German Language
Word List
tag
Start
1
Getting started
1.1
How language sticks
1.2
How to learn here
2
Language basics
2.1
German Alphabet and Letter Names
2.2
How German Spelling Works
2.3
Minimal Grammar Terminology
2.4
How to Learn German Vocabulary Correctly
A1
1
A1 Overview
1.1
A1 Skills Checklist
2
Sounds and Reading
2.1
German Vowels: a, e, i, o, u
2.2
Long and Short Vowels
2.3
Umlauts ä, ö, ü
2.4
Diphthongs: ei, ai, au, eu, äu
2.5
ch, sch, sp and st
2.6
The German r at Beginner Level
2.7
Word Stress and Basic Sentence Melody
3
The German Sentence
3.1
The Sentence Core: Subject + Verb
3.2
Verb Position 2 in Main Clauses
3.3
Inversion: Starting with Time or Place
3.4
Yes/No Questions
3.5
W-Questions: wer, was, wo, wann, wie
3.6
Negation with nicht
3.7
Basic man and Impersonal es
4
Verbs in the Present
4.1
Infinitive, Stem and Endings
4.2
Regular Present-Tense Conjugation
4.3
sein — to be
4.4
haben — to have
4.5
Strong Verbs and Stem-Vowel Changes
4.6
Modal Verbs: The Core Idea
4.7
können and müssen
4.8
wollen, dürfen and sollen
4.9
möchten and Basic Polite Requests
4.10
Separable Verbs
4.11
Imperative: du, ihr and Sie
5
Nouns, Articles and Pronouns
5.1
Noun Gender: der, die, das
5.2
Definite Articles
5.3
Indefinite Articles: ein/eine
5.4
Negative Article kein
5.5
Plural Forms
5.6
Personal Pronouns in Nominative
5.7
Possessive Articles
5.8
dieser and welcher at Beginner Level
6
Cases: Nominative, Accusative, Dative
6.1
What Is a Case?
6.2
Nominative: Who Does the Action?
6.3
Accusative: Direct Object
6.4
Personal Pronouns in Accusative
6.5
Dative: Recipient and Indirect Object
6.6
Personal Pronouns in Dative
6.7
Nominative vs Accusative vs Dative
7
Prepositions, Place and Direction
7.1
Common Accusative Prepositions
7.2
Common Dative Prepositions
7.3
Wo? vs Wohin?
7.4
Two-Way Prepositions: an, auf, in…
8
Numbers, Time and Daily Life
8.1
Numbers and Quantities
8.2
Telling the Time
8.3
Days, Months and Dates
8.4
Basic Temporal Prepositions: am, im, um, von…bis
8.5
Frequency and Routine
9
Talking About the Past
9.1
war and hatte
9.2
Perfekt: The Basic Idea
9.3
Partizip II of Regular Verbs
9.4
Common Irregular Partizip II Forms
9.5
Perfekt with haben or sein
9.6
Word Order with Perfekt
10
Everyday Communication
10.1
Introducing Yourself
10.2
Family and Personal Information
10.3
Food, Drinks and Restaurants
10.4
Shopping, Prices and Quantities
10.5
Home, Rooms and Furniture
10.6
Work and Professions
10.7
Body, Health and Doctor
10.8
City, Directions and Transport
10.9
Travel, Hotel and Weather
10.10
Short Messages, Forms and Emails
A2
1
A2 Overview
1.1
A1 → A2 Bridge
2
Past Tense in Everyday German
2.1
Perfekt Review and Expansion
2.2
Partizip II with Separable and Inseparable Prefixes
2.3
Partizip II of -ieren Verbs
2.4
Präteritum of sein and haben
2.5
Präteritum of Modal Verbs
3
Connecting Sentences
3.1
und, oder, aber, denn
3.2
weil — Giving a Reason
3.3
dass — Reporting a Thought or Fact
3.4
wenn — Conditions and Repeated Situations
3.5
obwohl and trotzdem
3.6
deshalb, darum and deswegen
3.7
Indirect Questions
4
Describing and Comparing
4.1
Predicative vs Attributive Adjectives
4.2
Adjective Endings after Definite Articles
4.3
Adjective Endings after ein/kein/Possessives
4.4
Comparative: größer, schneller, besser
4.5
Superlative: am größten / der größte
4.6
Comparisons with als and wie
5
Reflexive and Indefinite Pronouns
5.1
What Are Reflexive Verbs?
5.2
Reflexive Pronouns in Accusative
5.3
Reflexive Pronouns in Dative
5.4
jemand, niemand, etwas, nichts, alles
6
Verbs with Prepositions
6.1
Verb + Preposition as One Learning Unit
6.2
Common Verb + Preposition Patterns
6.3
wo(r)- Questions
6.4
da(r)- Pronouns
6.5
Prepositions with People: mit wem? an wen?
7
Purpose, Advice and Politeness
7.1
Infinitive with zu: First Patterns
7.2
um … zu — Same Subject
7.3
damit — Different Subjects
7.4
würde, könnte, hätte: Polite Konjunktiv II
7.5
Giving Advice with sollte / könnte
8
Place and Movement
8.1
Two-Way Prepositions in Detail
8.2
Directions: nach, zu, in, auf
8.3
Origins: aus, von and woher
9
Passive Basics
9.1
Active vs Passive: What Changes?
9.2
Passiv Präsens: werden + Partizip II
9.3
von + Dative: Naming the Agent
10
Independent Everyday Communication
10.1
Housing, Ads and Shared Flats
10.2
School, Training and CV Basics
10.3
Travel, Hotel and Life Abroad
10.4
Appointments, Services and Phone Calls
10.5
Volunteering and Social Engagement
10.6
Culture, Media and Social Networks
10.7
Work, Training and Workplace Routines
10.8
Problems, Lost Things and Complaints
11
Pronunciation at A2
11.1
Schwa and Unstressed Syllables
11.2
Sentence Stress and Basic Rhythm
11.3
Word Boundaries and Connected Speech
B1
1
B1 Overview
1.1
A2 → B1 Bridge
2
Narrating Past Events
2.1
Präteritum: Regular and Irregular Verbs
2.2
Präteritum of Modals in Real Usage
2.3
Plusquamperfekt
2.4
nachdem and Sequence in the Past
2.5
bevor, seitdem and Temporal Relations
2.6
How to Tell a Story
3
Relative Clauses
3.1
Relative Clauses: The Core Idea
3.2
Relative Pronouns in Nominative and Accusative
3.3
Relative Pronouns in Dative
3.4
Relative Clauses with Prepositions
3.5
Relative Clauses with was and wo
4
Reasons, Consequences and Concessions
4.1
da vs weil
4.2
obwohl, trotzdem and trotz
4.3
wegen and Cause with Prepositions
4.4
daher, deshalb, deswegen, darum
4.5
sodass / so … dass
4.6
je … desto / umso
5
Infinitive Constructions
5.1
Infinitive with zu: Full B1 Use
5.2
um … zu vs damit
5.3
ohne … zu
5.4
(an)statt … zu
5.5
(nicht) brauchen + zu
5.6
lassen: Let, Leave and Have Something Done
6
Hypothetical Language and Future
6.1
Konjunktiv II for Advice
6.2
Unreal Wishes
6.3
Unreal Conditional Sentences
6.4
Futur I: Future, Prediction and Promise
7
Passive and Process Description
7.1
Passive Review: Präsens
7.2
Passiv Präteritum
7.3
Passive with Modal Verbs
7.4
Partizip II as an Adjective
8
Noun Phrases and Word Patterns
8.1
Genitive: Possession and Formal Relations
8.2
Adjective Endings without an Article
8.3
Comparative and Superlative before Nouns
8.4
Nouns with Prepositions
8.5
Word Formation: -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ung
8.6
Paired Conjunctions
9
Argumentation, Writing and Presenting
9.1
Expressing and Justifying an Opinion
9.2
Discussing Advantages and Disadvantages
9.3
Writing a Basic Summary
9.4
Giving a Short Presentation
9.5
Giving Feedback and Asking Follow-Up Questions
9.6
Formal Email Basics
9.7
Complaint and Problem Description
9.8
Job Application and Cover Letter Basics
9.9
Job Interview Basics
10
B1 Topic Packs
10.1
Travel, Regions and Tourism
10.2
Health, Fitness and Wellbeing
10.3
History, Inventions and Narratives
10.4
Languages, Dialects and Multilingualism
10.5
Digital Life and Online Safety
10.6
Economy, Startups and Consumer Behaviour
10.7
Housing, Neighbourhoods and Gentrification
10.8
Learning, School and Exams
10.9
Environment, Nature and Zero Waste
10.10
Culture, Festivals, Europe and Mobility
11
Pronunciation at B1
11.1
Intonation in Statements and Questions
11.2
Contrastive Stress and Focus
11.3
Connected Speech and Reduction
B2
1
B2 Overview
1.1
B1 → B2 Bridge
2
Tense Choice and Narrative Style
2.1
Perfekt vs Präteritum: Register and Genre
2.2
Plusquamperfekt in Complex Narratives
2.3
Konjunktiv II: Present vs Past
2.4
Advanced Position of nicht
3
Advanced Noun Phrases
3.1
Full Adjective Declension Review
3.2
Nominalised Adjectives
3.3
Partizip I and II as Adjectives
3.4
Attributive Comparative and Superlative in Complex Noun Phrases
4
Advanced Relative Clauses
4.1
Relative Pronouns across All Cases
4.2
Relative Clauses with Complex Prepositions
4.3
was / wo in Advanced Relative Reference
4.4
Generalising Relative Clauses: wer, wen, wem
5
Advanced Logical Relations
5.1
Expanded Cause: weil, da, denn, nämlich, wegen, aufgrund
5.2
Result: deshalb, daher, sodass, so … dass
5.3
Concession: obwohl, auch wenn, dennoch, trotz
5.4
Contrast: während, dagegen, hingegen, jedoch
5.5
Conditions: wenn, falls, sofern, vorausgesetzt, dass
5.6
Temporal Clauses: als, wenn, während, bevor, nachdem, seitdem, bis, solange
5.7
Two-Part Connectors in Argumentation
6
Passive and Passive Alternatives
6.1
The Passive System: Present and Past
6.2
Passive with Modal Verbs: Advanced Patterns
6.3
sich lassen + Infinitiv
6.4
sein + zu + Infinitiv
6.5
Adjectives in -bar as Passive Alternatives
7
Advanced Infinitive Constructions
7.1
Advanced Triggers for Infinitive Clauses
7.2
Perfect Infinitive: gemacht zu haben / gegangen zu sein
7.3
um/ohne/(an)statt zu in Formal Connected Text
8
Word Order and Text Cohesion
8.1
Temporal–Causal–Modal–Local in the Mittelfeld
8.2
Object and Pronoun Order in the Mittelfeld
8.3
Building Text Cohesion with Pronouns and Reference
8.4
Choosing Connectors by Function and Register
9
Reporting Information
9.1
Direct vs Indirect Reporting
9.2
Konjunktiv I: Basic Indirect Speech
10
B2 Writing, Data and Discussion
10.1
Writing a Kommentar
10.2
Writing a Stellungnahme
10.3
Writing a Neutral Zusammenfassung
10.4
Describing and Interpreting Charts
10.5
Structured B2 Presentation
10.6
Participating in a Discussion
10.7
Formal Complaint and Request for Remedy
10.8
Professional Profile and Networking
11
B2 Topic Packs
11.1
City, Rural Life and Urban Change
11.2
Language Learning and Education
11.3
Possessions, Family and Friendship
11.4
Health, Digital Medicine and Mobbing
11.5
Inclusion, Politics and Consumption
11.6
Housing Market and Tenant Rights
11.7
Media, Chatbots and Gaming
11.8
Science, Doping and Mobility
11.9
Design, Fashion and Beauty
11.10
Work, Coaching and Equality
11.11
Art, Festivals and Heritage
11.12
Senses, Feelings and Storytelling
11.13
Modern Travel and Digital Tourism
11.14
History, Structural Change and Future
12
Pronunciation at B2
12.1
Pronunciation of Foreign and Borrowed Words
12.2
Stress in Compounds and Derived Words
12.3
German r: Uvular, Apical, and Vocalised Variants
12.4
s, z, ts and Difficult Consonant Clusters
12.5
Clear Pronunciation for Presentations
C1
1
C1 Overview
1.1
B2 → C1 Bridge
2
Register and Style
2.1
Register: Spoken, Neutral and Formal German
2.2
Verbalstil vs Nominalstil
2.3
Information Density in Written German
2.4
Reformulating the Same Idea for Different Contexts
3
Nominalisation and Verbalisation
3.1
Causal: weil/da ↔ aufgrund/wegen/mangels
3.2
Concessive: obwohl ↔ trotz
3.3
Modal: indem/dadurch, dass ↔ durch
3.4
Final: damit/um … zu ↔ zu/für
3.5
Conditional: wenn/falls/sofern ↔ bei/mit/ohne/im Falle
3.6
Temporal: während/bevor/nachdem… ↔ Prepositional Phrases
3.7
Verb-to-Noun Formation for Nominal Style
4
Dense and Advanced Syntax
4.1
Infinitive Clauses: Active and Passive
4.2
Perfect Passive Infinitive: informiert worden zu sein
4.3
Extended Participial Attributes
4.4
Modal Participle: zu + Partizip I
4.5
Substantivised Adjectives and Participles
4.6
Weiterführende Nebensätze: was, womit, weshalb…
5
Reporting, Distance and Evidentiality
5.1
Konjunktiv I: Full System
5.2
When Konjunktiv I Falls Back to Konjunktiv II
5.3
laut, zufolge, gemäß, nach, wie…
5.4
Subjective Meaning of Modal Verbs
5.5
sollen and wollen for Reported Claims
6
Nuanced Argumentation
6.1
Stance: From Neutral Observation to Strong Position
6.2
Hedging and Limiting a Claim
6.3
Partial Agreement and Polite Disagreement
6.4
Expressing Feasibility and Practicality
6.5
Building and Refuting Counterarguments
6.6
Synthesising Several Perspectives
7
Lexical Precision and Collocation
7.1
Collocations: Learning Words in Natural Combinations
7.2
Nomen-Verb-Verbindungen
7.3
Verb–Noun–Adjective Prepositional Families
7.4
Connotation, Emotional Colour and Register
7.5
Compounds and Fugenelemente
7.6
Separable vs Inseparable Prefixes at Advanced Level
7.7
Modal Particles in Natural Conversation
8
C1 Writing and Presentation Genres
8.1
Advanced Analytical Kommentar
8.2
Differenzierte Stellungnahme
8.3
Fachtext-Zusammenfassung
8.4
Advanced Graph and Data Interpretation
8.5
Formal Widerspruch
8.6
Complaint with Constructive Demands
8.7
Writing a Ratgeber
8.8
Presenting a Concept or Project
8.9
Professional Elevator Pitch
8.10
Advanced Small Talk and Interaction Management
9
C1 Topic Packs
9.1
Media, Smartphones and Media Literacy
9.2
Data Protection, Health Data and Insurance
9.3
Payments, Ethical Banking, Fair Trade and Contracts
9.4
Demographic Change, Memory and Future Visions
9.5
Smart Technology, Medical Robots and Gaming
9.6
AI, Advertising, Memory and Psychology
9.7
Time Management, Downshifting and Sabbaticals
9.8
Sustainable Tourism and Regional Development
9.9
Regional Development, Architecture and Infrastructure Debates
9.10
Art, Film and Theatre
9.11
Work 4.0, Applications and Professional Self-Presentation
9.12
Intercultural, Nonverbal and Paraverbal Communication
9.13
Medicine, Noise and Fitness Trends
9.14
Climate, Sustainable Consumption and Recycling
10
Pronunciation and Prosody at C1
10.1
Discourse Intonation
10.2
Pragmatic Emphasis and Stance
10.3
Delivery in Formal and Professional Speech
Reference
1
Grammar Reference
1.1
German Word Order Master Reference
1.2
German Cases Master Reference
1.3
Articles and Determiners Master Table
1.4
Pronouns Master Reference
1.5
German Tenses Master Reference
1.6
Modal Verbs Master Reference
1.7
Prepositions by Case and Meaning
1.8
Adjective Declension Master Reference
1.9
Relative Clauses Master Reference
1.10
Passive and Alternatives Master Reference
1.11
Konjunktiv I and II Master Reference
1.12
Infinitive Constructions Master Reference
2
Pronunciation Reference
2.1
Vowels and Vowel Length
2.2
German Consonants and Common Clusters
2.3
German r: Main Variants
2.4
Word Stress
2.5
Sentence Intonation and Focus
3
Writing and Text-Type Reference
3.1
Text Types and Their Typical Structure
3.2
Email and Letter Structure
3.3
Summary Checklist
3.4
Opinion and Argumentation Phrase Bank
3.5
Chart Description Phrase Bank
3.6
Presentation Phrase Bank
4
Orthography Reference
4.1
Capitalisation in German
4.2
ss and ß
4.3
Vowel Length and Spelling Signals
4.4
Compound Words and Hyphenation
4.5
Comma Rules: Clauses and Infinitive Groups
4.6
Punctuation and Quotation Marks
5
Vocabulary Reference
5.1
How to Read and Learn a German Noun
5.2
How to Read and Learn a German Verb
5.3
Word Families and Word Formation
5.4
Collocations and Natural Word Combinations
5.5
Register, Connotation, and Near-Synonyms
5.6
Word List
6
Usage and Cultural Conventions
6.1
du and Sie
6.2
Spoken vs Written German
6.3
Formal, Neutral, and Informal Register
6.4
German in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
6.5
Names, Dates, Addresses, Numbers, and Common Formats
German Language