wirklich
- real
- Positive
- wirklich
- Comparative
- wirklicher
- Superlative
- am wirklichsten
Bist du es wirklich?
Is it really you?
Bist du wirklich hier?
Are you really here, Paul?
Haben Sie aber wirklich.
Well, you have.
= echt= real≠ unwirklich
Vocabulary · B1 Intermediate
German B1 Vocabulary
The 842 words German B1 adds, commonest first — with articles and plurals, principal parts, English senses, examples and native audio.
damit
- so that, in order that
Geht es damit?
Will this do?
Was mache ich damit?
What do I do with these?
Was machst du damit?
What are you doing with that?
= dass
gar
- cooked, done (of food such as meat or vegetables: ready for consumption)
- refined
Nein, gar nicht.
No, not at all.
Er sagte gar nichts.
He didn't say a word.
Sag einfach gar nichts.
Just don't say anything.
recht
- right, right-hand (direction)
- proper, correct
- true, real
- just, lawful
- Positive
- recht
- Comparative
- rechter
- Superlative
- am rechtesten
Ich habe recht.
I'm right.
Habe ich recht?
Am I right?
Ich hatte recht.
I was right.
dafür
- for that, for it
- instead, at least, as a compensation
Kann ich dafür?
Is that my fault?
Ich bin dafür.
I'm for it.
Sie sind dafür.
They approve.
ganze
- inflection of ganz:
Das ganze Essen war weg.
All the food was gone.
Das ganze Geld war weg.
All the money was gone.
Wem gehört das ganze Geld?
Whose is all this money?
sonst
- otherwise (under different circumstances)
- normally, usually (as opposed to a particular case)
- else
- so; then; consecutive, but directed against an explicit or implicit alternative
Was auch sonst?
What else?
Ich habe sonst nichts.
I have nothing else.
Sie hatten sonst nichts.
That's all they had.
= andernfalls= ansonsten= normalerweise= weiter= darüber hinaus
darüber
- above, above it/this/that
- about it/this/that (concerning a matter)
- over, over it/this/that, thereover
Denke darüber nach.
Think about it.
Alle sprechen darüber.
Everyone's talking about it.
Was weißt du darüber?
"What do you know about that?
≠ darunter
eigentlich
- actual, real, proper (as opposed to something secondary serving as a distraction or impostor)
- Positive
- eigentlich
- Comparative
- eigentlicher
- Superlative
- am eigentlichsten
Eigentlich verstehe ich.
I sort of understand.
Er hat eigentlich Recht.
He's right, you know.
Wo ist er eigentlich?
By the way, where is my son?
= tatsächlich= ursprünglich
bereit
- ready
- Positive
- bereit
- Comparative
- bereiter
- Superlative
- am bereitesten
Seid ihr bereit?
Are you ready?
Bin ich bereit?
Am I ready?
Ich bin bereit.
I am ready.
= fertig
Sorgen
- plural of Sorge
Wir machen uns Sorgen.
We're worried.
Ich bin ohne Sorgen.
I've got no worries.
Er hat keine Sorgen.
He is free from care.
ruhig
- quiet
- calm
- Positive
- ruhig
- Comparative
- ruhiger
- Superlative
- am ruhigsten
Gehen Sie ruhig.
Run along, Briggs.
Ich bin ruhig.
Well, I'm very calm.
Bleiben Sie ruhig.
You are welcome to remain.
≠ unruhig≠ nervös
überhaupt
- overall, in general
- at all; anyway
- actually
- even
Kann überhaupt jemand dafür?
Is it anyone's fault?
Wo ist das überhaupt?
Where is that anyway?
Sie sprechen überhaupt nicht.
They don't talk at all.
≠ überhaupt nicht
versuchen
- to try, to attempt (often with an uncertain result)
- to try, to taste
- to tempt
- to dabble in, to experiment with (often with an uncertain result)
- Present (er/sie/es)
- versucht
- Preterite
- versuchte
- Past participle
- hat versucht
Versuchen wir es!
Let's try!
Ich versuche es.
Well, I'll try.
Er versucht es.
He tries.
= probieren= kosten= verkosten= in Versuchung führen= verführen
dieGeschichte
- history
- story
- Article
- die Geschichte
- Plural
- die Geschichten
- Genitive
- des Geschichte
Ich mag Geschichten.
I like stories.
Das sind alles Geschichten.
Enough of this nonsense.
War 'ne tolle Geschichte.
That was a great story.
= Historie
dieWahrheit
- truth
- Article
- die Wahrheit
- Plural
- die Wahrheiten
- Genitive
- des Wahrheit
Was ist Wahrheit?
What is truth?
Sprich die Wahrheit!
Tell the truth.
Sage die Wahrheit!
Tell the truth.
niemals
- never (at no time)
Sag niemals „nie“!
Never say never.
Sag niemals nie!
Never say never.
Vergiss das niemals!
Never forget that.
= nie
verlassen
- to leave, to abandon; to depart, to forsake
- to trust; to rely on
- Present (er/sie/es)
- verlässt
- Preterite
- verließ
- Past participle
- hat verlassen
Es ist verlassen.
It's deserted.
Sie verlassen uns.
They're leaving us.
Hat er sie verlassen?
He deserted her?
= schließen
ernst
- serious, severe, grave
- Positive
- ernst
- Comparative
- ernster
- Superlative
- am ernstesten
Es ist ernst.
It's serious, son.
Sei mal ernst!
Get serious.
Das ist ernst.
That's serious.
während
- while (at the same time as)
- whereas, while (in contrast to)
Sei ruhig während der Stunde.
Be quiet during the lesson.
Halte ihn, während ich ihn hole!
Hold him while I get it.
Sprich nicht mit ihm, während er fährt.
Don't talk to him while he's driving.
dieChance
- chance
- Article
- die Chance
- Plural
- die Chancen
- Genitive
- des Chance
Keine Chance, Holt.
Not a chance, Holt.
Das ist deine Chance.
Now's your chance.
Sie haben keine Chance.
You haven't got a chance.
dieSorge
- concern, care, responsibility, aid
- concern, worry, apprehension, trouble, distress
- Article
- die Sorge
- Plural
- die Sorgen
- Genitive
- des Sorge
Hab keine Sorgen!
Don't worry. (literally: Don't have any worries.)
Nur keine Sorge.
Don't you worry about it.
Ich mache mir Sorgen.
I'm worried about Henry.
= Fürsorge= Betreuung= Verantwortung= Unterstützung= Besorgnis
ehrlich
- decent, honorable, honest
- honest, truthful, true
- Positive
- ehrlich
- Comparative
- ehrlicher
- Superlative
- am ehrlichsten
Eine ehrliche Arbeit.
That's a plain, straightforward job.
Ich bin ehrlich.
I am on the level.
Bist du ehrlich?
Are you honest?
= ehrenhaft= ehrbar= achtbar= redlich= anständig
sondern
- so?, then what?, so you tell me!
Er hat sie nicht genommen, sondern ich.
Well, he didn't take it.
Das ist nicht seine Idee, sondern meine.
It's not his idea, it's mine.
Das ist nicht meine Schwester, sondern meine Mutter.
She is not my sister but my mother.
zuerst
- first, firstly
- at first
Wer kommt zuerst?
Who's first?
Die Frauen zuerst.
Ladies first.
Ich gehe zuerst.
I'll go first.
= zunächst= erst= als Erstes
derPlan
- project
- plan (way of procedure)
- technical drawing or diagram
- detailed map
- Article
- der Plan
- Plural
- die Pläne
- Genitive
- des Planes
Ich habe Pläne.
I have plans.
Wir haben Pläne.
We have plans.
Was ist dein Plan?
What's your plan?
= Vorhaben
derPass
- pass, mountain pass
- pace (2-beat, lateral gait of an animal)
- Article
- der Pass
- Plural
- die Pässe
- Genitive
- des Passes
Pass auf, du!
You watch yours!
Pass doch auf!
Why don't you be careful?
Wo ist ihr Pass?
Where's your pass?
= Passgang
bereits
- already
Ich weiß das bereits.
I already know that.
Das sagten Sie bereits.
Why hide?
Das bin ich bereits.
lm weary of you now.
= schon
schaffen
- to get done, to accomplish, achieve, to succeed with
- to manage, to make it
- to get, take, carry (something somewhere)
- to do, to busy oneself
- Present (er/sie/es)
- schafft
- Preterite
- schaffte
- Past participle
- hat geschafft
Ich schaffe das.
I can make it.
Wir schaffen das!
We can do it.
Die schaffen das.
They can do it.
= hinkriegen= hinbekommen= arbeiten= ackern= malochen
trotzdem
- although
Sage es trotzdem!
Say it anyway.
Kommst du trotzdem?
Are you still coming?
Wir versuchen es trotzdem.
Let's try anyway.
= obwohl= obschon= obgleich= obzwar= wenngleich
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50 graded B1 texts
Short German texts chosen so you already know most of the words, with a sentence-by-sentence translation.
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Practice
437 B1 questions
Gap-fill, articles, grammar and reading comprehension — answers and explanations on every item.
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Overview
Everything at B1
The independent-user threshold: opinions, plans, experiences, and connected written German.
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Common questions
How many words are in German B1 vocabulary?
This B1 list adds 842 words — 363 nouns, 227 verbs and 252 others. Counting everything from A1 up to B1, that is 1,788 words in total, which is the figure exam syllabuses usually quote.
What does B1 mean in German?
B1 is the intermediate level of the Common European Framework (CEFR), also called "Threshold". At B1 you deal with most situations while travelling and describe experiences, dreams and plans.
How long does it take to learn B1 German vocabulary?
At a couple of dozen words a session, 842 words is a few weeks of steady work. Most learners need several passes before recall is reliable, so plan on going back over ground you have covered rather than only ever moving forward.
In what order should I learn these B1 words?
Top to bottom. The whole level is one list sorted by how often the word appears in a large corpus of spoken German, so the words you meet first are the ones that earn their keep fastest and the rarest sit at the end.
Word data, examples and audio from Wiktionary, Tatoeba and OpenSubtitles, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources.