Vocabulary and topical lexis

Grammar is the skeleton; vocabulary is the body. In the Multilevel exam (A2–C1), topic vocabulary is decisive both for understanding texts and for expressing your own ideas: even with perfect grammar, you can’t say what you mean without the right word. German has one big advantage — word formation: if you know the root and the affixes, you can often work out an unfamiliar word yourself. This lesson covers the exam topics, compound nouns, suffixes and prefixes, verbs with prepositions, fixed expressions and effective ways to learn vocabulary.

§1. Exam topics

The topics that appear most often in the Multilevel exam:

For each topic, learn 40–60 key words with the article, the plural and an example sentence: die Wohnung, -en — Ich suche eine Wohnung in der Nähe der Uni.
For example, a minimum set for Wohnen: die Miete (rent), der Vermieter (landlord), die Nebenkosten (utility costs), umziehen (to move house), möbliert (furnished), das Zimmer, die Küche, das Bad, der Balkon. For Gesundheit: der Arzt, die Krankheit, das Rezept, die Apotheke, sich erkälten, Fieber haben, gesund leben.
Note verbs with their principal parts (fahren — fuhr — ist gefahren) and adjectives with their opposites (laut ↔ leise). That way you learn the grammar together with the word.

§2. Compound nouns

German joins nouns together into long words. The core meaning and the gender sit in the last part; the earlier parts narrow it down:

A linking -s- or -(e)n- may be added: Arbeitsplatz, Sonnenbrille. The first part can also be a verb or an adjective: schreiben + der Tisch → der Schreibtisch, groß + die Stadt → die Großstadt.
Break a long word down from the end. English compounds work the same way: a "hospital car park" is a kind of car park.
Compounds are very productive: one word can start a whole chain — der Fußball (football), das Fußballspiel (football match), die Fußballmannschaft (football team). The plural changes only the last part: die Fußballmannschaften.

Worked example

Find the meaning and gender of der Krankenhausparkplatz.

1. Start from the end: Platz is a place; Park + Platz → der Parkplatz (car park).
2. The part before it: Kranken + Haus → das Krankenhaus (hospital).
3. The gender follows the last part: der Platz → der.
4. Answer: der Krankenhausparkplatz — the hospital car park.

§3. Word-forming suffixes

Suffixes also show gender: -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft are always die; -er (person) is der; -chen is das. The easiest way to turn a verb into a noun is to capitalise the infinitive: das Lesen (reading), das Schwimmen (swimming).

Worked example

Die Arbeitslosigkeit ist in der Region gesunken. — what is Arbeitslosigkeit?

1. Arbeit means work; -los means "without" → arbeitslos — unemployed.
2. -igkeit turns an adjective into a noun, gender die.
3. gesunken is the Partizip II of sinken (to fall, sink).
4. Answer: die Arbeitslosigkeit — unemployment: "Unemployment in the region has fallen."

§4. Verbs with prefixes

Prefixes change a verb’s meaning: stehen (to stand) → verstehen (to understand), aufstehen (to get up), bestehen (to pass an exam), entstehen (to arise).

• Separable prefixes (an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit-, vor-, zu-, zurück-) are stressed and go to the end of the clause: Ich rufe dich morgen an.
• Inseparable prefixes (be-, ver-, er-, ent-, ge-, zer-, miss-) are unstressed and stay attached: Ich verstehe dich.

One root produces a whole "family": fahren (to go by vehicle) → abfahren (to depart), losfahren (to set off), erfahren (to find out), die Erfahrung (experience), der Fahrer (driver), die Fahrkarte (ticket). Learn one root and you understand dozens of words.

§5. Verbs with prepositions and fixed expressions

Many verbs go with a fixed preposition — learn them together:

Questions: for things use wo(r) + preposition (Worauf wartest du?), for people preposition + pronoun (Auf wen wartest du?). Answers use da(r) + preposition: Ich warte darauf.
Fixed noun-verb expressions (Nomen-Verb-Verbindungen): eine Entscheidung treffen (to make a decision), eine Frage stellen (to ask a question), Rücksicht nehmen auf + Akk (to show consideration for), in Frage kommen (to be an option), zur Verfügung stehen (to be available). They are especially common in formal texts and written tasks.

§6. Learning vocabulary effectively, and false friends

• In context: write a word down in a sentence, not on its own.
• Spaced repetition: review after 1, 3, 7 and 14 days (Anki, flashcards).
• Topic maps: Gesundheit → der Arzt, die Krankheit, das Rezept, sich erkälten, Fieber haben.
• Synonym and antonym pairs: beginnen = anfangen, teuer ↔ billig.
• False friends: das Gift (poison, not a present), bekommen (to get, not "become"), also (so, therefore), der Termin (appointment), die Note (mark, grade), das Handy (mobile phone), sensibel (sensitive, not "sensible").

False friends look like words in another language but mean something different. They catch out speakers of English in particular, so keep a separate list of them with example sentences. In written tasks, if you’re unsure of a word, use a simpler one you know for certain.

Worked example

Translate correctly: Ich habe beim Arzt einen Termin bekommen.

1. der Termin is a false friend: not a "term" but an "appointment".
2. bekommen is a false friend: not "become" but "get".
3. beim Arzt is bei + dem, "at the doctor’s".
4. Answer: "I got an appointment at the doctor’s."

Check yourself

1. die Kinderzeitschrift — gender and meaning?

2. Make a noun from freundlich (-keit).

3. Ich warte ___ den Bus.

4. Ich interessiere mich ___ Geschichte.

5. ___ denkst du? — an deine Prüfung (a thing)

6. How do you translate bekommen?

7. Which part decides the gender of der Schreibtisch?

8. eine Entscheidung ___ (to make a decision)

Common mistakes

• Taking a compound’s gender from its first part: ✗ das Haustür → ✓ die Haustür.
• Copying the preposition from your own language: ✗ Ich warte für dich → ✓ Ich warte auf dich.
• Learning words without their article and plural.
• Falling for false friends: Ich will ein Gift means "I want poison".
• Learning only from lists — words without context are soon forgotten.
• Changing the verb in a fixed expression: ✗ eine Entscheidung machen → ✓ eine Entscheidung treffen.