would refer to as broken
English. I could understand him, but his grammar was always a little off. He was able to work, though,
because he knew a lot of English IT and business terminology. He used the advanced stuff – the IT and
business language – to make up for the fact that his basic language wasn't that great.

Don't get me wrong. He can work and communicate, and that's great. But if he had to take a language
test, he would likely not pass because he doesn't have the formal knowledge.

There are lots of examples of this out there. You even see it in people who have lived in a country for
decades. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, and it's natural for people to pick up only as
much of a skill as they need to get by.

Well, here's the deal. To do well on the A1 exam, you have to master the core basics.

The Goethe-Institut designed the test to teach you German the "right" way and prepare you for future
study. Even if you are already able to do some higher-level things with German, you must go back
and get the basics down.

In simplest terms, you have to prepare for the A1 test specifically.

How long before you're ready?

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How long should you study before you take the test? Well, it depends on your ability and your prior
exposure to the language.

According to the radio station Deutsche Welle, which works with the Goethe-Institut to offer a ton of
learning materials, you'll reach A1 after 75 hours of classroom instruction (and some additional
homework on top of that) (2).

Let's assume that's correct. If you attend class a couple times a week for two hours a session, you'll be
ready in six months.

I think if you're just starting out with German, and you study by yourself and commit at least an hour a
day, you can be ready for the test in three months. Fewer than that is possible, but you'd be pushing it.

If you've taken classes in the past, you might be able to get away with four to six weeks of preparation.

The two phases

Your studying should consist of two distinct phases:

1. General language learning

2. Test preparation

The goal of the general language learning phase is to learn enough German to accomplish A1-level
tasks. The easiest way to do this is to take some kind of course – even a self-study course – and
supplement it with additional work. I'll give recommendations for courses in the next section.

The goal of the test preparation phase is to reinforce what you learned in the general language
learning phase and to get ready for the specific challenges of the Start Deutsch 1 test.

The general language learning should take about 2/3 of your total studying time, with the test
preparation phase taking up the remaining 1/3. So for example, if you have 3 months to prepare, you
should spend two months on general language learning and one month on test prep.

General language learning is covered in the next section. Test preparation activities are covered in the
section after that.

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3. The General Language Learning Phase
In this chapter I cover three topics:

• Overview of the General Language Learning Phase – What it is and why it's important
• Language learning vs. language acquisition – The two ways to pick up a language
• Learning activities – Things to do to "learn" a language
• Acquisition activities – Things to do to "acquire" a language

Overview of the General Language Learning Phase

The general language learning phase is when you actually learn German. The goal is to learn and
acquire enough German to pass the A1 test. (I explain the difference between "learning" and
"acquiring" a language very shortly.)

This phase should take up approximately 2/3 of your study time. For instance, if you have 12 weeks to
study, then you would spend 8 weeks on this phase before moving to the test preparation phase.

I'm going to make a few assumptions about you:

1. You are literate. If you can read this, then you have enough basic language knowledge and aptitude
to pass the A1 test.

2. You are under a time crunch. You're likely taking the test for a reason, and you want to get ready for
the next available A1 exam.

3. Passing the test is as important, or perhaps even more important, that being able to communicate
in German. I took the test for "fun", but most people don't shell out a hundred bucks and subject
themselves to an exam just for the heck of it. They're taking the test for a reason.

I know you might be wondering why I mention that last point at all. After all, if you pass the test, won't
you be able to communicate in German?

Yes. However, the test covers only a very, very specific set of knowledge. It's a starting point. You
won't be able to perform each and every communicative task thrown at you. That's why it's called
"Start Deutsch 1", and not "Deutsch Fluent".

If you're trying to learn German, then you go out and learn as much German as you can. But if you're
trying to pass this test, then you have to concentrate on what you need to know for the test.

This gets a little tricky. To understand why, let's go over the difference between language learning and
language acquisition.

Language learning vs. language acquisition

Linguists – language scientists – make a distinction between language learning and acquisition (3).

With learning, you are making a conscious effort to understand the language. For example, you sit in
a class, you pay attention, you learn some vocabulary, you learn some grammatical rules, and you go

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home and memorize all that. Then you take a test to determine how well you learned the subject
matter.

With acquisition, you are picking up the language subconsciously. You pick up patterns and
meanings without even realizing it. The primary way to drive acquisition is by something called
"comprehensive input". What's that? Well, comprehensible input is basically language that you read or
hear that you can reasonably understand. For example, if you watch Sesame Street (Sesamstraße) and
can reasonably follow along with the story, then you're getting in comprehensible input, and therefore
are driving acquisition.

Here's the rub: both learning and acquisition are necessary.

Learning can get you to a certain point quickly, but the problem is that people brain dump what they
learn pretty quickly. Have you ever crammed for a science or history exam and then forgot all you
learned two weeks later? That's normal, but it's unfortunately not something you want when you're
trying to pick up a new language. Additionally, if you only focus on learning activities, you will have
difficulty performing listening or speaking tasks, which require quick, automatic recall of information.

Acquisition is an organic process and, from what I and many other people have observed, results in
better long-term retention of language. You'll also be able to process language quickly and
subconsciously. But the problem is that it's very, very slow.

To further complicate things, learning and acquisition overlap, and no one is a hundred percent sure
where one process starts and the other begins.

So what then?

As I said, the A1 test covers specific information. So you have to get some learning in. You have to
know certain basic grammatical rules and you have to memorize some specific vocabulary. Preparing
for the A1 test is not unlike prepping for an exam in school.

At the same time, I don't think that you'll be successful unless you throw in some kind of acquisition
activity.

So the simple solution is to do things that facilitate both learning and acquisition. Every day:

• Do a learning activity for 30-45 minutes.

• Do an acquisition activity for 15-30 minutes.

By the way, this is assuming that you have an hour a day to devote to learning German. If you have
less time, that's fine, but just know that it will take you longer to get to an A1 level. If you have more
time, you'll speed up your progress; there will eventually be a point where too much studying will be
counterproductive, but most people will not even get close to that limit.

Learning activities
There are lots of different kinds of learning activities out there, but I suggest you keep it simple: Take
some kind of course. Ideally, the course you take will cover reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
But if that's not possible, then you at least have to find a course that covers reading and listening.

Links to these courses are in the "Resources" section at the end of the book. A few of the courses I
mention cost money – sometimes significant money. But don't feel discouraged if you can't afford

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those courses because a couple of the options I mention are completely free. I mention this later, but
it bears repeating: your local library is a great place to get free stuff.

Face-to-face classes

This is the most traditional form of instruction, and truthfully it's the most time-tested. Simply take a
class for beginners and your local community college, Goethe-Institut, or private language center. The
good thing is that you'll have a teacher who will take full control of the curriculum and guide you. The
bad thing is that these classes are often pricey and take up a lot of your time with driving, parking,
admin, etc.

Distance learning

The Goethe-Institut offers distance learning courses. You'll get texts and a personal tutor. The problem,
unfortunately, is that the price is too high for many students – in the neighborhood of $900 to $1000
per course! I have no doubt that the courses are well made and will get results, so if you have the
budget for this, it might be worth it.

Deutsch Interaktiv [Editor’s note: supplanted by Nicos Weg]

Deutsche Welle (DW) is a German radio station that offers a ton of free language-learning material
that it developed in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut. Their best, most comprehensive course is
Deutsch Interaktiv. It's completely online and completely free, but you do have to register using an
email address. The course covers reading, writing, and listening. It also has speaking exercises, but you
don't get any feedback with the speaking.

There is material specifically labelled as A1, and I think this is probably the best course you can take if
you want to pass the Start Deutsch 1 test. There is a problem, unfortunately. The course is conducted
entirely in German, so if you're just starting out, you might not even be able to understand the
instructions. I suggest giving it a try and seeing if you're able to get by. If not, try one of the other
courses in this list and then consider coming back to Deutsch Interaktiv later.

Deutsch – warum nicht? [Editor's note: dated, from 1991]

This is another free course offered by DW. The lessons are set up as radio dramas, in which you hear
dialogues that contain specific vocabulary and grammatical constructions. It's pretty comprehensive,
covering everything you need for the A1 test. You can download audio files and their accompanying
worksheets.

If you speak English, then the nice thing about Deutsch – warum nicht? is that it contains English
translations and explanations. The pacing is a little slow, but it's a proven program.

Babbel

Babbel is a language-learning system that delivers language courses completely online, both on its
website and as an app. As of this writing, it costs about $13 (USD) a month if you go month to month,
with prices almost half that if you buy a year package. You progress through a series of courses, each
of which contains a series of lessons.

Each lesson is made up of the following:

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• New vocabulary words
• A dialogue
• Grammar instruction
• Review and drilling of what you've learned

There is also a speech recognition option, which I usually disable. You may like it, though. The
beginner level content covers A1-level material.

Babbel isn't free, but $13 a month is a reasonable price for the quality of instruction you get. I also like
that the interface is intuitive and easy to use.

Duolingo

Duolingo is another language learning system that offers instruction online, on its website and as an
app. It is completely free, but you have to register with an email address.

You progress through a series of lessons in your "skill tree". The lessons are set up kind of like mini-
quizzes, in which you rotate through the following kinds of activities:

• Transcribe a chunk of spoken text

• Translate a chunk of spoken and written speech into English
• Identify all correct translations of a chunk of spoken or written text
• Identify the English meaning of a vocabulary word
• Repeat a chunk of spoken text into a microphone
• Interpret (i.e., verbally translate) a chunk of spoken text into a microphone

For some people, including myself, Duolingo can become addictive. You're playing a game, so at
times you don't even feel like you're playing a game. And this is great because a sense of addiction
can help you do a lot more work that you would with traditional studying.

I like Duolingo a lot and recommend it. There are only two problems I can think of. The first is that it's
so drill-based that I'm not sure you're getting enough organic reading and listening practice. But if
you use Duolingo and then do the acquisition activities, then you're covering all your bases.

The second problem is that grammatical rules are, for the most part, not explained. You're expected to
pick up patterns yourself. That's great and a good way to drive acquisition, but the risk is that you
don't really know the rules, and thus might not be optimally prepared for the A1 exam.

Pimsleur

Pimsleur offers courses based on the Pimsleur method, a language learning philosophy developed by
the linguist Dr. Paul Pimsleur. Its most distinctive feature is its use of graduated interval recall,
otherwise known as spaced repetition. With graduated interval recall, you are expected to remember
and say a vocabulary word or phrase at increasing intervals – for example, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1
minute, 5 minutes, 1 day, 7 days, and so on.

Pimsleur is great if you have a commute to work or school because you can complete the lessons
during your drive. My first real success in German came when I used Pimsleur courses while living in
Germany.

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There are two problems, though. First, it's entirely aural, which is great in one sense, but won't
sufficiently prepare you for the Start Deutsch 1 reading and writing portions. (There's a reading
handbook that accompanies the course, but it's almost a side note.)

Second, you're not provided specific grammar instruction. Just as with Duolingo, you're expected to
identify patterns yourself.

But I might be splitting hairs, because I believe that if you get through all three levels of the Pimsleur
German course, then you've learned enough German for the A1 exam.

DLI Headstart2 and DLI GLOSS

The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is where the United States military trains its translators, foreign
area officers, and various other personnel in foreign languages. They also have several quality
language resources available for absolutely free to the general public.

One is the Headstart2 program. It's available in several languages, including German. This is designed
to give a well-structured introduction to the language and is perfect for A1 preparation.

The other is DLI GLOSS. This site has several self-study modules, including several A1-level texts. At
the GLOSS site, search for "Level 1" material, as this corresponds most closely with what you'll need to
know for the Start Deutsch A1 test.

Miscellaneous Self-Study Books and CDs

There are countless other programs out there from respected companies, such as Teach Yourself and
Berlitz. These are usually well put together, so you can't go wrong. You might find these at your local
library, so you can get by for free.

The important thing is that you need to find a course that has, at a minimum, a listening and a reading
component. For example, look for something that offers a book with an accompanying CD.

Acquisition Activities
If you were just trying to learn German without a test in mind, I would absolutely recommend that you
sit down and listen to the radio and watch the news and sitcoms. I think there's a value in drowning
yourself in language, overwhelming yourself, and making your brain identify patterns in the chaos.

However ...

I don't recommend that approach for preparing for the A1 test. Time is a concern and you have a
specific goal in mind. It would be better to approach the problem a little more efficiently. You might
as well be able to follow along a little bit. Picking an easier text will make you less frustrated and you'll
get more benefits out of this exercise. (If you did listen to the radio or watch sitcoms, however, it
wouldn't be the end of the world by any means.)

The rule of thumb of acquisition is that you should be able to understand 90% of a text. So out of 100
words, you should be able to understand 90. This way you can follow along with the plot or narrative
and can figure out the rest by context.

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But 90% isn't realistic in the beginning. If you only know a hundred or so words, how could you
possibly find texts in which you understand 90% of the vocabulary?

So instead, try to pick texts where you can follow along and get the gist of the message being
communicated. It doesn't matter if you only understand because of videos and pictures. The
important thing is that you reasonably understand.

Do not try to understand each and every word. Try to pick out what you can and follow along as
much as possible. As I mentioned, there is absolute value in getting lost, getting frustrated, and then
finding bits of meaning here and there. The key is to find texts with contextual clues that act as
training wheels to help you keep going.

In written texts, look for things like:

• Simple language
• Pictures
• Translations of key words

In spoken texts, look for things like:

• Simple language
• Clear enunciation
• Slow or at least moderately paced speech
• Video (visual) accompaniment

So here are examples of good acquisition texts. The links are in the Resources section:

Pocoyo

Pocoyo is a kids show available in several languages. The language is extremely basic and geared for
preschoolers, while at the same time being natural. Also, you'll be able to pick up vocabulary
intuitively. For example, let's say that Pocoyo is holding up an umbrella, looking at it, and shouting,
"Regenschirm!" What would you guess the word for umbrella in German is?

Go on YouTube and search for "Pocoyo Deutsch" or "Pocoyo German". There are literally dozens of
episodes, each about 5 minutes long.

Easy German

Easy German is a series of videos in which people on the street are interviewed (ambushed, really) on
everyday topics, such as what they do for a living or how they're spending their Saturday. In fact, some
of the topics are exactly the stuff covered by the A1 test.

The language is actually not that "easy" for beginners, but the videos are accompanied by both
German captions and English translations. Try watching each video three times. The first time, read the
translation as you watch the video. The second time, read the transcript as you watch the video. The
third time, watch the video without reading anything.

Bookbox German

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BookBox produces videos of children stories in a variety of languages, including German. The stories
are simple, and with the accompanying picture you should be able to get the gist of the plot even
without knowing a word.

As with Easy German, transcripts of the German text accompany the video. Unlike with Easy German,
however, there are no English translations. You'll have to rely more on intuition to get the meaning. (In
a pinch, use Google Translate to fill in some meaning.)

Sesamstraße

I'm sure you're familiar with Sesame Street. Well, Germany has its own version, called Sesamstraße. It's
affiliated with the stateside version, so you'll see your favorites: Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and the rest.

Some of the language is difficult. When humans and muppets speak, for example, the dialogue gets
tricky and beginners probably won't be able to follow along too well. There are times, though, when
the language becomes extremely simple – counting, for example.

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4. Test Preparation
In this chapter, I'll discuss six topics:

Overview of the Test Preparation phase – What to do after you've completed the General Language
Learning phase
• All Skills – What You Need to Know – German basics you need to know for all sections of the test.
• Listening – What You Need to Know – Listening-specific skills you need to know for the test.
• Reading – What You Need to Know – Reading-specific skills you need to know for the test.
• Writing – What You Need to Know – Writing-specific skills you need to know for the test.
• Speaking – What You Need to Know – Speaking-specific skills you need to know for the test.

Overview of the Test Preparation phase

After you've established a good base in the general language learning phase, you are ready to move
to the next step: the test preparation phase.

The goals of the test preparation phase are to:

: Review and reinforce what you've learned in the general preparation phase.
: Get you prepared for the specific demands of the A1 test.

This phase should take up approximately the last 1/3 of your study time. For instance, if you have 12
weeks to study, then you would spend the last 4 weeks on this phase.

As I mentioned earlier, the test examines your ability to perform four different skills: listening, reading,
writing, and speaking. Your test preparation should ensure that you are adequately prepared in each
skill.

A typical day might include:

• 10 minutes of reviewing material that you've studied before

• 15 minutes of reading test prep
• 15 minutes of listening test prep
• 10 minutes of writing test prep
• 10 minutes of speaking test prep

That's just an example. Use it as a general guide. If you need more help with speaking, for example,
you can devote more time to it. Or if you're having trouble remembering vocabulary words, you might
need to add in some flashcard work. The important thing is to make sure you're reviewing material
and working on each specific skill (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) regularly.

All Skills – What You Need to Know

Before we get to the individual skills, let's go over the basics you need to know. Specifics are covered
later, but it's useful to have a high-level overview of what kind of language to expect:

You need to know stuff like:

• Greetings and pleasantries – hello, goodbye, please, thank you, excuse me

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• Numbers – counting items, telling time, dates, costs of items
• Basic groceries – fruits, vegetables, wine, beer, meat, rice
• Transportation – bus, train, car, airplane, bicycle, motorcycle, as well as any words related to public
transportation – boarding, departure, gate, platform, passenger
• Hobbies – stuff that people like to do in their free time, such as walking, reading, playing sports,
music, concerts
• Common verbs – come, go, have, want, know, live, and so on.
• Weather – rain, snow, sun, clouds
• Travel – vacation terms, hotel, room, beach, names of holidays
• Clothing – shirt, blouse, sweater, pants, dress
• Colors – Red, yellow, blue, green, etc.
• Simple public announcements – Anything that is forbidden – e.g., "No Animals Allowed"
• People – Man, woman, child, mother, father, wife, husband, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, friend,
colleague, boss
• School and work – Student, teacher, employee, boss, school, office
• Question words – Who, what, where, when, why, how
• Miscellaneous everyday words – Euro, work, elevator, smile, laugh
• "Filler" words – From, to, with, on, under, in front of, behind

This list just gives you an idea of what to expect. See the "Vocab Checklist" and "Grammar Checklist"
chapters for more details. Remember – language educators believe the A1 level requires 75 hours of
classroom instruction and 500 words. That's a significant amount of time and a lot of material.

Listening – What You Need to Know

In the listening portion of the test, you are seated at a desk with other test takers in the room. The
proctor plays a CD containing short passages, such as conversations, phone messages, and public
announcements. After you've heard a passage, you answer a question about it.

Here are some notes about the listening passages ...

Sometimes a passage is played twice for you, but sometimes it is only played once.

The text is spoken at a natural speed. The speakers don't exactly speak fast, but they don't speak
slowly either.

The questions are usually straightforward, but a couple of them are designed to trip you up. It is vital
that you pay attention from the beginning to the end. A speaker might say something in the
beginning, but then something later in the passage might contradict him. For example, a teacher
might ask a student to bring him a basket of widgets. The student replies that she only has whazzits,
and the teacher replies, "That's fine." If the question asks you, "What does the student give the
teacher," the answer is "whazzits" – even though the teacher asked for widgets initially.

All vocabulary words are presented in their natural context. For instance, let's say a test question
intends to gauge how well you know German numbers. The passage will not likely be simply someone
saying "zehn". No, instead someone will say he has zehn widgets, and you will be asked how many
widgets he has.

Listening Test Preparation

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During the test preparation phase, you need to listen to A1-level content. Ideally, you would
understand every word of this material. But since you're a student, that's probably not likely, so your
goal is to understand at least the gist of what's going on.

There are several sources for A1 material. Some of them were mentioned during the general learning
phase discussion. In fact, you may be going over texts that you have encountered previously. The
difference now? In the general learning phase, you were using these texts as a tool to learn German. In
the test preparation phase, you are only trying to understand what you are listening to. You are
focusing on building your listening comprehension.

Possible sources (links in the resources section):

• Deutsch – warum nicht?

• Coffee Break German
• GermanPod 101
• Slow German

If possible, try to find short passages to listen to. The listening passages in the text contain only about
15 to 25 seconds of German spoken at a moderate speed. The test requires you to listen intently and
then quickly shift focus. If you can find material that lets you replicate that, awesome. If you can't, and
all you can find are longer passages, it's probably not a big deal. The important thing is to listen to as
many A1-level texts as you can find.

Reading – What You Need to Know

The reading portion of the test continues immediately after the listening portion. In fact, there isn't
even a break between the two sections. As soon as listening is complete, you progress straight to the
reading section. The test asks you to read and answer questions about short written passages.

Here are some notes about the reading passages ...

The texts consist of stuff like short advertisements (e.g., a small print ad in the back of a magazine),
emails, personal correspondence between two friends, street signs, public notices, and public
transportation schedules.

The questions can be mildly tricky, so pay attention. For instance, you might be given two ads for two
different stores. And the question might ask you, "Which store would you go to if you're interested in
widgets?" The first ad says, "Store X: We sell widgets, computers, and more." The second ad says,
"Store Y: A pet store. We are located on 247 Widget Street." The answer, of course, is Store X. But if
you were only looking for the word "widget", you might get confused.

Each written passage contains approximately 30 to 50 words. These texts are definitely not long. This
is good for you, since you won't have to wade through much text. Watch out, thought, because every
word counts.

Reading Test Preparation

Just as with listening test prep, you want to read as many A1-level texts that you can find. Possible
sources:

• Deutsch – warum nicht?

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• Pimsleur PDFs
• Transportation schedules
• Signs
• Advertisements
• Letters and Emails

Writing – What You Need to Know

The writing portion of the test immediately follows the reading portion. There is no break between the
reading portion and the writing portion. (If you've been following along, then you'll notice this means
that you take the listening portion, the reading portion, and the writing portion in the same session,
with no break.)

With writing, you'll be asked to do two things. First, you'll fill out a form with data. Second, you'll write
a short letter.

Here are some notes about what you are expected to write ...

The form portion of the writing test is as much a reading test as anything else. In the intro, you might
be told that you are a teacher traveling to Mars carrying 7 widgets. So you might fill out a form as
follows:

Occupation: Teacher
Destination: Mars
Number of widgets: 7

So you not only have to know what the words in the intro are, but you also have to know the words
"Occupation", "Destination", and "Number of widgets".

The letter you have to write is going to be fairly short – about 30 words. This means that every word
counts.

Ensure that your letter contains all the info requested in the prompt. Don't add filler or irrelevant
information. If you are asked to write a letter to your best friend asking her to send you some widgets
for a birthday party and to tell you how many people are coming to the party, don't talk about your
favorite subject in school.

You will be graded on your vocabulary choice, spelling, and grammar, as well as how well you satisfy
the prompts (that is, how well you include the required info).

Ensure that you begin your letter with a proper greeting and end it with a proper sign-off.

Writing Test Preparation

Since a big part of the writing test is reading, a lot of your reading test prep will carry over to helping
you here.

But you also need to make sure you know some things about writing.

First, you need to know the alphabet. Kind of a no-brainer, but in a lot of self-study courses, this isn't
covered.

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Second, you need to know how to spell words properly. Know that words are spelled "Straße" and not
"Strase", "Bär" and not "Ber", "gehört" and not "gehurt", and so on.

Third, you need to know basic grammar.

You also need to know how to begin and end a letter. The following are options for starting a letter ...

Formal:
"Sehr geehrter Herr," – (Dear sir – literally "Very honored Sir")
"Sehr geehrte Frau," – (Dear ma'am)
"Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren," – (Dear ma'am/sir)

Casual:
"Lieber (Male name)" – [Dear (male name)]
"Liebe (Female name)" – [Dear (female name)]

NOTE: After the comma in the greeting, the first letter in the following sentence is not capitalized. For
example:
Lieber Heiko,
ich gehe nach Hause.

The following are options for ending a letter ...

Formal:
Mit herzlichen Grüßen (Sincerely – literally "With warm greetings")
Mit freundlichen Grüßen (With kind/best regards – literally "With friendly greetings")

Casual:
Viele Grüße (regards – literally "Many greetings")
Liebe Grüße (best wishes – literally "Lovely greetings")

Speaking – What You Need to Know

After you complete the listening, reading, and writing portion of the test, you will take a short break
and then begin the speaking test.

In the speaking test, you are seated with everyone else taking the A1 exam that day. (The day I took it,
there were six people total.) The speaking test contains three parts: You a) give a short speech
introducing yourself, b) ask and answer questions related to specific prompts, and c) make and fulfil a
request according to a prompt.

Here are some notes about the speaking portion ...

The portion in which you introduce yourself is guided. You will be given a sheet of paper with certain
prompts (such as, "Name") and you go down the list providing the requested information out loud.

I have to imagine that the prompts are the same for every test. Even if they vary slightly, I don't see
how they could be too dramatically different.

Be prepared to understand other students, who will be speaking less-than-perfect German. Use
context to help. For instance, if they're supposed to make a request of you, and they tell you

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something like, "Allowed Smoking Is Not," then you should be able to see past this pretty easily to
know that they mean, "Smoking is not allowed." (Most people taking this test will speak pretty
decently, though, because they'll have often gone through a class or worked with a tutor.)

Don't get too complicated. Keep your sentences short and basic. You're not expected to be "fluent",
which means you don't have to worry about speaking long, flowery phrases.

Test Preparation

Since the introduction portion is going to be pretty straightforward, you can memorize quite a bit of
what you have to say. According to the Goethe-Institut website (3), in the introduction portion you will
have to provide the following info:

Name – "My name is ..."

Age – "I am <x> years old."
Country – "I come from <country>."
Place of residence – "I live in <city>."
Language(s) – "I speak <language>. My native language is <x>."
Occupation – "I am a <occupation title>."
Hobby – "I like to <activity>."

So get these sentences ready ahead of time. Know how to say all this stuff and then memorize it the
way you would a monologue for a play. Ideally, have a teacher, tutor, or German friend critique your
script and pronunciation.

You're going to be thrown a couple curveballs, though. You will be asked to spell and say numbers. Be
prepared to spell things. Know how to spell your first and last name, the street you live on, close
family members' names, and so on. (Remember that the German alphabet has its own pronunciation
of letters. Just because the German A looks like the English A, doesn't mean that it's pronounced the
same.) Know how to say your phone number, your street address number, and so on.

Know that the word for "first name" is Vorname, "last name" is "Familienname".

In addition to the introduction section, there are the question and answer (Q&A) sections.

First, get ready to ask simple questions: "What do you like to eat for breakfast?" "What is your favorite
food?" "Where can I buy a book?"

Second, practice requesting things. Know how to do stuff like:

• Ask and give directions simple directions – Go, straight, left, right, turn, cross, go, in front, behind
(although you probably want to keep any directions fairly simple during the test).
• Say something is or is not allowed – Widgets are not allowed here, No whazzitting here, etc.
• Ask for a cup of coffee.

IMPORTANT: The prompts for the Q&A/request sections are very vague, by design. Keep your
sentences simple. For instance, you may be shown a picture of a radio during the Q&A section. There
are a number of possible questions that come to mind:

• How much does the radio cost?

• Do you like music?
• What is your favorite song?

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• Where can I buy a radio?

All are valid. Pick whichever sentence that you're comfortable saying.

NOTE: The A1 test is simple enough so that you don't necessarily have to get your speaking practice
with another person. If you mimic after a native speaker – in your course, on a podcast, on a YouTube
video – you should get the pronunciation close enough to satisfy the demands of the test. For
instance, I prepped for the test without any speaking practice sessions (although I had spoken to
people in Germany, which gave me the confidence to know that my accent was at least
comprehensible).

With that being said, it's never a bad idea to get a reality check. If you take an in-person class, your
teacher should be providing you constant guidance. If you study on your own, talk to someone on
iTalki – a language exchange website – to see if they can understand you. As a last resort, post a
picture on YouTube requesting comments. You'd be surprised at how many people will chime in.

Page 21 of 40
=====
5. Advanced Test Taking Strategies
This chapter discusses some more advanced strategies to try to maximize your test performance.
Think of this as the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. You don't <i>have</i> to follow this
advice, but it might give you an edge.

Some of you may be great test takers, while others may hate taking tests. Either way, I think there are
some specific techniques you can use to improve your test performance.

Here are five tips you can try, including some that are specific to the A1 exam.

1. Go with your instincts.

If you get a little confused during the test and have trouble selecting the right answer, go with your
gut. There's no penalty for guessing. A lot of language is processed subconsciously, which means that
sometimes you can get the right answer without really knowing why it's the right answer.

Be careful to use this as a last resort, though. If you've prepared well, you should know the right
answer logically and shouldn't have to guess. But with that said, if you feel like you don't know the
answer, your subconscious might surprise you and pull out the right answer.

2. Eliminate wrong answers.

Much of the listening test is multiple choice. This means that if you have three choices, two of them
will be wrong. Obvious, right? Well, a lot of test takers forget that this means that sometimes the
wrong answers will often be obviously wrong.

For instance, let's say that a listening passage has Mr. Schneider saying, "I work in a bank. I am very
tired. I wish I could go on vacation, but I don't have money. Instead, I'll just go home and sleep after
work."

The question might say, "Where is Mr. Schneider going after work?" The choices are:

• To the bank
• On vacation
• Home

Let's say the passage was fast and you missed "home". You just heard "sleep". But you heard him say
he works in a bank, so you eliminate "to the bank" as a possibility. And then you heard him say he
doesn't have money for a vacation, so you eliminate "on vacation" as a possibility. This leaves the only
possibility as "home." You got the right answer without exactly knowing the right answer.

3. Memorize the test instructions ahead of time.

Remember how I said the test is entirely in German? I have a feeling that fact alone causes a lot of test
takers strife. After all, you're a beginning German student and the instructions can be a little
complicated.

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A PDF copy of the practice test is available on the telc website (link in the resources section).
Download the file and then copy and paste the instructions into Google Translate. Know ahead of
time exactly what you will be expected to do on the test.

4. Rehearse the speaking test.

I mentioned this in the previous chapter, but it bears repeating. Rehearse the introduction portion of
the speaking test over and over until you practically have it memorized.

I did this so much that I can still remember my speech: "My name is Ron. I'm 34 years old. I come from
the United States. I now live in Orlando, Florida. My native language is English. I also speak Arabic,
Spanish, and a little German. I am a writer by profession. My hobbies are going to the park, reading,
and going to the beach."

Very rarely will you get a speaking test that you get to memorize beforehand.

5. Copy the practice test.

This is a weird tip, and it's a little boring, but it'll provide benefits if you can tolerate it. Simply write the
text from the practice test on another piece of paper.

Weird, right?

Rote copying has its place, though. It'll force you to pay attention to spelling and helps you with
pattern recognition. And doing this with the practice test will get you acquainted with exactly the kind
of language you'll find in the A1 exam.

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=====
6. Vocab Checklist
Here is a list of 500 words that you should know at the A1 level. I collected these from multiple
sources and selected the final list based on my experience with A1-level German learning. If you know
all these words, in all their forms and conjugations, then from a vocabulary perspective, you'll be well-
prepared for the A1 test.

Okay, before you go any further, let me give you some recommendations.

Notice the word in the title: checklist. The purpose of this list isn't to "teach" you these vocab words
from scratch. The words aren't presented in context and I only give one or two translations. That's
because I did not intend this as being anything more than a reference. The list is for you to go
through as you're studying to make sure you haven't overlooked any words.

With that being said, if you like to learn vocabulary in lists, then you can use this list as a starting point.
Just make sure you go out on the Internet or in your study materials and find these words in context.

I only present one form of each word here. Adjectives and adverbs can look different depending on
the gender, number, and case of the word being modified. And while the verbs here are presented in
their infinitive form, they can, of course, be conjugated several different ways.

So go through, see what you know. You don't necessarily have to have every word memorized, but
you should be at least able to recognize them and understand more or less how they're used during
communication.

01 General Words You Need to Know

The numbers – 0 to 1000

Days of the Week – Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag

Months – Januar, Februar, März, April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August, September, Oktober, November,
Dezember

Names of currency – Euro, Dollar

Names of common countries and continents – Deutschland, Europa, die Vereinigten Staaten, etc.

Words and phrases for how to ask and tell time

Pronouns – ich, mich, mir, du, dich, dir, sie, ihr, etc.

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02 Body and Health
der Arm the arm
der Arzt the doctor
das Auge the eye
der Bauch the stomach
das Bein the leg
der Doktor the doctor
der Durst the thirst
03 Clothes
das Hemd the shirt
die Hose the pants (trousers)
die Jacke the jacket
das Kleid the dress
die Kleidung the clothes
04 Communication
der Absender the sender
die Adresse the address
der Anruf the call (phone call)
die Ansage the announcement
die Auskunft the information
der Brief the letter
die Briefmarke the stamp
die E-Mail the email
der Empfänger the receiver
05 Describing Words
bekannt known, famous
billig cheap
böse evil
bitter bitter
eilig hasty
einfach simple
falsch wrong
fertig finished
fremd strange, foreign
geboren born
geöffnet open
gestorben dead
groß big
günstig cheap
gut good
hell bright
hier here
hoch high
der Finger the finger die Hand the hand
das Fieber the fever der Hunger the hunger
der Fuß the foot die Krankheit the illness
das Gewicht the weight der Kopf the head
die Größe the size der Mund the mouth
das Haar the hair die Zunge the tongue
der Hals the neck, throat
der Mantel the coat
der Rock the skirt
die Schuhe the shoes
die Tasche the bag
das T-shirt the T-shirt
das Handy the cell phone
die Information the information
das Internet the Internet
die Karte the card
die Post the post office
die Postleitzahl the zip code
das Schild the sign
das Telefon the telephone
die Zeitung the newspaper
international international neu new
jung young normal normal
kaputt broken ruhig quiet
klar clear schlecht bad
klein small schnell fast
krank sick schön beautiful
kurz short schwer hard, heavy
lang long schwierig difficult
langsam slow teuer expensive
langweilig boring tot dead
laut loud verboten forbidden
ledig single verheiratet married
leicht light, easy weiblich feminine
Lieblings- favorite weit far
lustig funny wenig few
männlich masculine wichtig important
möglich possible zufrieden satisfied
müde tired
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06 Directions
der Ausgang the exit oben above, up, upstairs
die Brücke the bridge der Stadtplan the city map
die Ecke the corner die Straße the street
der Eingang the entrance über over, above, about
geradeaus straight ahead unter below, downstairs
hinten behind vor in front
die Mitte the middle

07 Eating Out, Fun, and Entertainment

das Abendessen dinner das Glück happiness
Guten Appetit! Bon Appetit das Hobby the hobby
das Café the cafe die Hochzeit the wedding
die CD the CD das Kino the movie theater (cinema)
die Disco the disco das Lied the song
der Eintritt the admission das Mittagessen lunch
der Film the film die Party the party
das Foto the photo die Speisekarte the menu
das Frühstück breakfast der Sport the sport
der Fußball soccer (football) das Ticket the ticket
das Geschenk the gift die Zigarette the cigarette

08 Family, People, and Pets

das Baby the baby der Hund the dog
der Bruder the brother der Jugendliche the teenager
die Dame the lady der Junge the boy
die Ehefrau the wife die Katze the cat
der Ehemann the husband das Kind the child
die Eltern the parents die Leute the people
der Erwachsene the adult das Mädchen the girl
die Familie the family der Mann the man
die Frau the woman die Menschen the people
der Freund the friend die Mutter the mother
der Gast the guest die Oma the grandma
die Geschwister the siblings der Opa the grandpa
die Großeltern the grandparents die Schwester the sister
die Großmutter the grandmother der Sohn the son
der Großvater the grandfather die Tochter the daughter
die Gruppe the group der Vater the father
die Hausfrau the housewife der Verein the association
der Hausmann the house husband die Verwandten the relatives
der Herr the gentleman der Vogel the bird

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09 "Filler" Words
ab from früher earlier, previously oder or
aber but für for oft often
alle all, any genau exactly ohne without
allein alone gerade just, just now pünktlich on time,
also so gern gladly punctual
an to gleich same richtig correctly
andere other immer always schon already
auch also in in sehr very
auf on ja yes seit since
aus from jede every so so, thus
automatisch jetzt now sofort immediately
automatically kein no, not any später later
bald soon lange a long time um about, around
bei at leider unfortunately und and
beide both letzte last unter under
besetzt occupied man one viel many, much
besser better meisten most vielleicht maybe
bis until nach after von from
circa approximately nächst next weiter more
da because nein no wenn when, if
dann then nicht not zu to, too
dort there nichts nothing zurück back
draußen outside nie never zusammen together
durch through noch yet, still zwischen between
einmal once nur only

10 Food and Drink

der Apfel the apple der Kaffee the coffee
die Banane the banana die Kartoffel the potato
das Bier the beer der Kuchen the cake
die Birne the pear die Milch the milk
das Brot the bread das Obst the fruit
das Brötchen the roll (bread roll) das Öl the oil
die Butter the butter die Pommes the French fries
das Ei the egg der Saft the juice
das Essen the food der Salat the salad
der Fisch the fish das Salz the salt
die Flasche the bottle der Schinken the ham
das Fleisch the meat der Tee the tea
das Gemüse the vegetables die Tomate the tomato
das Getränk the drink das Wasser the water
das Glas the glass der Wein the wine
das Hähnchen the chicken

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11 Government and Geography
das Ausland abroad das Land the country
der Beamte the official der Ort the place
das Dorf the village der Pass the passport
das Formular the form die Polizei the police
der Führerschein the driver's license die Stadt the city
die Heimat the home, the homeland die Welt the world

12 Greetings and Pleasantries

Achtung! Attention! Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Congratulations!
bitte please Herzlich willkommen! Warm welcome!
danke thank you der Name the name
Entschuldigen Sie bitte! Excuse me! Tschüss! Bye!
Entschuldigung Excuse me Viel Gluck! Good luck!
der Familienname Family name, last name der Vorname the first name
hallo hello

13 Living
das Apartment the apartment der Schlüssel the key
der Aufzug the elevator (lift) der Schrank the cabinet
das Bad the bathroom das Sofa the sofa
der Balkon the balcony die Stelle the place
das Bett the bed der Stock the floor
die Dusche the shower der Teil the part
der Garten the garden der Tisch the table
das Haus the house die Toilette the toilet
der Herd the stove die Treppe the stairs
die Küche the kitchen die Uhr the clock
der Kühlschrank the refrigerator die Wohnung the apartment
die Miete the rent der Vermieter the landlord
die Möbel the furniture

14 Money
die Bank the bank das Geld the money
bar cash das Konto the account
Euro Euro die Kreditkarte the credit card

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15 Nature and Time
der Abend the evening der Morgen the morning
der Baum the tree der Nachmittag the afternoon
die Blume the flower die Nacht the night
das Datum the date der See the lake
das Feuer the fire die Sekunde the second
gestern yesterday die Sonne the sun
Grad degrees die Stunde the hour
heute today die Vergangenheit the past
das Jahr the year vorgestern the day before yesterday
das Licht the light das Wetter the weather
das Meer the sea der Wind the wind
der Moment the moment die Woche the week
der Monat the month die Zeit the time
morgen tomorrow die Zukunft the future

16 Question Words
Warum ... ? Why ... ? Wie ... ? How ... ?
Wann ... ? When ... ? Wie viel ... ? How much ... ?
Was ... ? What ... ? Wo ... ? Where ?
Wem ... ? To whom ... ? Woher ... ? To where ... ?
Wen ... ? Whom ... ? Wohin ... ? From where ... ?
Wer ... ? Who ... ? Wofür ... ? For what ... ?
Wessen ... ? Whose ... ?

17 School
die Antwort the answer der Lehrer the teacher
das Beispiel the example die Lösung the solution
der Bleistift the pencil die Nummer the number
das Buch the book das Papier the paper
der Buchstabe the letter (of the alphabet) die Prüfung the test, the exam
die Farbe the color der Raum the room, the space
die Frage the question die Schule the school
die Hausaufgabe the homework der Schüler the student
der Kindergarten the kindergarten die Sprache the language
die Klasse the class der Text the text
der Kugelschreiber the pen das Thema the topic
der Kurs the course der Unterricht the lesson

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18 Shopping and Chores
das Angebot the offer
die Bäckerei the bakery
die Kasse checkout counter (cashier counter)
der Kiosk the kiosk
der Kunde the customer
der Laden the shop
der Platz the place
der Preis the price
die Rechnung the bill
die Quittung the receipt
der Verkäufer the seller, vendor

19 Travel and Transportation

die Abfahrt the departure
die Abflug the departure (by plane)
die Ankunft the arrival
das Auto the car
die Autobahn the highway
die Bahn the railway
der Bahnhof the train station
der Bus the bus
das Doppelzimmer the double room
das Einzelzimmer the single room
die Fahrkarte the ticket
das Fahrrad the bicycle
der Feiertag the holiday
der Flughafen the airport
das Flugzeug the airplane (aeroplane)
das Gepäck luggage
das Gleis the track
die Halbpension half board
das Hotel the hotel
der Koffer the suitcase
die Rezeption the front desk (reception)
die S-Bahn the city railway (commuter railway)
das Taxi the taxi
der Urlaub the holiday
das Zimmer the room
der Zoll customs
der Zug the train

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20 Verbs
anrufen to call (phone) lernen to learn
arbeiten to work lesen to read
aufhören to stop, to cease machen to make, to do
aufstehen to get up, to rise, to stand up möchten would like
bedeuten to mean mögen to like
bekommen to get müssen must, to have to
benutzen to use nehmen to take
bestellen to order (food, drink, things) rauchen to smoke
bleiben to remain, to stay riechen to smell
brauchen to need sagen to say
bringen to bring schmecken to taste
buchstabieren to spell schreiben to write
dürfen may, to be allowed to schwimmen to swim
einkaufen to shop sehen to see
erzählen to tell sein to be
fahren to drive, go by vehicle sitzen to sit
finden to find, to think sollen should, to be supposed to
fragen to ask spielen to play
geben to give sprechen to speak
glauben to believe stehen to stand
haben to have studieren to study (at university or tertiary
heißen to be called level)
helfen to help suchen to search for
hören to hear tanzen to dance
kaufen to buy trinken to drink
kennen to know (someone, a place, about tun to do
something) verkaufen to sell
kochen to cook, boil warten to wait
kommen to come werden "will" (future indicator), to become
können can, to be able to wissen to know (have knowledge of
kosten to cost something)
laufen to walk, to run wohnen to live, to reside
leben to live zahlen to pay, to settle up

21 Work
die Arbeit the work der Kollege the colleague
arbeitslos unemployed die Maschine the machine
der Arbeitsplatz the workplace der Mitarbeiter the staff member, employee
die Aufgabe the task, job der Partner the partner
der Beruf the profession die Pause the break, pause
der Chef the boss das Praktikum the internship
der Computer the computer die Praxis the practice
die Firma the company, firm das Problem the problem
das Geschäft the business, shop der Termin the appointment (for
das Gespräch the spoken dialogue professional, work purposes)
der Job the job das Vorstellungsgespräch the job interview

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7. Grammar Checklist
To pass the Start Deutsch A1 exam, you're going to have to understand some basic grammatical
concepts.

Please remember, though, that the exam is a test of your language ability. It's not a grammar test.
We're walking a fine line here. On the one hand, you have to understand the grammar and how it's
used in language. On the other hand, you're not going to be diagramming sentences, producing
grammatical terms, or anything like that. You have to know how to recognize and use certain
elements of grammar, but you don't have to have the knowledge of a grammar teacher.

For example, I understand the general concept of accusative and dative cases. I can recognize the
patterns during reading and listening, but I have a little problem getting der/dem/den/etc. just right
while speaking. Basically, I get a little mixed up.

But I had no problem on the reading and listening portion, and was careful to use only the language I
knew well during the writing and speaking portion. I had to know the general concept, but I didn't
need to have it all completely mastered to do well on the test.

So here are the basic grammatical concepts you have to know or at least be familiar with. This book
isn't a textbook, so I don't go into detail. This information is covered well by numerous sources and
textbooks, including the courses I mention in the Resources section. If you have questions about this
stuff that you can't find the answer to, feel free to leave them in my comments section at
www.languagesurfer.com and I'll do my best to help you.

01 Verbs
Verbs are the central element of the German sentence. Know the following:

• What the infinitive form looks like: e.g. spielen, haben, kommen
• How to conjugate verbs in their present tense form, especially haben, sein, and werden: ich habe, wir
haben, du hast, Sie haben, er hat, sie hat, es hat, ihr habt, sie haben, etc.
• How to conjugate verbs with separable prefixes, such as einladen and mitkommen
• General conjugation patterns for regular verbs, as well as irregular verbs
• The modal verbs – dürfen, können, müssen, mögen, sollen, wollen – and how to conjugate them
• Modal verb sentence pattern: Ich will hier schlafen.
• How to conjugate <b>haben</b> and <b>sein</b> in the preterite (past tense) form - war, waren,
hatte, hatten

02 Nouns
Know the following:

• The first letter of nouns are capitalized in writing

• Nouns can take the following forms: masculine, neutral, feminine, or plural
• A noun's form might not be what you expect. Frau (woman) is a feminine noun, as expected, but
Mädchen (girl) is a neutral noun.

03 Pronouns

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Know the following:

• Personal pronouns - ich, du, er, es, sie, wir, ihr, sie, Sie
• Possessive pronouns - mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr, Ihr
• Pronouns derived from articles - der, das, die, die
• Reflexive pronouns - mich/mir, dich/dir, sich/sich, uns/uns, euch/euch, sich/sich
• Common demonstrative pronouns - dieser, jener
• Common interrogative pronouns (question words) - warum, was, wer, etc.

04 Articles
Know the following:

• The definite articles in the nominative case – der (masculine), das (neuter), die (feminine), die (plural)
• The indefinite articles in the nominative case – ein (masculine), ein (neuter), eine (feminine)

05 Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions

Know the following:

• How to use predicate adjectives – Ich bin alt. Er ist müde.

• How to use basic adverbs – sehr, viel, hier, dort
• The common prepositions – in, aus, auf, über, für, von, mit

06 Questions
Know the following:

• How to ask questions using the interrogative pronouns – warum, was, wer, etc.
• How to ask yes/no questions – e.g., Hast du Hunger? Kommst du aus Berlin?

07 Accusative Case
Know the following:

• What the accusative case is.

• How the definite and indefinite articles change or don't in an accusative sentence structure – der
becomes den, ein (masculine) becomes einen, etc.
• How personal pronouns and possessive pronouns are used in the accusative case – e.g., Ich esse
meinen Apfel, Ich mag ihn.

08 Dative Case
Know the following:

• What the dative case is.

• How the definite and indefinite articles change or don't in a dative sentence structure – die becomes
der, eine becomes einer, etc.

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• How personal pronouns and possessive pronouns are used in the dative case – e.g., Ich laufe mit ihm,
Ich laufe mit meinem Freund.

09 Negating Words
Know the following:

• The word "nicht" and how it's used.

• The word "kein", all its forms, and how they're used.
• How "kein" changes in the dative and accusative cases.

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8. The Day of the Exam
So the big day arrives. You've put in the hours studying, and now you're ready to take the exam.

Don't mess up now! Learn from my mistakes.

Here's how my test day went.

I live in Orlando, Florida. The nearest test center was in Atlanta, Georgia. My exam was on a Saturday,
so I flew up on Friday evening and stayed the night at a hotel near my friend's house. Late Saturday
morning, I drove a half hour into downtown Atlanta, parked, and walked through a mall to find the
Goethe-Zentrum (Goethe Center) office. When I arrived, I signed in and waited. After a while the
proctor came out and then took about six of us back to take the test. When the test was over, I got my
parking validated at the reception desk and left.

Pretty simple, right?

Yes. But ...

... I left a few things out. I gave myself a few headaches that day by not being prepared. And let me
help you avoid those headaches. Here are seven test-day tips.

1. Make sure you can find the location.

In Atlanta, the Goethe-Zentrum is downtown, in a suite in a multi-story building. I had a GPS and the
address for the building, so no problem, right?

Wrong. I had to park in a parking garage, which had a different address and was difficult to find. Yes, it
was next to the building, but I had to drive down one block, turn around, and then enter via a
descending, somewhat hidden ramp.

After I parked and entered the building, I realized it was a little tricky finding the Goethe-Zentrum. Not
impossible, but I had to locate the suite on a directory and go up one or two floors to find it.

Goethe-Institut locations around the world differ in their details, so your experience will differ. But the
point is that you should have a good idea of where your test is located and be prepared if you have to
look around.

2. Give yourself time.

My test was at 1:00 pm. I hung out with a friend in the morning and then left his part of town at noon.
He supposedly lived a half hour away from the test center, so I thought I had plenty of time.

Unfortunately, I didn't.

First, I ran into heavy traffic.

Second, I got a little turned around because the GPS wasn't accurate.

Third, as I mentioned, I had a little trouble finding the location.

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And finally, I had to use the rest room before the test, but there was a huge line.

I showed up in the center at about 12:57, with only three minutes to spare.

Between the cost of the airfare and the examination fee, I spent a few hundred dollars. It would've
been a waste of that money, as well as my time, to miss the exam because I was late.

3. Bring 2 pens and 2 pencils.

When I showed up, I didn't have any writing utensils. I've been out of school a few years. It didn't even
occur to me to bring my own pens and pencils, because those ar usually provided for me these days.

Every other test taker in the room with me had a writing utensil. Yet I had to ask the test proctor for a
pen. It was embarrassing, and I think I may have been docked half a point for that. (I'm not 100% sure
about that last part.)

One student taking the test, an Indian engineer who lived in North Carolina, had two pens and two
pencils. I said to myself, "If I were to do it over again, I'd be like that guy."

4. Be prepared to interact in German.

As soon as your proctor greets you, he or she will begin speaking with you in German. After all, this is
a test created and administered mainly by the Goethe-Institut, an organization whose sole mission is
preserving and promoting German language and culture. The German communication before the
exam is as much a part of the test as anything.

With that said, my proctor helped clarify a couple points in English and was very accommodating. If
you're completely lost, don't be afraid to tap out and ask questions in your native language.

You probably won't have to, though. If you've studied, you'll probably be able to understand just fine,
or at least figure out what's going on by context.

5. Dress comfortably.
I was concerned there might be a dress code. I can't say for sure for every test location, but there
didn't seem to be one when I took the test. Female test takers wore shorts and flip-flops. The other
male test taker and I both wore jeans. It wasn't a big deal.

I recommend dressing comfortably. If you get cold in air conditioning, bring a sweater. If you get hot,
make sure you're dressing cool. The test is over an hour long, so you don't want any discomfort
distracting you.

6. Slow down.
You have plenty of time to take the test, and it's not a race to finish. Read the questions carefully and
do your best to get the right answer.

If you use a pencil, you can even go back and check over your work. (I used a pen, so I didn't have that
option.)

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7. Relax.
Don't be nervous. It's a serious test, but it's not particularly hard, and definitely not in any way
"grueling."

Just relax, take a deep breath, and do your best. Trust in your preparation and know that you've done
everything you could to get ready.

***

And on that note, this is where I leave you. You should have enough information – in fact, probably
more than enough information – to ace this test and never have to worry about it again.

If there's any way I can help, email me at ron@languagesurfer.com or leave me a comment at

www.languagesurfer.com.

Viel Glück!

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Resources

Testing Organizations

Goethe-Institut – http://www.goethe.de/en/index.html (English version)

Goethe testing locations – http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/pba/ort/enindex.htm
telc – http://www.telc.net/en/ (English version)
telc testing locations – http://www.telc.net/en/examination-centres/

Courses

Goethe-Institut distance learning – http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/fer/enindex.htm

Deutsch Interaktiv – http://www.dw.de/learn-german/deutsch-interaktiv/s-9572
Deutsch – warum nicht? – http://www.dw.de/learn-german/deutsch-warum-nicht/s-2548
Babbel – http://www.babbel.com
Duolingo – http://www.duolingo.com
Pimsleur – http://www.pimsleur.com
DLI Headstart2 – http://hs2.lingnet.org/
DLI GLOSS – https://gloss.dliflc.edu/

Acquisition Activities

Pocoyo German – https://www.youtube.com/user/PocoyoGerman

Easy German – https://www.youtube.com/user/magauchsein
BookBox German – https://www.youtube.com/user/bookboxinc
Sesamstraße – Several videos available via a search on YouTube for "Sesamstraße"

Test Preparation Texts

Deutsch – warum nicht? – http://www.dw.de/learn-german/deutsch-warum-nicht/s-2548

Coffee Break German – http://radiolingua.com/members/coffee-break-german/ (Also available on
iTunes)
GermanPod 101 – http://www.germanpod101.com/ (Also available on iTunes)
Slow German – http://www.slowgerman.com/

Practice Tests

Goethe-Institut – http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/pba/bes/sd1/mat/enindex.htm
telc – http://www.telc.net/en/what-telc-offers/english/telc-english-a1/practice-material/

(NOTE: The Goethe-Institut and telc practice tests are virtually identical. The difference is that Goethe-
Institut's practice tests are taken online, while the telc exam is presented as a PDF file.)

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References
1. "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment."
Council of Europe. http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/elp/elp-
reg/Source/Key_reference/Overview_CEFRscales_EN.pdf

2. "Objective of the Common European Framework." Deutsche Welle. http://deutschkurse.dw-

world.de/dw_static_content/langerklaerung_en.html

3. "Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning." Everything ESL.

http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_acquisiti_vs_language_02033.php

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About the Author
Ron Gullekson is a technical writer and translator from Orlando, Florida. In addition to his native
English, he has studied Arabic, German, and Spanish. He writes about language learning at
www.languagesurfer.com.

When he's not learning languages, he likes spending time with his family and is an avid MMA fan. If
you want to talk to him about upcoming fights (or anything really) you can contact him at his
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/languagesurfer.

[ENDS]

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