1. telc B1 Exam Overview

The telc Deutsch B1 exam tests your ability to handle everyday communication in German-speaking countries. It covers four skills: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. You need 60% overall to pass, and you must pass both the written section (Schriftliche Prüfung) and the oral section (Mündliche Prüfung) independently.

Exam Structure

💡 Key Passing Rule

You need 60% in BOTH the written exam (Lesen + Sprachbausteine + Hören + Schreiben) AND the oral exam (Sprechen) separately. Failing one means failing the whole exam, even if you did great on the other.

🎯 Exam Strategy: Time management is crucial. In the reading section, don't spend too long on one question, mark your best guess and move on. You can always come back.

2. Essential Grammar for B1

This section covers the grammar topics most frequently tested in the telc B1 exam. Mastering these will directly help you in both the Sprachbausteine section and the writing/speaking parts.

2.1 The Four Cases (die vier Fälle)

German has four grammatical cases that determine the form of articles, pronouns, and adjectives. Think of cases as showing the role a noun plays in a sentence.

🔗 Arabic Speaker Tip: Great news, Arabic also has cases (مرفوع، منصوب، مجرور), so this concept is already familiar to you. The difference is that German marks cases on articles and adjectives rather than on noun endings.

Definite Article Declension Table

Memorization Trick

Only maskulin changes from Nominativ to Akkusativ (der → den). For Dativ, remember: MaDeM (Maskulin dem, Dativ dem, Feminin der, the 'm' and 'r' swap). Everything else you can work out from there.

2.2 Prepositions with Cases

Prepositions are one of the most heavily tested topics in Sprachbausteine. Each preposition requires a specific case. Here are the ones you must know:

Always Akkusativ

bis, durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, Remember the mnemonic: "BeDFGOU" (Bis, Durch, Für, Gegen, Ohne, Um)

Beispiel: Ich arbeite für einen großen Betrieb. (für + Akkusativ)

Always Dativ

aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, gegenüber, außer, Remember: "Aus-bei-mit-nach, seit-von-zu" (sing it like a song!)

Beispiel: Ich fahre mit dem Bus zur Arbeit. (mit + Dativ)

Wechselpräpositionen (Two-way Prepositions) CRITICAL FOR EXAM

an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen

These take Akkusativ for movement/direction (Wohin?) and Dativ for location/position (Wo?).

🔗 Arabic Speaker Tip: In Arabic, prepositions always take مجرور (genitive). German is more complex, you need to learn which case each preposition requires. The two-way prepositions are the trickiest part and appear in almost every exam.

Exam Strategy: In Sprachbausteine Teil 2, about 30-40% of questions test preposition + case combinations. If you only study one grammar topic, make it this one.

2.3 Verb Tenses You Need

For B1, you need to understand and use these tenses confidently:

Präsens (Present)

Used for current actions and future plans with a time indicator.

Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch. / Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.

Perfekt (Conversational Past) Most Important!

This is the past tense you'll use most in speaking and informal writing. Formed with haben/sein + Partizip II.

Sein or Haben?

Use 'sein' for: (1) movement from A to B (gehen, fahren, fliegen, kommen), (2) change of state (einschlafen, aufwachen, sterben), and (3) sein, werden, bleiben. Everything else uses 'haben'. When in doubt, 'haben' is usually right.

Präteritum (Simple Past)

Mainly used in writing and with modal verbs + haben/sein. You don't need all forms, focus on these high-frequency ones:

Konjunktiv II (Subjunctive, for Politeness & Wishes)

Extremely important for the speaking exam and formal letters. You need these forms:

Exam Strategy: In the speaking exam Part 3 (problem-solving), using Konjunktiv II naturally will impress examiners: 'Könnten wir vielleicht...', 'Das wäre eine gute Idee', 'Ich würde vorschlagen, dass...'

2.4 Subordinate Clauses (Nebensätze) Verb Goes to the End!

In German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb moves to the END of the clause. This is one of the biggest structural differences from both English and Arabic, and it's tested everywhere in the B1 exam.

Essential Conjunctions (Konjunktionen)

Arabic Speaker Tip: In Arabic, the verb order doesn't change in subordinate clauses (لأنّ, أنّ, إذا all keep normal word order). German is different, the verb MUST go to the end after these conjunctions. Practice this pattern until it feels automatic: 'Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Deutschland lebe.'

weil vs. denn

Both mean 'because', but they work differently. weil is a subordinating conjunction (verb at end): 'Ich bin müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen habe.' denn is a coordinating conjunction (normal word order): 'Ich bin müde, denn ich habe schlecht geschlafen.'

wenn vs. als vs. wann

The Golden Rule

After weil, dass, wenn, als, ob, obwohl, damit, bevor, nachdem, während, seitdem → the conjugated verb goes to the END. 'Ich weiß, dass du Deutsch lernst.' NOT 'Ich weiß, dass du lernst Deutsch.'

2.5 Relative Clauses (Relativsätze)

Relative clauses describe a noun more precisely. They use relative pronouns (der, die, das, etc.) and the verb goes to the end, just like other Nebensätze.

Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer. (Nom. → der Mann = subject of relative clause)

Die Frau, die ich gestern getroffen habe, ist Ärztin. (Akk. → die Frau = object)

Das Kind, dem ich geholfen habe, war sehr dankbar. (Dat. → dem Kind = indirect object)

2.6 Important Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs use 'sich' and are very common at B1. Many are tested in Sprachbausteine.

Exam Strategy: Learn the preposition that goes WITH each reflexive verb. The exam loves testing whether you know 'sich freuen AUF' vs. 'sich freuen ÜBER', the preposition changes the meaning entirely.

telc Deutsch B1 [Part - 2]

In the writing section, you’ll write ONE letter of approximately 150 words. You’ll be given a situation and 3-4 content points (Leitpunkte) you must address. The letter can be formal (an eine Firma) or semi-formal/informal (an einen Freund).

HSalem BlogHassan Salem

The B1 German Book I Wish I Had When I Started Learning

Learning German doesn’t have to take years. With the right approach, you can go from struggling to speaking confidently in just 60 days.

HSalem BlogHassan Salem