German Advanced Language Skills Syllabus

Advanced Language Skills syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Advanced Language Skills in German, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Advanced Grammar

   2 topics

   • Complex Sentence Structures
   • Idiomatic Expressions
2. 2

   Cultural Context

   2 topics

   • Understanding German Culture
   • German History and Traditions

Advanced Language Skills flashcards for German

23 of 51 cards from the Advanced Language Skills deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is a Nebensatz (subordinate clause) and where does the conjugated verb go in it?

   A Nebensatz is a dependent clause that cannot stand alone. In it, the conjugated (finite) verb moves to the very end, e.g. 'Ich weiß, dass er heute kommt.'

2. In a German main clause, which position does the finite verb always occupy? (The V2 rule)

   The finite verb always stands in second position (V2), regardless of what occupies first position, e.g. 'Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.'

3. How do you form a Relativsatz (relative clause) and what determines the relative pronoun's gender/number vs. its case?

   A relative clause modifies a noun. The relative pronoun's gender and number come from the antecedent noun; its case comes from its function inside the relative clause, e.g. 'Der Mann, den ich sehe.'

4. What is the word order in a subordinate clause that contains a modal verb plus infinitive, and where does the finite modal go?

   The finite modal verb goes to the very end, after the infinitive: 'Ich weiß, dass er kommen muss.'

5. Explain the Konjunktiv II and one of its main uses in complex sentences.

   Konjunktiv II expresses hypothetical/unreal situations, polite requests, and wishes. Example: 'Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich dir helfen' (if I had time, I would help you).

6. How is an indirect (reported) question embedded as a subordinate clause when there is no question word?

   Use the conjunction 'ob' (whether) and send the finite verb to the end: 'Sie fragt, ob er kommt.'

7. What is a Konsekutivsatz and which conjunction typically introduces it?

   A consecutive clause expresses a result/consequence, introduced by 'sodass' (so that): 'Es regnete stark, sodass wir zu Hause blieben.'

8. Distinguish 'weil' from 'denn' in expressing cause, including the word-order difference.

   'weil' is subordinating (verb goes to the end): 'Ich bleibe, weil ich müde bin.' 'denn' is coordinating (normal V2 order follows): 'Ich bleibe, denn ich bin müde.'

9. How do you form a German passive sentence (Vorgangspassiv) in the present tense?

   Use 'werden' (conjugated) + past participle: 'Das Haus wird gebaut' (the house is being built). The agent is introduced with 'von'.

10. What is an Infinitivsatz with 'zu', and when is 'zu' inserted with separable verbs?

    An infinitive clause uses 'zu' + infinitive, often after 'um', 'ohne', 'anstatt'. With separable verbs, 'zu' goes between the prefix and the stem: 'anzurufen', 'einzukaufen'.

11. In a two-part conjunction sentence with 'entweder ... oder', what happens to word order after each part?

    'entweder ... oder' is coordinating, so normal main-clause (V2) order applies in each part: 'Entweder gehe ich, oder er kommt.'

12. What is the order of Temporal, Kausal, Modal, Lokal (TeKaMoLo) adverbials in a German sentence?

    Adverbials generally follow the order Time – Cause/Reason – Manner – Place: 'Ich fahre morgen (T) wegen der Arbeit (K) mit dem Auto (M) nach Köln (L).'

13. How does a temporal 'nachdem' clause interact with tense (the sequence-of-tenses rule)?

    'nachdem' requires a tense shift: the earlier action is one step further back, e.g. Perfekt/Plusquamperfekt in the nachdem-clause with Präsens/Präteritum in the main clause: 'Nachdem er gegessen hatte, ging er.'

14. What does the idiom 'Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof' mean?

    It means 'I don't understand anything at all' / 'It's all Greek to me' (literally: I only understand train station).

15. What does 'die Daumen drücken' mean and what is the English equivalent?

    Literally 'to press the thumbs'; it means 'to keep one's fingers crossed' / to wish someone luck.

16. Explain the idiom 'Tomaten auf den Augen haben'.

    Literally 'to have tomatoes on the eyes'; it means to fail to see something obvious that is right in front of you.

17. What does 'die Katze im Sack kaufen' mean?

    Literally 'to buy the cat in the sack'; it means to buy/accept something without checking it first, i.e. to buy a pig in a poke.

18. What is meant by 'jemandem einen Bären aufbinden'?

    Literally 'to tie a bear onto someone'; it means to tell someone a tall tale or trick them into believing something untrue.

19. Explain the idiom 'ins Gras beißen'.

    Literally 'to bite into the grass'; it is a colloquial way to say 'to die' / to kick the bucket.

20. What does 'die Nase voll haben' mean?

    Literally 'to have the nose full'; it means to be fed up with something / to have had enough.

21. What does the expression 'Schwein haben' mean?

    Literally 'to have pig'; it means to be lucky / to have good fortune.

22. Explain 'jemandem auf den Keks gehen'.

    Literally 'to go on someone's cookie'; it is a colloquial way to say 'to get on someone's nerves' / to annoy someone.

23. What does 'das ist nicht mein Bier' mean?

    Literally 'that is not my beer'; it means 'that is none of my business' / not my problem.

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