Language Structure Guide to the National Exam

Language structures students should understand

National German Exam Level 2

Article and case

• formation and use of definite article in Nominative (N), Accusative (A)
• use of Dative (D) after preposition
• formation and use of indefinite article in N, A
• use of D after preposition
• ein-words

Adjectives

• predicative
• comparison: as appropriate for beginners (cont. at level 3)
• endings in very common formulas such as "guten Tag", "liebe/r Tante/Onkel"

Numbers

• cardinal numbers
• some ordinal numbers, but no adjective endings

Adverbs  time expressions: as appropriate for beginners (continued at level 3 and 4)

Nouns

• plurals: as appropriate for beginners (continued at levels 3 and 4)
• genders: natural gender, agent nouns in -er, common fem. endings, "Mädchen"

Pronouns

• personal pronouns in N, A
• "er, sie" reference to inanimate objects
• indefinite pronouns: "man" [no "einen, einem"] and forms identical to article
• demonstrative in N, A
• interrogative in N

Verbs

• present tense: all personal endings, vowel change
• modal auxiliaries: present [includes "möchte"]
• imperatives without vowel change
• pres. perf. (wk., str., mix.): as appropriate for beginners (cont. at levels 3 and 4)
• "hatte, war" as vocabulary items and for basic manipulation tense
• auxiliaries: "haben/ sein"
• dative verbs: "helfen, danken, gefallen"
• reflexive verbs as appropriate for beginners (cont. at 3 & 4)
• impersonal verbs: weather expressions, "es gibt"
• infinitives without "zu" with modal verbs
• past participles should be understood in comprehension as appropriate for level

Prepositions

• dative prepositions as appropriate
• accusative prepositions as appropriate
• meaning recognition of common mixed prepositions

Conjunctions   "und, oder, aber, daß, weil" (including word order)

Word order     main clause and simple dependent clause

Verb-noun combinations      e.g. Foto machen

Idioms     e.g. im Stich lassen

Use of correct word      e.g. "verbringen" with time spans, "guten Appetit" with food, etc. as appropriate

---

National German Exam Level 3

Article and case

• definite articles in Dative (as indirect object) and Genitive
• indefinite articles in Dative (as indirect object) and Genitive der-words

Adjectives       comparison: complete

Adverb

• in 1st position
• time expressions: as appropriate for this level
• meaning of some adverbs of place and manner (order of adverbs not tested)
• some differentiation of location vs. motion spatial adverbs (also in level 4)

Flavoring particles          "denn, doch, mal"

Nouns

• plurals: as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 4)
• genders: as appropriate for this level

Pronouns

• personal pronouns in Dative
• relative pronouns in Nominative
• interrogative pronouns in Acc., Dat.
• demonstrative pronouns in Dat.

Verbs

• pres. perf. (wk., str., mix.): as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 4)
• modal auxiliaries: simple past
• simple past: comprehension only, exc. very common forms (e.g. "war, hatte" some modals)
• imperatives with vowel change
• future tense
• separable and insep. prefixes (including word order)
• conditions contrary to fact: recognition of "hätte, wäre, würde"
• past participles should be understood in comprehension as appropriate for level
• impersonal verbs: as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 4)
• dative verbs: as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 4)
• reflexive verbs: as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 4)

Prepositions

• dative prepositions and accusative prepositions (all common ones)
• mixed prepositions (continued in 4)
• prepositional compounds: "da-" compounds active; "wo-" compounds recognition

Conjunctions and word order

• conjunctions as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 4)
• main clause: inversion dependent clause placement of noun and pronoun objects

Verb-noun combinations

Idioms e.g. im Stich lassen

Use of correct word e.g. "Foto machen"

---

National German Exam Level 4

Adjectives

• weak endings
• strong endings
• attributive vs. adverbial use
• used as nouns

Flavoring particles   "wohl"

Time expressions     as appropriate for level (also in 2 & 3)

Nouns

• n-nouns (weak nouns)
• genders

Pronouns

• possessive pronouns (within reason)
• interrogative pronouns in Genitive
• relative pronouns in Accusative, Dative, Genitive
• indefinite pronouns

Verbs

• pres. perf. (wk., str., mix.): as appropriate for this level (also at levels 2 and 3)
• simple past, active knowledge
• infinitives with "zu" (no "brauchen")
• past participles: should be understood in reading
• present participles: should be understood in reading
• modal auxiliaries: perfect tenses, double infinitive (within reason)
• passive voice: (present, past, pres. perf.)
• Conditions contrary to fact
• present subjunctive: active use of "hätte, wäre, würde" and frequent modals
• past subjunctive (basic construction)
• subjunctive wishes
• indirect discourse: recognition
• impersonal verbs as appropriate for this level (also in 3)
• dative verbs as appropriate for this level (also in 3)
• reflexive verbs as appropriate for this level (also in 2 and 3)

Prepositions

• mixed prepositions (also in 3)
• verbs with certain prepositions (list to be proposed)

Conjunctions and word order   all (within reason)

Verb-noun combinations     e.g. "Foto machen, Rede halten" as appropriate for this level

Idioms     e.g. "im Stich lassen" as appropriate for this level

Use of correct word      e.g. "verbringen" with time spans, "Reise machen" etc. as appropriate for this level