5.1 Personal Information, Alphabet, and Numbers

Personal Information, Alphabet, and Numbers in A1 German

Establishing personal identity is the initial communicative hurdle on the Goethe-Zertifikat A1 examination. From the opening minutes of the oral examination (Sprechen Teil 1) to completing administrative registration forms in the writing part (Schreiben Teil 1), candidates must deliver accurate biographical data, spell unfamiliar names on demand, and comprehend spoken strings of numerical information. Navigating these tasks requires an ironclad grasp of seven standardized conversational prompts, the German phonetic alphabet, inverted two-digit cardinal numbers, and digital contact conventions.

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Sprechen Teil 1: The Master Template for Self-Introduction

The speaking exam begins with Sprechen Teil 1 (Self-Introduction), worth up to 3 raw points: 1 for introducing yourself, 1 for spelling and 1 for a number. Candidates sit in a small group with two examiners. A sheet with keywords is laid out or displayed where the whole group can see it:

1. Name (Name)
2. Alter (Age)
3. Land (Country of origin)
4. Wohnort (Place of residence)
5. Sprachen (Languages spoken)
6. Beruf (Profession / occupation)
7. Hobby (Hobbies / leisure activities)

Speak freely in short sentences. The official guidance says you do not need to use every keyword to earn the full point, but covering most of them is the safest way to show that the task is fulfilled. The following table details the required linguistic structures, acceptable variations, and high-frequency candidate errors.

Occupational Status Variations

Not every candidate is currently employed in a corporate role. Use these authentic formulas to state your status clearly:

• University Student: "Ich bin Student" (male) / "Ich bin Studentin" (female) or "Ich studiere Informatik an der Universität."
• School Student: "Ich bin Schüler" (male) / "Ich bin Schülerin" (female).
• Homemaker: "Ich bin Hausfrau" (female) / "Ich bin Hausmann" (male).
• Currently Seeking Employment: "Ich bin zurzeit arbeitssuchend" or "Ich habe im Moment keine Arbeit."
• Retired: "Ich bin Rentner" (male) / "Ich bin Rentnerin" (female) or "Ich bin im Ruhestand."

Model Monologue Transcript: Sprechen Teil 1

"Guten Tag! Mein Name ist Maria Santos. Ich bin 29 Jahre alt und ich komme aus Brasilien. Jetzt wohne ich in Hamburg. Meine Muttersprache ist Portugiesisch, aber ich spreche auch Englisch und ein bisschen Deutsch. Von Beruf bin ich Informatikerin, und im Moment arbeite ich bei einer Softwarefirma. In meiner Freizeit mache ich gern Sport: Meine Hobbys sind Schwimmen und Kochen."

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The German Alphabet and Spelling on Command (Buchstabieren)

Immediately after completing the self-introduction monologue, the lead examiner (Prüfer) will challenge the candidate with two direct follow-up requests. The first request assesses spelling ability:

• "Danke, Frau Santos. Können Sie Ihren Familiennamen bitte buchstabieren?" (Can you please spell your surname?)
• "Buchstabieren Sie bitte Ihren Wohnort oder Ihre Straße!" (Please spell your hometown or street!)

English speakers frequently stumble over German vowels and consonant names because several letters sound identical to completely different letters in English.

Complete German Alphabet Pronunciation Table

Special Characters and Umlauts

In addition to the 26 standard Latin letters, candidates must master four unique German characters:

• Ä ä (A-Umlaut): Pronounced [ɛː] (like the "ai" in "air" or "e" in "bed"). Candidates may say either "A-Umlaut" or simply "ä".
• Ö ö (O-Umlaut): Pronounced [øː] (say "ay" while keeping your lips rounded as for "o"). Candidates say "O-Umlaut" or "ö".
• Ü ü (U-Umlaut): Pronounced [yː] (say "ee" while keeping your lips rounded as for "oo"). Candidates say "U-Umlaut" or "ü".
• ß (Eszett or scharfes S): Pronounced [ɛs'tsɛt]. Always represents a voiceless "s" sound after long vowels or diphthongs (Straße, heißen). There is no word-initial 'ß'.

Supplementary Dictation Vocabulary

When spelling compound names or email addresses, examiners may test your comprehension of structural terms:

• Double letters: Doppel-T (tt), Doppel-L (ll), Doppel-M (mm).
• Case distinctions: groß (uppercase / capital letter) vs. klein (lowercase letter).
• Spacing: Leerzeichen or Abstand (space).
• Punctuation: Bindestrich (hyphen / dash -), Unterstrich (underscore _), Punkt (dot / period .).

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The German Number System: 0 to 1,000,000

The second examiner follow-up in Sprechen Teil 1 tests numerical competence:

• "Und wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer / Handynummer?" (And what is your telephone/mobile number?)
• "Wie ist Ihre Postleitzahl?" (What is your postal code?)
• "Wie ist Ihre Hausnummer?" (What is your house number?)

1. Digits 0 to 12 (Foundational Roots)

These twelve numbers are completely irregular and must be memorized individually:

• 0 = null, 1 = eins, 2 = zwei, 3 = drei, 4 = vier, 5 = fünf, 6 = sechs, 7 = sieben, 8 = acht, 9 = neun, 10 = zehn, 11 = elf, 12 = zwölf. (Note: In telephone numbers and military/aviation German, 'zwei' is occasionally spoken as 'zwo' to prevent acoustic confusion with 'drei'.)

2. Numbers 13 to 19 (The Teens)

Formed by taking the unit digit and suffixing -zehn:

• 13 = dreizehn, 14 = vierzehn, 15 = fünfzehn, 18 = achtzehn, 19 = neunzehn.
• Irregular stems: 16 drops the final '-s' from sechs -> sechzehn (NOT sechszehn). 17 drops the '-en' from sieben -> siebzehn (NOT siebenzehn).

3. Numbers 20 to 90 (The Tens)

Formed by attaching the suffix -zig (pronounced [-tsɪç]):

• 20 = zwanzig, 40 = vierzig, 50 = fünfzig, 80 = achtzig, 90 = neunzig.
• Spelling anomaly: 30 uses -ßig instead of -zig -> dreißig.
• Irregular stems: 60 drops '-s' -> sechzig (NOT sechszig). 70 drops '-en' -> siebzig (NOT siebenzig).

4. Compound Numbers 21 to 99: The Inversion Rule

In German, two-digit numbers beyond twenty place the unit digit first, linked by the conjunction und, followed by the tens digit:

Two-digit number = unit digit + und + tens digit

• 21 = einundzwanzig (Notice: eins drops its final '-s' before und).
• 35 = fünfunddreißig
• 48 = achtundvierzig
• 67 = siebenundsechzig
• 72 = zweiundsiebzig
• 99 = neunundneunzig

5. Hundreds, Thousands, and Millions

• 100 = (ein)hundert, 200 = zweihundert, 645 = sechshundertfünfundvierzig.
• 1.000 = (ein)tausend, 5.230 = fünftausendzweihundertdreißig.
• 1.000.000 = eine Million (German treats Million as a capitalized feminine noun with the plural Millionen). (Orthographic note: In German typography, large numbers use periods or spaces as thousands separators [1.000 or 1 000] and commas for decimal fractions [14,50 € = vierzehn Euro fünfzig].)

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The Critical Listening Trap: Teens (-zehn) vs. Tens (-zig)

In Hören Teil 1 and Teil 3, multiple-choice questions frequently test whether candidates can differentiate between teen numbers and tens. Consider the acoustic pair 14 (vierzehn) and 40 (vierzig), or 15 (fünfzehn) and 50 (fünfzig):

Because both numbers in each pair carry the stress on the first syllable, stress will not help you. Train your ear on the final syllable, and use context: a bus that leaves in dreizehn Minuten is announced differently from one that is dreißig Minuten late. In Hören Teil 1 and Teil 3 you hear every text twice, so use the second playing to check numbers.

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Dictating Contact Details: Phone, PLZ, and Email

When examiners ask for contact particulars or when transcribing voicemail messages in Hören Teil 3:

1. Telephone & Mobile Numbers: Spoken digit by digit or in two-digit pairs:
   • 0176 542 98 11 -> null - eins - sieben - sechs - fünf - vier - zwei - neun - acht - eins - eins (or elf).
2. Postal Codes (Postleitzahlen / PLZ): German postal codes are always five digits:
   • 80331 München -> acht - null - drei - drei - eins München.
   • 50667 Köln -> fünf - null - sechs - sechs - sieben Köln.
3. Email Addresses (E-Mail-Adressen):
   • The symbol @ is pronounced at (or colloquially Klammeraffe, though standard exam speech uses at).
   • The symbol . is pronounced Punkt.
   • Example: clara.schulz@web.de is read: clara Punkt schulz at web Punkt de.