Guides
Learning German
Grammar, vocabulary and phrases the exams test again and again.
Learning GermanDescribing a picture in a German exam: where and how
Describing a photo in the DTZ, ÖSD B2 and ÖSD C1: what each exam asks, the order that works, and German phrases for position, guesses and opinion.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGerman B1 grammar: the topics the exam actually tests
Which grammar comes up in the German B1 exam? Counted across 100 telc B1 grammar gaps: verb forms, case, connectors, prepositions, with examples.
8 October 2026 · 2 min read
Learning GermanGerman B1 letter phrases: by purpose, with du and Sie
Inviting, declining, apologising, asking, complaining: German phrases for every B1 writing task, informal and formal, with a model answer.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGerman B1 vocabulary: what the official word list contains
The Goethe and ÖSD B1 word list has about 2,400 entries. What is in it, how to use it, and which topics keep coming back in B1 tasks.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGerman B2 phrases: forum post and complaint letter
The two typical B2 writing tasks: a forum post in Goethe, a complaint in telc. Phrases for each point, in the order that works.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGerman exam instructions: the 30 words you must know
ankreuzen, zuordnen, Antwortbogen, Aussage: the 30 instruction words that come up most in German exam tasks, counted across 831 instructions.
8 October 2026 · 2 min read
Learning GermanGerman nominal style at C1: from verbs to nouns and back
Nominalstil for C1 and C2: the ten transformations you need, where the exam asks for them, and when a verb is the better choice.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGiving your opinion in German: phrases from B1 to C1
Saying what you think, giving reasons, disagreeing, weighing up: German phrases by level B1, B2 and C1, and the exam tasks that ask for your opinion.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGerman verbs with prepositions: the B1 and B2 list
38 German verbs with a fixed preposition and case, ranked by how often they appear in B1 and B2 exam texts. Plus darauf, worauf and auf wen.
8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanHow long from A1 to B1 German? The official course hours
How long it takes to get from A1 to B1: the course hours the German state plans for it, the intensive and special routes, and what that means in weeks.
8 October 2026 · 2 min read
Learning Germantelc B2 Sprachbausteine: the grammar the exam really tests
telc German B2 language elements: 20 gaps, 30 points. Which grammar and vocabulary part 1 asks for, counted across 100 gaps, with examples.
7 October 2026 · 3 min read
Learning GermanGerman B2 connectors: which ones the exams actually use
German connectors for B2: which ones appear in the official telc, Goethe and ÖSD model papers, where the verb goes, and how many writing points they earn.
5 October 2026 · 9 min read