German A1
German A1: the exam, the alphabet, the numbers and the first words.
A1 is the first level of the European framework — enough to introduce yourself, shop, ask for directions and fill in a form. Most English-taught master's programmes do not require it, but it makes the first months in Germany far easier, and some visas (such as family reunion) ask for it. Everything here is free, and the practice test runs in your browser.
01The A1 exam
Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 — four parts, about 80 minutes.
The certificate most applicants book. It is scored out of 100 points and you pass with 60. Listening, reading and writing are taken together on paper; speaking is a short group session, usually the same day.
| Part | Teile | Questions | Minutes | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HörenListeningShort announcements, phone messages and everyday conversations. Each recording is played once or twice. | 3 | 15 | ~20 | Short announcements, phone messages and everyday conversations. Each recording is played once or twice. |
| LesenReadingShort notes, emails, signs and small ads. Mostly right/wrong and pick-the-matching-ad tasks. | 3 | 15 | ~25 | Short notes, emails, signs and small ads. Mostly right/wrong and pick-the-matching-ad tasks. |
| SchreibenWritingFill in a form with personal details, then write a short message (about 30 words) such as an invitation or a request. | 2 | — | ~20 | Fill in a form with personal details, then write a short message (about 30 words) such as an invitation or a request. |
| SprechenSpeakingIn a small group: introduce yourself, ask and answer questions on an everyday topic, then make and respond to requests. | 3 | — | ~15 | In a small group: introduce yourself, ask and answer questions on an everyday topic, then make and respond to requests. |
Also widely accepted at the same level: telc Deutsch A1 (telc gGmbH) and ÖSD Zertifikat A1 (Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch). Check which one your university or visa office names before you book.
Exam formats and timings are revised from time to time. Confirm the current format, fee and dates with your nearest Goethe-Institut or exam centre before you book.
02Das Alphabet
26 letters, three umlauts and the ß.
In the A1 exam you will be asked to spell your name and city, so learn the letter names, not just the sounds. Watch for the ones that trip English speakers: E is “ay”, I is “ee”, J is “yot”, V is “fow” and W is “vay”.
- Aaah
der Apfelapple
- Bbbay
das Buchbook
- Cctsay
das Cafécafé
- Ddday
dankethank you
- Eeay
das Essenfood, meal
- Ffeff
die Frauwoman, Mrs
- Gggay
der Gartengarden
- Hhhah
das Haushouse
- Iiee
die Inselisland
- Jjyot
das Jahryear
- Kkkah
das Kindchild
- Llell
die Lampelamp
- Mmem
die Muttermother
- Nnen
der Namename
- Oooh
das Obstfruit
- Pppay
die Postpost office, mail
- Qqkoo
die Quittungreceipt
- Rrair (rolled in the throat)
rotred
- Ssess
die Sonnesun
- Tttay
der Tischtable
- Uuoo
die Uhrclock, watch
- Vvfow (rhymes with 'cow')
der Vaterfather
- Wwvay
das Wasserwater
- Xxiks
das Xylofonxylophone
- YyÜP-see-lon
das Yogayoga
- Zztset
der Zugtrain
- Ääeh (as in 'bed')
der Käsecheese
- Ööur (as in 'fur', lips rounded)
das Öloil
- Üüee with lips rounded
die Türdoor
- ßess-tset (a sharp 'ss')
die Straßestreet
03Die Zahlen
Numbers: learn 0–20 and the tens, and you can build the rest.
Numbers come up in every part of the A1 exam — prices, phone numbers, times, dates and house numbers in the listening section especially.
- 0null
- 1eins
- 2zwei
- 3drei
- 4vier
- 5fünf
- 6sechs
- 7sieben
- 8acht
- 9neun
- 10zehn
- 11elf
- 12zwölf
- 13dreizehn
- 14vierzehn
- 15fünfzehn
- 16sechzehn
- 17siebzehn
- 18achtzehn
- 19neunzehn
- 20zwanzig
- 21einundzwanzig
- 22zweiundzwanzig
- 30dreißig
- 40vierzig
- 50fünfzig
- 60sechzig
- 70siebzig
- 80achtzig
- 90neunzig
- 100einhundert
- 101einhunderteins
- 200zweihundert
- 1000eintausend
- 2026zweitausendsechsundzwanzig
Five rules to remember
1.Ones before tens
47 = siebenundvierzig
literally “seven-and-forty”
2.eins becomes ein in compounds
21 = einundzwanzig
but 1 on its own is eins
3.16 and 17 drop letters
sechzehn, siebzehn
not sechszehn / siebenzehn
4.30 ends in -ßig
dreißig
every other ten ends in -zig
5.Numbers are one word
345 = dreihundertfünfundvierzig
no spaces, no hyphens
04Grundwortschatz
The basic words every A1 learner needs.
Each noun is listed with its article — der (masculine), die (feminine) or das (neuter). Learn them together: the article is part of the word, and the exam marks it.
- Greetings and polite words
- Personal pronouns
- Family and people
- Days of the week
- Months
- Colours
- Food and drink
- Places and getting around
- Everyday verbs
- Question words
- Useful A1 phrases
Greetings and polite wordsBegrüßung
- Hallo
- Hello
- Informal greeting for friends and people your age.
- Guten Morgen
- Good morning
- Formal greeting until about 10–11 a.m.
- Guten Tag
- Good day / Hello
- The standard polite greeting during the day.
- Guten Abend
- Good evening
- Greeting from about 6 p.m.
- Gute Nacht
- Good night
- Said only when going to bed, never as a greeting.
- Tschüss
- Bye
- Informal goodbye.
- Auf Wiedersehen
- Goodbye
- Formal goodbye; literally “until we see again”.
- Bitte
- Please / You're welcome
- Used to ask for something and to reply to “danke”.
- Danke
- Thank you
- “Danke schön” is a little warmer.
- Entschuldigung
- Excuse me / Sorry
- To get attention or apologise.
- Ja
- Yes
- Answer to a yes/no question.
- Nein
- No
- Answer to a yes/no question.
- Wie geht es Ihnen?
- How are you? (formal)
- Use with strangers, officials, teachers.
- Wie geht's?
- How are you? (informal)
- Use with friends and people you call “du”.
Personal pronounsPersonalpronomen
- ich
- I
- Not capitalised unless it starts the sentence.
- du
- you (informal, one person)
- For friends, family, children.
- er
- he
- Also “it” for masculine nouns (der Tisch → er).
- sie
- she
- Also “it” for feminine nouns (die Lampe → sie).
- es
- it
- For neuter nouns (das Kind → es).
- wir
- we
- Verb takes the -en ending: wir wohnen.
- ihr
- you (informal, several people)
- Plural of “du”.
- sie
- they
- Lower-case sie with a plural verb.
- Sie
- you (formal)
- Always capitalised; singular and plural.
Family and peopleFamilie
- die Familie
- family
- Stress on the second syllable: fa-MEE-lee-eh.
- die Mutter
- mother
- Informally “Mama”.
- der Vater
- father
- Informally “Papa”.
- die Eltern
- parents
- Plural only.
- der Bruder
- brother
- Plural: die Brüder.
- die Schwester
- sister
- Plural: die Schwestern.
- das Kind
- child
- Neuter, whatever the child's gender. Plural: die Kinder.
- der Mann
- man / husband
- “Mein Mann” means my husband.
- die Frau
- woman / wife / Mrs
- “Frau Schmidt” = Mrs/Ms Schmidt.
- der Freund
- friend / boyfriend
- Context decides which.
- die Freundin
- friend / girlfriend
- Female form of der Freund.
Days of the weekWochentage
- der Montag
- Monday
- All days are masculine (der).
- der Dienstag
- Tuesday
- “am Dienstag” = on Tuesday.
- der Mittwoch
- Wednesday
- Literally “mid-week”.
- der Donnerstag
- Thursday
- Named after Donar (Thor).
- der Freitag
- Friday
- “am Freitag” = on Friday.
- der Samstag
- Saturday
- Also “Sonnabend” in the north.
- der Sonntag
- Sunday
- Shops are closed on Sundays in Germany.
- heute
- today
- “Heute ist Montag.”
- morgen
- tomorrow
- Lower-case; “der Morgen” (capital) = the morning.
- gestern
- yesterday
- “Gestern war Sonntag.”
MonthsMonate
- der Januar
- January
- “im Januar” = in January.
- der Februar
- February
- All months are masculine (der).
- der März
- March
- Note the Ä.
- der April
- April
- Same spelling as English.
- der Mai
- May
- Pronounced like “my”.
- der Juni
- June
- Often said “Juno” on the phone, to avoid confusing it with Juli.
- der Juli
- July
- Often said “Julei” on the phone.
- der August
- August
- Stress on the second syllable: au-GUST.
- der September
- September
- Same spelling as English.
- der Oktober
- October
- Spelt with a k.
- der November
- November
- Same spelling as English.
- der Dezember
- December
- Spelt with a z.
ColoursFarben
- rot
- red
- Adjectives are lower-case.
- blau
- blue
- “Der Himmel ist blau.”
- grün
- green
- Note the Ü.
- gelb
- yellow
- “Die Sonne ist gelb.”
- schwarz
- black
- “Ich trinke den Kaffee schwarz.”
- weiß
- white
- Spelt with ß.
- grau
- grey
- “Das Wetter ist grau.”
- braun
- brown
- “Das Brot ist braun.”
Food and drinkEssen und Trinken
- das Wasser
- water
- Ask for “Leitungswasser” for tap water.
- der Kaffee
- coffee
- Stress on either syllable; both are heard.
- der Tee
- tea
- “Einen Tee, bitte.”
- die Milch
- milk
- “Kaffee mit Milch” = coffee with milk.
- das Brot
- bread
- “das Brötchen” = bread roll.
- der Käse
- cheese
- Plural is the same: die Käse.
- das Ei
- egg
- Plural: die Eier.
- der Apfel
- apple
- Plural: die Äpfel.
- das Fleisch
- meat
- “Ich esse kein Fleisch.” = I don't eat meat.
- der Reis
- rice
- Pronounced like “rice”.
- das Gemüse
- vegetables
- Singular in German, plural in English.
- das Frühstück
- breakfast
- “frühstücken” = to have breakfast.
Places and getting aroundOrte und Verkehr
- der Bahnhof
- railway station
- “Hauptbahnhof” (Hbf) = main station.
- der Zug
- train
- “mit dem Zug fahren” = to go by train.
- der Bus
- bus
- “die Haltestelle” = the bus stop.
- der Flughafen
- airport
- Literally “flight harbour”.
- die Straße
- street
- Addresses: Goethestraße 5.
- die Wohnung
- flat, apartment
- “das Zimmer” = a single room.
- die Stadt
- city, town
- Plural: die Städte.
- der Supermarkt
- supermarket
- “einkaufen” = to go shopping.
- die Apotheke
- pharmacy
- Marked by a red A sign.
- das Krankenhaus
- hospital
- Literally “sick house”.
- links
- left
- “nach links” = to the left.
- rechts
- right
- “nach rechts” = to the right.
- geradeaus
- straight ahead
- Common in directions.
Everyday verbsVerben
- sein
- to be
- ich bin, du bist, er ist, wir sind.
- haben
- to have
- ich habe, du hast, er hat.
- heißen
- to be called
- “Ich heiße Anna.” = My name is Anna.
- kommen
- to come
- “Ich komme aus Indien.” = I come from India.
- wohnen
- to live (reside)
- “Ich wohne in Berlin.”
- sprechen
- to speak
- du sprichst, er spricht (vowel change).
- lernen
- to learn
- “Ich lerne Deutsch.”
- arbeiten
- to work
- “Ich arbeite als Ingenieur.”
- essen
- to eat
- du isst, er isst (vowel change).
- trinken
- to drink
- “Ich trinke Wasser.”
- gehen
- to go (on foot)
- Also “Wie geht's?” — how is it going?
- fahren
- to go (by vehicle), to drive
- du fährst, er fährt.
- kaufen
- to buy
- “Ich kaufe Brot.”
- möchten
- would like
- The polite way to order: “Ich möchte einen Kaffee.”
Question wordsW-Fragen
- wer
- who
- “Wer ist das?”
- was
- what
- “Was ist das?”
- wo
- where
- Location: “Wo wohnst du?”
- woher
- where from
- “Woher kommst du?”
- wohin
- where to
- “Wohin fährst du?”
- wann
- when
- “Wann beginnt der Kurs?”
- wie
- how
- “Wie heißt du?” = What is your name?
- wie viel
- how much
- “Wie viel kostet das?”
- warum
- why
- Answered with “weil …” (because).
Useful A1 phrasesWichtige Sätze
- Ich heiße …
- My name is …
- The usual way to introduce yourself.
- Ich komme aus Indien.
- I come from India.
- Countries mostly take no article.
- Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch.
- I speak a little German.
- Useful the whole way through A1.
- Ich verstehe nicht.
- I don't understand.
- Add “Können Sie das wiederholen?” to ask for a repeat.
- Wie bitte?
- Pardon? / Sorry?
- When you did not catch what was said.
- Wie viel kostet das?
- How much does that cost?
- In any shop or market.
- Wo ist die Toilette?
- Where is the toilet?
- Signs say “WC”.
- Ich möchte …
- I would like …
- Polite way to order or ask for something.
- Die Rechnung, bitte.
- The bill, please.
- At a café or restaurant.
- Ich bin … Jahre alt.
- I am … years old.
- Always add “Jahre alt”.
05Practice test
Test yourself on the words above.
20 questions, drawn fresh every time from the lists on this page: German to English, English to German, numbers, and der/die/das. Nothing is saved or uploaded.
Practice test · 20 questions · untimed
Words, numbers and der/die/das — checked as you go.