Here’s a list of about 20 grammar topics that are commonly tested or relevant at the B1 level for the TELC German exam. These focus on essential structures that can be useful in expressing more complex ideas.
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Cases in German: Nominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive
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Negation with “nicht” and “kein” – knowing where to place nicht and kein for accurate negation.
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Temporal Nebensätze (Temporal Subordinate Clauses) – using als, wenn, während, bis, bevor, nachdem, etc.
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Hypotheticals and Politeness (Konjunktiv II) – expressing unreal situations, wishes, polite requests (e.g., könnte, würde, hätte).
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Modal Verbs in Present and Past Tenses – using können, müssen, dürfen, wollen, sollen, and their past forms (e.g., konnte, musste).
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Relative Clauses (Relativsätze) – forming and using relative clauses with der, die, das to add descriptive information.
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Adjective Endings (Adjektivdeklination) – correctly using adjective endings with definite, indefinite, and no articles.
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Passive Voice (Passiv) – forming the passive voice, especially in the present and past tense (e.g., Das Buch wird gelesen).
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Indirect Speech with Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) – using sei, habe, könne for reported speech, especially in formal contexts.
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Infinitive Clauses with “zu” – forming infinitive clauses to express purpose or intent (e.g., Ich versuche, Deutsch zu lernen).
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Two-Part Conjunctions (Zweiteilige Konnektoren) – using sowohl … als auch, weder … noch, entweder … oder.
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Causal Nebensätze (Causal Subordinate Clauses) – using weil and da to express reasons.
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Conditional Sentences (Bedingungssätze) – forming sentences with wenn and Konjunktiv II to express conditions (e.g., Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich kommen).
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Final Clauses (Finalsätze) – using damit and um ... zu to express purpose.
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Concessive Clauses (Konzessivsätze) – using obwohl, obgleich, obschon to express contrast or concession.
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Consecutive Clauses (Konsekutivsätze) – using sodass to show consequence or result.
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Comparative and Superlative Forms – forming and using comparative (e.g., besser) and superlative forms (e.g., am besten).
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Expressions of Time (Temporalpräpositionen) – using vor, nach, seit, über, zwischen to specify time.
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Separable and Inseparable Prefix Verbs – understanding and using separable prefixes (e.g., aufstehen) vs. inseparable ones (e.g., verstehen).
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Dative and Accusative Prepositions – correctly using prepositions with the dative (e.g., mit, nach) and accusative (e.g., für, gegen).
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Double Infinitives with Modal Verbs in the Past – using double infinitives with modal verbs (e.g., Er hat kommen müssen).
These grammar topics are fundamental for building accurate and more nuanced sentences at the B1 level, which is why they are commonly tested in TELC and other German language exams.