Stufe B1.1 - Level B1.1

Stufe B1.1

You might be thinking A1, B1, C2, blah blah..., what exactly do these levels mean? They stand for different levels of proficiency in European languages. As everything else, European states are trying to standardize language skills. If you don't understand what they exactly mean, here is a quick overview. According to the article, here is what a person should be capable of, after successfully completing B1 Deutsch.

• ...understands the main issues if standard language is used clearly and if the conversation is about familiar aspects of work, school, leisure etc., you can manage most situations while travelling in a German-speaking country,
• ... give your opinion on familiar subjects and personal interest in a simple and coherent way,
• ... relate experiences and events, describe dreams, hopes and goals and give short explanations regarding plans and opinions.

I started with an intensive course today, and it is B1.1. As with previous courses that I had at Goethe Institute the instructor is really enthusiastic and really knows what he is talking about. He articulates himself very well and all of us in the class understand him. It is going to be a busy three weeks. I look forward to learing a lot and sharing what I learn with all of you. As always, if you discover a mistake in the blog then please let me know. Also, be it a rule in grammar or pronunciation, if you are struggling with something in German language please write to me. I will try to ask it to my teacher, and post the answers.

We are going to use a book from Cornelsen again. It's called studio d B1 by Funk, Kuhn, Demme and Winzer. If you remember, we used studio d A2 for the previous level (A2) as well. If you want to buy the book, make sure that you check the vocabulary section at the end of the book. I sent an email to the publisher inquiring about an English version of the vocabulary. However, I was told that they have a separate handout for earlier levels, but not for B1. They have German-Czech versions of the handout though, if it is helpful for you. Hence, it is handy to have a dictionary at hand. In any case, if you are following this blog you should be fine because towards the bottom of each post, you will see a dedicated Vocabulary section where you will find meanings of new words.

Throughout the lecture I was just thinking, "Why oh why did I not revise the blogs before I came to the class?" We did revise a lot of material covered in A2. Maybe you will notice it yourselves. However, whenever there is something that I have shared in an earlier blog post, I will also share a link to the original article. That way, you can always go back and do the exercise when you feel a bit rusty with something.

It's time to start learning German again. So, let's start with B1.1!