German Vokabeln
4280 Wörter in 107 Listen, nach Themen geordnet und jedes mit einem Beispielsatz, in dem es wirklich vorkommt. Alles auf dieser Seite lässt sich auch üben — abfragen lassen kann man sich jede Liste einzeln oder alle zusammen.
Warum ausgerechnet diese Wörter — der Maßstab steht weiter unten.
Die 107 Listen
Nach Themen und nicht nach dem Alphabet: Wörter, die zusammen vorkommen, lernt man zusammen leichter. Wer bill, tip und receipt in einer Runde übt, hat danach eine Situation im Kopf und nicht drei Vokabeln.
107 Karten nebeneinander wären ein Regal und kein Überblick. Sie stehen deshalb unter ihren 14 Kategorien — wer ein Gebiet sucht statt einer Liste, umziehen, zum Arzt gehen, einen Job anfangen, springt direkt dorthin. Jede Kategorie lässt sich auch am Stück abfragen.
The scaffolding11 Listen · 440 Wörter
The words without which no sentence stands.
A1Greetings and introductionsThe words of the first thirty seconds — and the choice between du and Sie, which is made before you say anything else.40 WörterA1Pronouns, articles and question wordsThe small words that hold every sentence together — and that no topic list would otherwise contain.40 WörterA1The first verbsThe verbs that turn up in every conversation — and the ones whose vowel changes when you talk about somebody else.40 WörterA1Numbers, time and datesNumbers said back to front, a clock counted forwards to the next hour, and the days of the week.40 WörterA2Quantities and proportionsHalves, percentages, rises and falls — and the words for saying roughly how much.40 WörterA2Verbs of movementGoing, carrying, pushing and falling — and the prefixes that say in which direction.40 WörterB1Saying and thinkingThe verbs for what somebody said and what they meant — and the ones that say how sure they were.40 WörterB1Joining wordsThe conjunctions and connectors that turn correct short sentences into writing that reads as connected.40 WörterA2How often and whenThe adverbs that place something in time — and the ones that say how often it happens.40 WörterA1Colours, shapes and sizesThe adjectives you describe anything with — and the four that refuse to take an ending.40 WörterB1Clocks, calendars and punctualityTelling the time, naming a period, and the twenty-four hour clock that appears on every German timetable.40 Wörter
Home and the building8 Listen · 320 Wörter
Finding a flat, filling it, keeping it and living beside other people in it.
A1The flat and the householdRooms, furniture and the things that break — plus the nine prepositions that take two cases, which live here.40 WörterB1Looking for a flatAn advert, a viewing, a deposit and a contract — the vocabulary of the hardest fortnight of moving to a German city.40 WörterB1Furnishing and moving inFurniture, fittings and the boxes — plus the two things a German flat usually does not come with.40 WörterB1Household jobs and repairsWashing, mending and the small fixes nobody calls a tradesman for.40 WörterB1Cleaning and laundryThe machine, the programme and the stain — and the word for the airing a German flat is expected to get.40 WörterB1Neighbours and the shared buildingThe staircase, the bins, the quiet hours — the parts of German life that are shared with people you did not choose.40 WörterB2Building and renovatingThe trades, the materials and the paperwork of having work done on a building.40 WörterB1The gardenBeds, tools and the seasons — plus the allotment, which is an institution here.40 Wörter
People and how they get on7 Listen · 280 Wörter
Family, friendship, character and feeling — at two resolutions.
A1People and familyThe people you talk about on the first day — and the nouns whose gender you can actually predict.40 WörterA2Feelings and characterHow somebody is and how somebody feels — two constructions that look alike and are not.40 WörterB2Feelings, more preciselyForty adjectives between happy and sad — the range a B2 exam expects and a conversation needs.40 WörterB1Describing characterForty adjectives for what a person is like, mostly in pairs of opposites.40 WörterB1Friendship and relationshipsGetting to know people, falling out and making up — and one word that says more than English expects.40 WörterB2Children and childcareNurseries, parental leave and the words a parent needs in the first years.40 WörterC1Old age and careRetirement, care levels and the documents German families are urged to sort out early.40 Wörter
The body, health and care8 Listen · 320 Wörter
From the parts of the body to the ward round.
A1The body and healthWhat hurts, where it hurts, and the dative construction German uses to say so.40 WörterB2The body in detailBeyond head, hand and foot — the parts a doctor asks about and a physiotherapist names.40 WörterA2Washing and getting readyThe bathroom, the morning routine, and the reflexive verbs that go with all of it.40 WörterB1At the doctor'sDescribing a symptom, understanding an instruction, and the way German health insurance shapes the appointment.40 WörterC1Hospital and clinical careThe words on a discharge letter, on a ward round and on a referral — beyond the vocabulary of a doctor’s surgery.40 WörterB1The gym and trainingWeights, stretching, recovery — and the German membership contract that runs longer than you expect.40 WörterC1Disability and accessThe vocabulary of access, assistance and the German administrative system behind them.40 WörterC1Biology and the bodyOrgans, systems and nutrients — the biology behind the words a doctor uses.40 Wörter
Food, drink and where it comes from8 Listen · 320 Wörter
The shopping, the cooking, the restaurant and the field.
A1Food and drinkWhat is on the table, what you order, and the two verbs that change their vowel when you use them.40 WörterB1CookingWhat is in the kitchen and what you do with it — plus the imperative, which is what a recipe is written in.40 WörterB2Cooking and recipesThe verbs a German recipe is written in, and the equipment it assumes you have.40 WörterA2Eating outFrom reserving a table to splitting the bill — including the question a German waiter always asks.40 WörterB1Food and ingredientsThe rest of the shopping list — dairy, meat, fruit and the bread names that need explaining.40 WörterB1Markets and shoppingWeekly markets, deposit bottles and the Sunday closing that catches everybody out once.40 WörterB2Wine, beer and other drinksWhat is on a German drinks list, and the words a waiter expects back.40 WörterB2Farming and food productionFields, livestock and the words on a label that say how something was produced.40 Wörter
Getting around and going away9 Listen · 360 Wörter
The street, the timetable, the car and the trip.
A1The town and getting aroundAsking the way, buying a ticket, and the dative prepositions that every direction is made of.40 WörterA2Travel and transportBooking it, catching it, missing it — and the announcements you will actually hear.40 WörterB2Traffic and public transportTickets, signs and the rules that a German street assumes you know.40 WörterB1Trains and airportsPlatforms, connections and the announcement you have to understand in fifteen seconds.40 WörterB1Cars, driving and the garageThe words for owning a car in a German-speaking country, from the fuel cap to the compulsory inspection.40 WörterB1Travel and sightseeingPlanning, booking and walking round a town — with the words on the signs.40 WörterB1Hotels and accommodationBooking, checking in, and the small charges nobody expects.40 WörterB1Camping and the outdoorsTents, trails and everything that goes in a rucksack.40 WörterC1Ships and portsVessels, harbour work and the coastal vocabulary of the German north.40 Wörter
Work, money and trade8 Listen · 320 Wörter
Applying, working, being paid and paying.
A2Work and employmentThe words a contract, a job advert and a first day at work are made of.40 WörterB2Applying and interviewingThe written application, the interview and the words that decide which one you get.40 WörterB2Office work and documentsMeetings, files, deadlines — and the fixed phrases a German business letter is built from.40 WörterB1Banking and money mattersAccounts, transfers and standing orders — and the reason German rent leaves the account on its own.40 WörterB2Banking and insurancePaying, borrowing and insuring — and the German habit of insuring against things nobody else insures against.40 WörterA2Shopping and moneyWhat things cost, how you pay for them, and the phrases a German shop expects to hear.40 WörterB2Business and tradeCompanies, markets and the words a German business page uses.40 WörterB2The skilled tradesThe trades, their tools and the qualifications that go with them.40 Wörter
Offices, law and the state8 Listen · 320 Wörter
The form, the deadline, the authority and the rule behind them.
A2Appointments and paperworkThe vocabulary of the German office counter — and the noun style that makes a form readable once you see it.40 WörterB2Offices and official paperworkRegistering an address, applying for a permit, and reading the letter that comes back.40 WörterC1Law and contractsReading a German contract and understanding a letter from a solicitor.40 WörterB2State, politics and historyHow a German-speaking country is organised, and the words a news report about it uses.40 WörterC1Society and migrationThe administrative and everyday vocabulary of arriving, settling and belonging.40 WörterA2Post and parcelsSending something, collecting something, and the slip through the door saying you were out.40 WörterB1Emergencies and safetyThe words for calling for help, describing what happened and reading a warning sign.40 WörterC1Civil protection and disaster reliefThe organisations that turn out when something large goes wrong, and the words they use.40 Wörter
Learning, study and language itself7 Listen · 280 Wörter
School, university, retraining — and the words for talking about German in German.
A2School and universityMarks that run the wrong way, a school system with three tracks, and the words a course enrolment is made of.40 WörterB2School: system and classroomThe school types, the grades and the objects on a German desk.40 WörterB2University studyEnrolling, sitting exams and the administrative vocabulary of a German degree.40 WörterB2Adult education and retrainingEvening classes, certificates and the German right to paid study leave.40 WörterB2Talking about languageThe words for describing German in German — grammar terms, punctuation and register.40 WörterC1Research and academic writingMaking a claim, backing it and citing it — in the register a German seminar paper is written in.40 WörterB1Opinion and discussionSaying what you think, saying why, and disagreeing without a row — the vocabulary an exam at B1 is mostly made of.40 Wörter
Nature, weather and living things10 Listen · 400 Wörter
The garden, the wood, the forecast and what lives in them.
B1Nature and the environmentLandscape, weather-worn words and the separated rubbish that every German household deals with weekly.40 WörterB1Animals and plantsLiving things, their young, and the sounds they make — which German writes down differently from English.40 WörterB2Birds and watching themThe birds a German garden, park or shoreline actually holds, and the words for what they do.40 WörterB2Insects and small creaturesWhat buzzes, crawls and stings — and the difference between a bee, a wasp and a hornet in German.40 WörterB2Trees and the forestThe trees a German forest is made of, and the words for managing one.40 WörterB2Keeping a petVets, leads and the dog tax that surprises everybody once.40 WörterA1Weather and the seasonsThe one subject that is always available — and the verbs whose subject is nothing at all.40 WörterB2Weather and forecastsReading a German forecast, and the warnings that come with it.40 WörterB2Geography and landscapeLandforms, maps and compass points — and the four directions that are all masculine.40 WörterB2Environment and energyHeating a flat, sorting waste and reading a report about the climate.40 Wörter
Free time and what people do in it6 Listen · 240 Wörter
Sport, the slopes, the camera, the screen and the record.
A2Free time and sportWhat people do at the weekend — and the club membership that organises a surprising amount of it.40 WörterB1Sport and competitionMatches, referees and results — the words a German sports report is built from.40 WörterB2Winter, snow and the slopesSnow on the road, snow on the mountain, and the duties a German winter comes with.40 WörterB2PhotographyAperture, exposure and focus — the settings, and the words for what a picture is doing wrong.40 WörterB2Listening to and making musicRecordings, bands and voices — plus the rights body that appears on every German concert poster.40 WörterB2Cinema and televisionWatching, describing and arguing about a film in German.40 Wörter
Culture, belief and taking part7 Listen · 280 Wörter
Art, the stage, the calendar of festivals and the club.
C1Art and literatureDescribing a picture and discussing a text — the vocabulary a German seminar and a museum label share.40 WörterB2Music and the stageInstruments, rehearsals and everything between the curtain and the applause.40 WörterB2Religion and beliefThe words for describing religious practice, buildings and institutions — and the tax that surprises new arrivals.40 WörterC1Reasoning and ethicsThe vocabulary of an argument: claim, ground, objection, conclusion — and the words for weighing right against wrong.40 WörterB2Behaviour and the mindAttention, habit, stress and trust — the words for describing what people do and why.40 WörterB1Festivals and celebrationsThe year’s fixed points, the words for congratulating somebody, and what is actually done on the day.40 WörterC1Volunteering and clubsThe formal machinery of a German club, which is where most voluntary work actually happens.40 Wörter
Technology, science and the news7 Listen · 280 Wörter
The device, the measurement, the material and the headline.
B2Computers and technologyThe words a German error message, a settings menu and a technical support call are built from.40 WörterA2Telephone and internetAnswering a German phone, writing a German email, and the borrowed words that took German endings.40 WörterC1Physics and engineeringForce, energy and measurement — the vocabulary of a German school physics lesson and a technical manual alike.40 WörterC1Chemistry and materialsSubstances, reactions and the properties that decide what a material is used for.40 WörterB2Maths and statisticsDoing sums out loud in German, and reading a chart in a German newspaper.40 WörterC1Mining and industryShifts, plant and the vocabulary of an industrial region in transition.40 WörterB2News and mediaReading a German newspaper, watching the news, and the words for judging whether either can be trusted.40 Wörter
Clothes, style and making them3 Listen · 120 Wörter
What is worn, how it is described and how it is mended.
A1ClothesWhat you wear, what it costs, and the verb German uses for putting it on.40 WörterB2Style and dressing upFormal and casual, fabrics and patterns, and the vocabulary of an invitation that names a dress code.40 WörterB2Sewing, knitting and fabricMending a seam, taking up a hem and reading a pattern — in German.40 Wörter
Warum ausgerechnet diese Wörter
Jede Vokabelseite behauptet, die wichtigsten Wörter zu haben. Kaum eine sagt, woran sie das misst. Hier steht es, denn ohne einen Maßstab ist „wichtig" nur ein anderes Wort für „uns eingefallen".
Der Maßstab dieser Liste ist nicht die Häufigkeit in Texten, sondern die Reichweite im Alltag: Mit wie vielen Situationen kommt man durch, wenn man dieses Wort kann und das andere nicht? Deshalb steht hier appointment und nicht whereas, obwohl beide in Texten ähnlich oft vorkommen — nach einem Termin wird man gefragt, und whereas kann man umschreiben.
Praktisch heißt das vier Regeln, die für jedes einzelne Wort galten:
- Es kommt in einer Situation vor, die jeder hat. Einkaufen, krank sein, nach dem Weg fragen, sich verabreden, ein Formular ausfüllen. Fachwortschatz steht nicht hier, egal wie häufig er in seinem Fach ist.
- Es lässt sich nicht in zwei Wörtern umschreiben. Wer to postpone nicht kennt, sagt to move it to later — deshalb steht es auf B1 und nicht auf A2.
- Es hat einen Beispielsatz, der etwas erklärt. Ein Wort ohne Satz ist eine Zeile in einem Wörterbuch. Jedes Wort hier steht in einem Satz, in dem es wirklich vorkommt — nicht in einem, der es erwähnt.
- Es steht genau einmal. Dass ein Wort in zwei Listen auftaucht, klingt harmlos und ist es nicht: Wer beide durchgeht, hält sich für weiter, als er ist. Das prüft der Bau; beim Schreiben hat es zwei Dutzend Doppelungen gefunden.
Die Auswahl ist damit eine Entscheidung dieses Projekts und keine Messung. Sie ist begründet, nachlesbar und angreifbar — was mehr ist, als eine Zahl ohne Herkunft leisten würde.
Die Stufen
Jedes Wort trägt die Stufe, ab der man es braucht. Ein A1-Wort ist nicht einfacher auszusprechen als ein B2-Wort — es kommt nur früher vor. Die Frage lautet also nicht, wie schwer ein Wort ist, sondern ab wann man ohne es nicht weiterkommt: grandmother ist lang und steht auf A1, weil jeder eine hat; to entail ist kurz und steht ganz oben, weil man jahrelang ohne es auskommt.
Die rechte Spalte ist der Maßstab. Er steht hier, damit die Einstufung nachzuprüfen ist statt zu glauben — und weil eine Stufe ohne ihre Frage nur ein Etikett wäre.
| Stufe | Wörter | Die Frage, die sie beantwortet |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 476 | Kommt man ohne dieses Wort durch den ersten Tag? Wer es nicht hat, steht stumm da. |
| A2 | 469 | Braucht man es für eine gewöhnliche Besorgung — einkaufen, reisen, einen Termin machen, von gestern erzählen? |
| B1 | 974 | Braucht man es, um zu erzählen, zu begründen oder etwas zu regeln, das schiefgegangen ist? Es benennt eine Sache aus einem Bereich statt aus dem Alltag. |
| B2 | 1185 | Trägt es eine Abstraktion oder ein Fachgebiet — oder ist es die genauere Fassung eines Wortes, das man schon hat? |
| C1 | 1150 | Ändert es den Ton statt den Inhalt? Sagt es dasselbe vorsichtiger oder förmlicher — oder ist es idiomatisch und aus seinen Teilen nicht zu erschließen? |
| C2 | 26 | Fällt es einem Muttersprachler auf, wenn man es knapp danebenbenutzt? |
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