Goethe A1 Topics: Complete Official Scope
Last updated: 24 July 2026 · Based on Goethe's exam-objectives handbook
There is no single list of predicted questions to memorise for Goethe A1. The official scope combines everyday themes, communication functions, basic language tools and tasks across the four skills.
Official A1 themes
These headings summarise the Themen inventory in Goethe's Start Deutsch 1 handbook. Exam texts and cards can place tasks in any of these everyday contexts.
| Theme | Subtopics |
|---|---|
| Person | Name, address, phone, birth, age, family, origin, appearance and daily routine |
| Housing | Home, rooms, furniture, household equipment, rent and moving |
| Environment | Plants, animals, climate and weather |
| Travel and transport | Private/public transport, travel, accommodation and luggage |
| Food and drink | Food, meals, dishes, drinks, restaurants and cafés |
| Shopping | Shops, prices, payment, groceries and clothes |
| Services | Post, telecommunications, banking and police |
| Education and learning | Childcare, school and language learning |
| Work | Workplace and leave/holidays |
| Leisure | Interests, sport, radio/TV, internet and reading/press |
Communication functions
- Introduce yourself or someone else; greet, say goodbye and ask how someone is.
- Name, identify, describe and give a simple explanation.
- Ask for information and provide a short relevant answer.
- Express a wish, preference, like/dislike or simple opinion.
- Make requests, orders, invitations, suggestions, appointments and ask permission.
- Accept or refuse, thank, apologise and ask for help.
- Ask for repetition, slower speech or clarification when you do not understand.
Core grammar tools
| Area | Required A1 use |
|---|---|
| Verbs | Present tense; sein and haben; modal and separable verbs |
| Word order | Finite verb in position two in statements; first in yes/no questions |
| Questions | Basic questions with wer, was, wann, wo, wohin, woher, wie, wie viel and welcher |
| Noun phrase | der/die/das, ein/eine, plurals and basic nominative/accusative use |
| Negation | kein with nouns and nicht elsewhere |
| Possession | Basic possessives such as mein, dein, sein, ihr and unser |
| Time and place | Common prepositions such as um, am, im, aus, in, nach and zu |
| Linking | und, aber and oder; very simple reason links in context |
Numbers, time and measurement
- Cardinal and ordinal numbers for phone numbers, addresses, age and prices.
- Formal and everyday clock time: 7.15, Viertel nach sieben, halb acht.
- Weekdays, months, dates, seasons and frequency.
- Everyday units such as euro/cent, litre, gram, kilo, metre, kilometre and degrees.
- Place, origin, direction, distance, start, end and duration.
How to interpret the vocabulary list
The handbook defines about 650 main entries and expects roughly half to be actively available. Task words such as ankreuzen, ergänzen and zuordnen are included too.
This is not a general frequency list of the words native German speakers use most. It supports exam tasks across private, public, educational and professional domains.
Learn a noun with its article, plural and a short example rather than as an isolated translation.
Turn the scope into a study order
- Start with personal information, routines, numbers/time and question patterns.
- Then cover housing, shopping, food, transport and services.
- For every theme, create one listening, reading, short writing and speaking task.
- Finish by checking task language and timing with the official model test.
Official sources
Themes, functions, notions and vocabulary come from Goethe's Start Deutsch 1 exam-objectives handbook; task structure comes from the official model.
Related guides
Study topics through all four skills
Do not stop at vocabulary: use the same theme in listening, reading, writing and speaking tasks.
