The A1 certificate is often your first milestone in German — and for many, it's required for a visa or residence permit. The good news: A1 is very achievable with 4-6 weeks of focused preparation.
A1 Exam Structure (Goethe / telc)
| Section | Duration | Points | What It Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hören (Listening) | 20 min | 25 | Understand simple announcements, phone messages |
| Lesen (Reading) | 25 min | 25 | Read short texts, signs, emails, advertisements |
| Schreiben (Writing) | 20 min | 25 | Fill in forms, write a short email/message |
| Sprechen (Speaking) | 15 min | 25 | Introduce yourself, ask/answer simple questions |
Required A1 Vocabulary: ~600 Words
The A1 exam requires about 600 words covering these topics:
- Personal information (Name, Adresse, Telefonnummer, Alter)
- Family and relationships (Familie, Freunde, Kinder)
- Shopping (Supermarkt, Preis, kaufen, bezahlen)
- Food and drink (Essen, Trinken, Frühstück, Mittagessen)
- Housing (Wohnung, Zimmer, Miete, Küche)
- Daily routine (aufstehen, arbeiten, schlafen)
- Time and dates (Uhrzeit, Wochentage, Monate)
- Directions and transport (links, rechts, Bus, U-Bahn)
Grammar Checklist for A1
- ✅ Present tense (regular + sein, haben, werden)
- ✅ Nominativ and Akkusativ cases
- ✅ Personal pronouns (ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie)
- ✅ Possessive pronouns (mein, dein, sein, ihr)
- ✅ Basic word order (SVO, yes/no questions, W-questions)
- ✅ Modal verbs: können, müssen, wollen, möchten
- ✅ Negation: nicht and kein
- ✅ Separable verbs: aufstehen, anrufen, einkaufen
4-Week Preparation Plan
- Week 1: Learn 200 core words (TheLernen flashcards) + present tense verbs
- Week 2: Expand to 400 words + Akkusativ case + modal verbs
- Week 3: Reach 600 words + practice writing short emails + listening exercises
- Week 4: Full practice exams + speaking practice + review weak areas
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TheLernen covers the entire A1 vocabulary with spaced repetition. Combined with the conjugation trainer and grammar cheat sheet, it's a complete A1 prep tool — for free.
Try it yourself — free
1000 most important words. AI explanations. Spaced repetition. Fast start.