In the listening section (Hören) recordings are usually played once or twice and you cannot see the text. Many learners find this the hardest part: spoken German is fast, words run together and you cannot replay them. But listening is not an inborn talent — it is a skill you can train. Good results need three things: preparation before listening, catching key words and turning-point words, and recognising numbers, times and dates without error. This lesson covers exam strategy and ways to practise every day.
§1. Recording and task types
Exams use recordings of different levels and genres:
short announcements (station, airport, shop) and phone or voicemail messages;
everyday conversations (friends, shop assistant and customer, doctor and patient);
interviews, radio programmes, lectures (B2–C1).
Task types:
multiple choice (a, b, c);
Richtig/Falsch — does the statement match the recording?
matching pictures or information (who said what?);
completing a table or form (number, time, place, name).
Each type needs its own strategy: in multiple choice, find what differs between the options; in Richtig/Falsch, check every word of the statement (especially immer, nie, alle, nur).
§2. Before listening
The time before the recording starts is the most valuable minute you have.
Read the questions and options in full — work out the topic and what you need to hear.
Mark the key words: who? when? where? how much?
Think of likely synonyms: the question says Fahrkarte, the recording says Ticket; besorgen instead of kaufen, anfangen instead of beginnen.
Find the difference between the options — usually one detail (time, number, day) changes.
Listening without reading the questions is like setting off without a map.
§3. While listening
Don’t try to understand every word — wait for the information the question needs.
Traps: all the options are mentioned, but only one is right; the speaker may change their mind: Ich komme um 5 — nein, warte, lieber um 6.
Watch for turning-point words: aber, doch, eigentlich, leider, stattdessen, nicht … sondern, lieber.
Listen for negation: kein, nicht, nie, niemand reverse the meaning completely.
If you hear the recording twice: mark your answer the first time, check and fill gaps the second time.
Information comes in the order of the questions — if you miss one answer, move on, or you will lose two.
Worked example
Recording: Der Zug nach Hamburg fährt heute nicht um 10:15 von Gleis 3, sondern um 10:45 von Gleis 5. Question: Wann fährt der Zug nach Hamburg? a) 10:15 b) 10:45 c) 10:30
Both times are mentioned — a trap.
nicht … sondern — the correct information follows sondern.
Answer: b) 10:45.
§4. Numbers, times and dates
This is where most marks are lost, because German says them differently:
In 21–99 the units come first: einundzwanzig = 21, achtundvierzig = 48.
fünfzehn (15) versus fünfzig (50); sechzehn (16) versus sechzig (60): listen to the ending.
On the phone people often say zwo instead of zwei (to avoid confusion with drei).
Time: halb acht = 7:30 (half-way to eight!), Viertel vor neun = 8:45, Viertel nach zwei = 2:15, zehn vor drei = 2:50.
Dates use ordinals: am dritten Oktober = 3 October.
halb + hour = the previous hour plus 30 minutes: halb neun = 8:30.
Worked example
Recording: Wir treffen uns um halb sieben vor dem Kino. Write the time on the form.
halb sieben — "half-way to seven".
So 30 minutes before seven: 6:30.
Answer: 6:30 (18:30).
§5. Recognising spoken German
In speech, words are shortened: haben wir → hamwa, ich habe → ich hab', gibt es → gibt's, nicht → nich, eine → 'ne. Regional words also appear: in Austria Grüß Gott, Servus, Jänner (January); in Switzerland Grüezi. The speaker’s attitude shows in intonation and evaluative words:
positive: toll, super, prima, klasse, ich freue mich;
neutral: na ja, geht so, ganz okay;
negative: schrecklich, leider, ärgerlich, das finde ich nicht gut.
In opinion questions (Was meint Frau Weber?) listen for exactly these words.
Worked example
Recording: Das Hotel war eigentlich ganz schön, aber das Frühstück war leider eine Katastrophe. Question: was the guest happy with breakfast?
eigentlich ganz schön refers to the hotel — positive, but not the answer.
aber — a turning point; the main idea follows.
leider eine Katastrophe — a negative judgement.
Answer: no, not happy.
§6. How to practise
15–20 minutes every day: Deutsche Welle (Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten), podcasts, video channels.
Dictation method: listen to a short extract, write it down, then compare it with the transcript.
Listen first without the text, then with it, then without it again.
Practise numbers, dates and times separately.
Shadowing: repeat what the speaker says about a second behind — it trains pronunciation and listening together.
Regularity beats length: 20 minutes a day is better than two hours once a week.
§7. Strategy for Richtig/Falsch and form completion
In a Richtig/Falsch task the statement does not repeat the recording word for word — it paraphrases the meaning. So check meaning, not matching words:
strong words in the statement (immer, nie, alle, nur, schon) often point to "Falsch" — the recording may say manchmal or fast alle;
if the statement repeats a fact but changes one detail (day, place, person), the answer is "Falsch";
information that is not in the recording at all also counts as "Falsch" (unless a third option is offered).
In form completion, names and addresses are often spelt out (buchstabieren): Schmidt — S, C, H, M, I, D, T. Know the German letter names well (V = "fow", W = "vay", J = "yot"). When writing the answer, mind capitals and umlauts: Müller, Straße. Write numbers as digits — faster and safer.
Richtig/Falsch: compare meaning, not words; one changed detail means "Falsch".
Check yourself
Wir treffen uns nicht am Montag, sondern am Mittwoch. On which day is the meeting?
Which number is fünfzig?
Ich hab's leider vergessen. — what is the speaker’s mood?
The recording says Viertel nach zwei — what time is it?
halb acht — what time is it?
Which number is achtundsechzig?
If every option is mentioned, which words should you listen for?
When should you read the questions?
Common mistakes
Choosing the first option you hear.
Getting stuck on one unknown word and missing what follows.
Reversing the digits of 21–99 (writing einundzwanzig as 12).
Taking halb acht as 8:30 (it is 7:30).
Not reading the questions in advance.
Not using the second listening to check: first time answer, second time confirm.