German Language A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) Syllabus

A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) in German Language, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The Dative Case

   4 topics

   • Dative Articles and Pronouns
   • Dative Verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen)
   • Dative Prepositions (mit, nach, bei, von, zu)
   • Two-Way Prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen)
2. 2

   Past Tenses

   4 topics

   • Perfekt with haben
   • Perfekt with sein (Motion/Change)
   • Präteritum of sein, haben, and Modals
   • Separable and Inseparable Verbs in the Past
3. 3

   Adjective Endings

   4 topics

   • Adjectives After Definite Articles
   • Adjectives After Indefinite Articles
   • Adjectives Without Articles
   • Comparative and Superlative
4. 4

   Conjunctions and Clauses

   3 topics

   • Subordinating Conjunctions (weil, dass, wenn)
   • Word Order in Subordinate Clauses
   • Causal and Temporal Clauses
5. 5

   Expanded Vocabulary

   4 topics

   • Health and the Body
   • Travel and Transportation
   • Work and Professions
   • Hobbies and Free Time
6. 6

   Future and Reflexive Verbs

   3 topics

   • Future with werden (Futur I)
   • Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns
   • Verbs with Fixed Prepositions
7. 7

   Communication A2

   4 topics

   • Making Appointments
   • Shopping and Comparing Prices
   • Describing Past Events
   • Writing Short Emails and Messages

A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) flashcards for German Language

25 of 51 cards from the A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the definite articles in the dative case for masculine, neuter, feminine, and plural nouns?

   Masculine: dem, Neuter: dem, Feminine: der, Plural: den (and the noun adds -n if it doesn't already end in -n, e.g. den Kindern).

2. What are the indefinite articles (ein-words) in the dative case for masculine, neuter, and feminine?

   Masculine: einem, Neuter: einem, Feminine: einer. The negative/possessive follow the same pattern (keinem, keinem, keiner; meinem, meiner).

3. List the dative personal pronouns for ich, du, er, sie (she), es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie.

   ich to mir, du to dir, er to ihm, sie (she) to ihr, es to ihm, wir to uns, ihr to euch, sie/Sie to ihnen/Ihnen.

4. Which grammatical role does the dative case typically mark in a German sentence?

   The dative marks the indirect object, i.e. the recipient (to/for whom something is done), e.g. Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.

5. Name three common dative verbs that always take a dative object, and give their meanings.

   helfen (to help), danken (to thank), gefallen (to please/to like). E.g. Ich helfe dir, Ich danke dir, Das Buch gefällt mir.

6. How does the verb gefallen work to express liking, and what case does the liked thing take?

   The liked thing is the subject (nominative) and the person is dative: Das Auto gefällt mir (I like the car; literally 'the car pleases me'). Plural: Die Autos gefallen mir.

7. Besides helfen, danken, and gefallen, list three more common dative verbs.

   antworten (to answer), gehören (to belong to), gratulieren (to congratulate); also passen, schmecken, glauben (a person). E.g. Das gehört mir.

8. Which prepositions always require the dative case? Name the core five plus others.

   Core five: mit, nach, bei, von, zu. Others: aus, seit, gegenüber, ausser (aus, ausser, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu, gegenüber).

9. What are the meanings of the dative prepositions mit, nach, bei, von, and zu?

   mit = with, nach = after/to (cities/countries), bei = at/near/at someone's place, von = from/of, zu = to (people/places).

10. Give the common contractions of dative prepositions with the article dem.

    bei + dem = beim, von + dem = vom, zu + dem = zum. Also zu + der = zur.

11. What are Wechselpräpositionen (two-way prepositions), and how do they choose their case?

    Prepositions that take accusative for motion/direction (Wohin? question) and dative for location/position (Wo? question).

12. List the nine German two-way prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen).

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

13. For a two-way preposition: which case answers 'Wohin?' (where to) and which answers 'Wo?' (where at)?

    Wohin? (movement/direction) takes the accusative; Wo? (fixed location) takes the dative. E.g. Ich gehe in die Schule (acc) vs. Ich bin in der Schule (dat).

14. Translate and give the case: 'Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch' vs. 'Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.'

    'The book lies on the table' — dative (dem, location/Wo?). 'I put the book on the table' — accusative (den, direction/Wohin?).

15. How is the Perfekt tense formed in German?

    Auxiliary verb (haben or sein) in the present tense + past participle (Partizip II) placed at the end of the clause. E.g. Ich habe gespielt.

16. How is the regular (weak) past participle formed for a verb like machen?

    ge- + verb stem + -t: machen to gemacht, spielen to gespielt, lernen to gelernt.

17. Which auxiliary do most German verbs use in the Perfekt, and give an example sentence.

    Most verbs use haben. Example: Ich habe das Buch gelesen (I have read the book / I read the book).

18. Which verbs form the Perfekt with sein instead of haben?

    Verbs of motion/change of location (gehen, kommen, fahren, fliegen), verbs of change of state (aufstehen, einschlafen, sterben, wachsen), and the verbs sein and bleiben.

19. Give the Perfekt of 'gehen' and 'fahren' with the correct auxiliary.

    gehen to ich bin gegangen; fahren to ich bin gefahren. Both use sein because they express motion.

20. What is the Perfekt form of sein and of bleiben (1st person singular)?

    sein to ich bin gewesen (I have been); bleiben to ich bin geblieben (I have stayed). Both take sein as auxiliary.

21. What is the Präteritum (simple past) of sein for ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie?

    ich war, du warst, er/sie/es war, wir waren, ihr wart, sie/Sie waren.

22. What is the Präteritum (simple past) of haben for all persons?

    ich hatte, du hattest, er/sie/es hatte, wir hatten, ihr hattet, sie/Sie hatten.

23. What is the Präteritum of the modal können (all persons)?

    ich konnte, du konntest, er/sie/es konnte, wir konnten, ihr konntet, sie/Sie konnten (note: no umlaut in the past).

24. Give the Präteritum ich-forms of the modals müssen, dürfen, wollen, sollen, and mögen.

    müssen to musste, dürfen to durfte, wollen to wollte, sollen to sollte, mögen to mochte (umlauts drop in the Präteritum).

25. How does a separable verb form its past participle in the Perfekt? Give an example.

    The prefix is placed before ge-: aufstehen to aufgestanden, einkaufen to eingekauft, ankommen to angekommen. E.g. Ich habe eingekauft.

See more A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) flashcards →

Planning A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) for German Language

A2 Elementary (Grundlegende Kenntnisse) (German Language) FAQ