German B1 Level

Table of Contents (B1)

1. The 4 Cases – Deep Dive (Genitive in Detail)

2. Advanced Verb Tenses (Futur II, Past Subjunctive)

3. The Passive Voice – All Tenses (Present, Past, Perfect, Future)

4. Passive Alternatives (Impersonal Passive & sein + zu + Infinitive)

5. Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) – Full Usage (Unreal, Polite, Advice)

6. Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I – Indirect Speech)

7. Advanced Sentence Structure (Conjunctions: zwar...aber, nicht nur...sondern auch)

8. Two-Part Conjunctions (Doppelkonjunktionen)

9. Relative Clauses – Extended (with Prepositions & was)

10. Infinitive Clauses – Extended (haben/sein + zu + Infinitive)

11. Modal Particles (ja, doch, mal, eben, halt, wohl)

12. Verbs with Fixed Prepositions – Master List (with Dative & Accusative)

13. Noun-Verb Connections (Nominalisierung – in der Lage sein vs können)

14. Temporal Clauses – Advanced (sobald, solange, bis, indem)

15. Causal & Concessive Clauses (da, denn, obwohl, trotz)

16. Final & Consecutive Clauses (damit, sodass, so dass)

17. Adjectives as Nouns (der Alte, das Schöne)

18. B1 Key Vocabulary (Politics, Environment, Education, Feelings, Body, Work)

1. The 4 Cases – Deep Dive (Genitive in Detail)

At B1, you must actively use the Genitive (not just recognize it). It shows possession and follows specific prepositions.

Genitive Articles (Full Declension)

Masculine/Neuter Genitive Ending: Add -s (if ends in -s, -ß, -z, -x → add -es).

• das Buch des Mannes (the man's book)

• die Farbe des Autos (the car's color)

• der Titel des Hauses (the house's title – Haus takes -es)

Feminine/Plural Genitive: No ending on the noun, only the article changes.

• die Tasche der Frau (the woman's bag)

• die Arbeit der Studenten (the students' work – note: plural Studenten already has -n)

Genitive Prepositions (must memorize):

Genitive Verbs (rare, but B1 formal):

• sich erinnern can be used with Genitive in formal German, but with an + Acc is more common in speech.

• gedenken (to commemorate): Wir gedenken der Opfer. (We commemorate the victims.)

2. Advanced Verb Tenses (Futur II & Past Subjunctive)

Futur II (Future Perfect)

Use: To express that an action will be completed by a certain time in the future.
Formula: Subject + werden (conjugated) + Past Participle + haben/sein (infinitive) at the end.

• Bis morgen werde ich die Arbeit gemacht haben. (By tomorrow, I will have finished the work.)

• In einem Jahr wird sie ihren Abschluss gemacht haben. (In one year, she will have completed her degree.)

• Auxiliary choice: Use sein for movement/state change, haben for all others, just like Perfekt.

(At B1, you mainly need to recognize Futur II in reading, not use it actively in speaking.)

Subjunctive II – Past Form (Unreal Past)

Use: To express regrets or unreal situations in the past.
Formula: Subject + hätte/wäre (Konjunktiv II) + Past Participle.

• Ich hätte das Auto kaufen sollen. (I should have bought the car – but I didn't.)

• Wenn ich früher aufgestanden wäre, hätte ich den Zug nicht verpasst. (If I had gotten up earlier, I wouldn't have missed the train.)

• Sie wäre gern gekommen, aber sie war krank. (She would have liked to come, but she was sick.)

Modal + Past Participle rule: In past subjunctive, the modal verb is conjugated in Konjunktiv II and goes at the end of the clause with the infinitive: hätte...sollen.

3. The Passive Voice – All Tenses (Vorgangspassiv)

At B1, you need to know the passive in present, past (Präteritum), perfect, and future.

By + whom (Agent): Use von (for people/companies) or durch (for means/circumstances).

• Das Haus wird von einem Architekten gebaut. (by an architect)

• Der Text wurde durch einen Fehler verändert. (through/by a mistake)

Tip for B1 Speaking: In spoken German, avoid passive. Use man instead:

• Active: Man baut das Haus. (They are building the house.) → Much more natural than passive in speech.

4. Passive Alternatives (Impersonal Passive & sein + zu + Infinitive)

A) Impersonal Passive (with es)

When a verb has no direct object (intransitive), you use es as the subject.

• Heute wird getanzt. (Today people are dancing / there is dancing.)

• Im Restaurant wurde geraucht. (People smoked in the restaurant.)

B) sein + zu + Infinitive (Passive with Modal Meaning)

Use: Expresses necessity or possibility (like müssen or können).

• Das Problem ist leicht zu lösen. (The problem is easy to solve = can be solved.)

• Diese Aufgaben sind bis morgen zu erledigen. (These tasks are to be completed by tomorrow = must be completed.)

• Negation: nicht zu = impossible: Das ist nicht zu glauben. (That is unbelievable.)

C) sich lassen + Infinitive (Passive with können)

• Das Buch lässt sich gut lesen. (The book reads well = can be read easily.)

• Dieses Problem lässt sich nicht lösen. (This problem cannot be solved.)

5. Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) – Full Usage

At A2 you learned würde + infinitive. At B1, you need the irregular stems for all verbs and know the 4 main uses.

Full Konjunktiv II Forms (Irregular Stems)

(Note: möchte is actually Konjunktiv II of mögen and is used as a polite "would like.")

4 Main Uses of Konjunktiv II:

1. Wishes (present/future): Wenn ich doch mehr Zeit hätte! (If only I had more time!)

2. Polite requests/questions: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? (Could you please help me?)

3. Advice (with sollen): Du solltest mehr Sport treiben. (You should exercise more.)

4. Unreal comparisons (with als): Er tut so, als ob er nichts wüsste. (He acts as if he knew nothing.)

B1 Rule: For 90% of verbs, use würde + infinitive (Ich würde gerne kommen). Only use the stem forms for sein, haben, werden, modals, and very common verbs (geben → gäbe, kommen → käme, gehen → ginge, wissen → wüsste).

6. Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I – Indirect Speech)

Use: To report what someone else said (journalism, formal writing). It shows distance from the speaker.

Formula: Stem of verb + Subjunctive I endings (-e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en).

• Usually, it looks like the infinitive stem with these endings: er sage (he says), sie habe (she has), sie seien (they are).

Conjugation of sein (Konjunktiv I): ich sei, du seist, er sei, wir seien, ihr seiet, sie seien.
Conjugation of haben: ich habe, du habest, er habe, wir haben, ihr habet, sie haben.

Examples:

• Er sagt, er sei krank. (He says he is sick – indirect, not necessarily true.)

• Sie behauptet, sie habe den Schlüssel nicht. (She claims she doesn't have the key.)

• Der Bericht sagt, die Wirtschaft wachse. (The report says the economy is growing.)

B1 Tip: In spoken German, you NEVER use Konjunktiv I. You use "dass" + indicative instead: Er sagt, dass er krank ist. But you MUST recognize it in newspaper articles and formal texts for the B1 exam.

7. Advanced Sentence Structure (Two-Part Conjunctions)

These are "correlative conjunctions" that link two ideas. The verb position changes!

zwar...aber (admittedly...but)

• Ich habe zwar viel Geld, aber ich habe keine Zeit. (Admittedly I have a lot of money, but I have no time.)

• Verb: zwar doesn't affect word order; aber is position 0 (verb stays in 2nd).

nicht nur...sondern auch (not only...but also)

• Er spricht nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch Englisch. (He speaks not only German but also English.)

• Verb position: same as normal (both parts don't move the verb).

entweder...oder (either...or)

• Wir fahren entweder nach München oder nach Berlin. (We are driving either to Munich or Berlin.)

weder...noch (neither...nor)

• Ich habe weder Zeit noch Geld. (I have neither time nor money.)

sowohl...als auch (both...and)

• Ich mag sowohl Kaffee als auch Tee. (I like both coffee and tea.)

je...desto/umso (the...the – comparative)

• Je mehr ich lerne, desto besser werde ich. (The more I learn, the better I get.)

• Je früher du kommst, umso besser. (The earlier you come, the better.)

8. Two-Part Conjunctions with Inverted Verb Order

Some conjunctions force the verb to position 1 in the second clause.

Rule for zwar...aber: The verb stays in position 2 after aber.

9. Relative Clauses – Extended (with Prepositions & was)

A) Relative Pronoun with a Preposition

When the relative pronoun follows a preposition, the preposition goes before the pronoun.

• Das ist der Mann, mit dem ich gesprochen habe. (That is the man with whom I spoke.)

• Das ist die Firma, für die ich arbeite. (That is the company for which I work.)

• Das ist das Haus, in dem ich wohne. (That is the house in which I live.)

Case rule: The case of the relative pronoun is determined by the preposition (e.g., mit = Dative, für = Accusative).

B) Relative Clause with was (for whole sentences, superlatives, or neuter pronouns)

• Was mich betrifft, ich bin einverstanden. (As for me, I agree – referring to the whole idea.)

• Das ist das Beste, was ich je gesehen habe. (That is the best thing that I have ever seen – superlative with was.)

• Alles, was er sagt, ist falsch. (Everything that he says is wrong – indefinite pronoun alles.)

C) Relative Clause with wo / wohin (for places)

• Das ist das Café, wo wir uns immer treffen. (That is the café where we always meet.)

• Das ist der Ort, wohin wir reisen. (That is the place to which we are traveling.)

10. Infinitive Clauses – Extended (haben/sein + zu + Infinitive)

A) haben + zu + Infinitive (Expresses necessity – "have to")

• Ich habe noch viel Arbeit zu machen. (I still have a lot of work to do.)

• Sie hat keine Zeit zu verlieren. (She has no time to lose.)

B) sein + zu + Infinitive (Passive meaning – see Section 4)

• Der Vertrag ist bis morgen zu unterschreiben. (The contract is to be signed by tomorrow.)

C) brauchen + nicht + zu + Infinitive (Don't need to)

• Du brauchst nicht zu kommen. (You don't need to come.)

D) scheinen + zu + Infinitive (Seems to...)

• Er scheint krank zu sein. (He seems to be sick.)

• Sie scheint viel Geld zu haben. (She seems to have a lot of money.)

E) glauben/behaupten + zu + Infinitive (Claim to...)

• Er glaubt, alles zu wissen. (He thinks he knows everything.)

• Sie behauptet, den Schlüssel gefunden zu haben. (She claims to have found the key – with Perfekt infinitive.)

11. Modal Particles (The "Little Words" That Add Flavor)

Modal particles are used in spoken German to express emotions, surprise, doubt, or politeness. They are almost impossible to translate directly into English. At B1, you must understand them.

B1 Rule: Don't overuse these in writing (except for dialogues). In speaking, they make you sound native.

12. Verbs with Fixed Prepositions – Master List (B1 Level)

You already know A2 verbs. Here is the extended B1 list:

B1 Tip: When asking about things, use wo(r)- + preposition:

• Worauf wartest du? (What are you waiting for?)

• Wofür interessierst du dich? (What are you interested in?)

13. Noun-Verb Connections (Nominalisierung)

In formal German, actions can be expressed as nouns instead of verbs. This is common in writing (emails, reports, B1 exams).

Common Fixed Expressions (Use these in B1 writing):

14. Temporal Clauses – Advanced (sobald, solange, bis, indem)

At B1, you add more temporal conjunctions (all push verb to END):

Remember: In bis clauses, the verb can sometimes be at the end OR the infinitive can come first if it's a command: Bis morgen! (See you tomorrow!) – but in full clauses, verb at end.

15. Causal & Concessive Clauses (Reason & Contrast)

Causal (Reason)

• weil (because – verb at end, everyday) – Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es regnet.

• da (since/as – verb at end, more formal, often first) – Da es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.

• denn (because – NO verb change, position 0) – Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn es regnet.

Difference: da is more formal and often starts the sentence. weil is common in both speech and writing. denn is for main clauses only.

Concessive (Contrast)

• obwohl (although – verb at end) – Ich gehe spazieren, obwohl es regnet.

• trotzdem (nevertheless – verb in position 2, counts as position 1) – Es regnet. Trotzdem gehe ich spazieren.

• trotz + Genitive (despite) – Trotz des Regens gehe ich spazieren. (Noun phrase, no verb change.)

Conditional (If – without wenn)

You can invert subject and verb to mean "if" (formal, conditional).

• Hätte ich Zeit, würde ich kommen. (= Wenn ich Zeit hätte...) – If I had time, I would come.

• Ist er krank, kann er nicht kommen. (= Wenn er krank ist...) – If he is sick, he can't come.

16. Final & Consecutive Clauses (Purpose & Result)

Final Clauses (Purpose – "so that")

• damit (so that – verb at end, different subjects) – Ich lerne Deutsch, damit ich in Berlin arbeiten kann. (I learn German so that I can work in Berlin.)

• um...zu (in order to – same subject) – Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Berlin zu arbeiten. (Same subject – I learn German to work in Berlin.)

B1 Rule: Use damit when the subject changes; use um...zu when the subject stays the same.

Consecutive Clauses (Result – "so that / such that")

• sodass / so dass (so that / with the result that – verb at end) – Er sprach laut, sodass alle ihn hörten. (He spoke loudly, so that everyone heard him.)

• Es regnete stark, so dass wir zu Hause blieben. (It rained heavily, so we stayed home.)

17. Adjectives as Nouns (der Alte, das Schöne)

In German, adjectives can become nouns. They are capitalized and take adjective endings.

Rule: Adjective + article = noun (referring to a person or thing).

• der Alte = the old man (Masculine)

• die Alte = the old woman (Feminine)

• das Alte = the old thing (Neuter)

• die Deutschen = the Germans (Plural)

Endings: They take the adjective endings of the article used.

• Ein alter Mann → ein Alter (an old man)

• Der alte Mann → der Alte (the old man)

• Etwas Neues = something new (with indefinite etwas).

Common examples:

• der Arbeitslose (the unemployed person)

• der Verletzte (the injured person)

• das Unbekannte (the unknown)

• die Jugendlichen (the young people)

18. B1 Key Vocabulary by Topic

Politics & Society (Politik & Gesellschaft)

• der Staat (state), die Regierung (government), der Bürgermeister (mayor), die Wahl (election), wählen (to vote), die Partei (party), der Bürger (citizen), die Steuer (tax), das Gesetz (law), die Freiheit (freedom), die Gleichheit (equality), die Umwelt (environment), der Klimawandel (climate change).

Education & School (Bildung & Schule)

• die Grundschule (primary), die Universität (university), das Studium (studies), der Student / die Studentin, der Abschluss (degree), der Kurs (course), die Prüfung (exam), bestehen (to pass), durchfallen (to fail), der Lehrer (teacher), die Note (grade), der Stundenplan (timetable).

Work & Career (Arbeit & Karriere)

• die Stelle (position), der Arbeitgeber (employer), der Arbeitnehmer (employee), die Ausbildung (training), der Beruf (profession), die Karriere (career), die Bewerbung (application), das Vorstellungsgespräch (job interview), der Lebenslauf (CV), kündigen (to quit), entlassen (to fire), die Arbeitslosigkeit (unemployment).

Health & Body (Gesundheit & Körper – advanced)

• der Blutdruck (blood pressure), das Fieber (fever), die Grippe (flu), die Erkältung (cold), die Impfung (vaccination), der Arzttermin (doctor's appointment), die Krankenversicherung (health insurance), die Apotheke (pharmacy), das Rezept (prescription), die Operation (surgery), sich verletzen (to injure oneself), die Wunde (wound).

Feelings & Character (Gefühle & Charakter – advanced)

• enttäuscht (disappointed), verwirrt (confused), überrascht (surprised), gelangweilt (bored), begeistert (enthusiastic), frustriert (frustrated), neugierig (curious), ehrgeizig (ambitious), zuverlässig (reliable), unzuverlässig (unreliable), geduldig (patient), ungeduldig (impatient), kontaktfreudig (sociable), schüchtern (shy).

Media & Communication (Medien & Kommunikation)

• der Artikel (article), die Schlagzeile (headline), der Bericht (report), die Nachrichten (news), das Interview, der Journalist (journalist), die Zeitschrift (magazine), der Blog, die App, die Nachricht (message), der Anruf (call), die E-Mail, der Anhang (attachment).

Environment (Umwelt – B1 exam topic!)

• die Luft (air), das Wasser (water), der Müll (trash), das Recycling (recycling), die Energie (energy), erneuerbar (renewable), die Sonnenenergie (solar energy), der Treibhauseffekt (greenhouse effect), die Umweltverschmutzung (pollution), schützen (to protect), retten (to save), nachhaltig (sustainable).

Travel & Tourism (Reisen – advanced)

• die Reiseversicherung (travel insurance), der Reisepass (passport), das Visum (visa), die Unterkunft (accommodation), die Jugendherberge (youth hostel), die Pension (guesthouse), der Reiseführer (guidebook), die Sehenswürdigkeit (sightseeing attraction), der Ausflug (excursion), buchen (to book), stornieren (to cancel).