German Language

At A1 you can introduce yourself and other people, ask and answer questions about personal details such as where you live, who you know and what you have, and take part in a simple exchange as long as the other person speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to help.

Reading and writing stay short and practical: forms, notices, simple messages and postcards. The grammar focus is present tense, articles and the nominative and accusative cases, numbers, telling the time and basic word order — the foundation everything above it depends on.

At A2 you can understand sentences and frequently used expressions about the areas of life closest to you — family, shopping, local geography, work and study — and communicate in straightforward routine exchanges of information on familiar matters.

You can describe your background, your immediate environment and matters of immediate need in simple language. The grammar broadens to the dative case, the past tense, modal verbs, separable verbs and comparison, and writing extends to short emails and simple connected descriptions.

B1 is the point at which a learner becomes independent. You can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly met at work, at university and in daily life, and you can deal with most situations that come up while travelling in a German-speaking country.

You can produce connected text on familiar topics, describe experiences, events and ambitions, and give brief reasons and explanations for your opinions and plans. B1 is the level most commonly named for practical, work and residence purposes, which makes it a natural milestone even for learners who intend to continue.

At B2 you can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussion in your own field of specialisation, and you can interact with fluency and spontaneity enough that conversation with a native speaker is comfortable for both sides.

You can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and argue a position, setting out the advantages and disadvantages of different options. B2 is frequently the entry requirement for German-taught degree programmes and for many qualified professional roles.

At C1 you can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise implicit meaning, and you can express yourself fluently and spontaneously without obviously searching for words.

You can use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes, and produce clear, well-structured and detailed text on complex subjects with controlled use of organisational patterns and connectors. C1 is the level expected for demanding degree programmes and for regulated professions, including several medical and legal routes.

At C2 you can understand with ease virtually everything you hear or read, summarise information from different spoken and written sources, and reconstruct arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.

You can express yourself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, distinguishing finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. C2 is rarely required for admission and is normally pursued for academic, teaching, translation or professional reasons rather than for a visa or a university place.

For admission, often not. For living there, yes. Housing, registration, part-time work, healthcare and most graduate jobs operate in German, and students who arrive with at least A1 or A2 settle in considerably faster.

Some English-taught programmes also require a basic certified level, so check the specific programme rather than assuming.

German-taught degree programmes typically expect B2 or C1, and commonly accept TestDaF at TDN 4 across all four skills, DSH, or an equivalent Goethe, telc or ÖSD certificate.

The exact certificate and level are set by each university and each programme, so confirm what yours names before choosing an examination.

It depends far more on study hours per week and on whether you use the language outside class than on any published schedule. Published guidance from examining bodies gives a range of guided learning hours per level rather than a fixed timeline.

Learners who study consistently and speak from an early stage progress substantially faster than those who study intensively but silently.

Take the one that the institution or authority asking for it accepts. TestDaF and DSH are aimed at university admission; Goethe, telc and ÖSD certificates cover the CEFR levels and are widely accepted for work, residence and general purposes.

Because their formats differ, decide which certificate you need before you start preparing, not after.