töten
- to kill
- Present (er/sie/es)
- tötet
- Preterite
- tötete
- Past participle
- hat getötet
Töten Sie mich!
Kill me!
Wer tötete ihn?
Who killed him?
Töte mich nicht!
Don't kill me!
Vocabulary · C1 Advanced
German C1 Vocabulary
The 2,987 words German C1 adds, commonest first — with articles and plurals, principal parts, English senses, examples and native audio.
ziehen
- to pull; to drag
- to draw (e.g. a weapon); to extract; to puff
- to draw (a conclusion, lesson, etc.)
- to be drafty; there to be a draft (current of air)
- Present (er/sie/es)
- zieht
- Preterite
- zog
- Past participle
- hat gezogen
Wir ziehen weiter.
We're for moving on.
Zieh die Wagen!
Pull the trailers!
Zieh mich hoch!
Give me a good pull!
≠ drücken
großartig
- terrific, superb, etc.
- Positive
- großartig
- Comparative
- großartiger
- Superlative
- am großartigsten
Es war großartig!
This is great.
Das war großartig.
It's been swell.
Das ist großartig.
That's grand.
= sagenhaft= fantastisch= grandios= kolossal
umbringen
- to kill, to murder, to do away with
- to commit suicide
- Present (er/sie/es)
- bringt um
- Preterite
- brachte um
- Past participle
- hat umgebracht
Die werden Sie umbringen!
They'll kill you!
Du hast mich umgebracht.
You killed me.
Sie haben ihn umgebracht.
You killed him!
unglaublich
- unbelievable, incredible
- Positive
- unglaublich
- Comparative
- unglaublicher
- Superlative
- am unglaublichsten
Er ist unglaublich.
He's uncanny.
Ist doch unglaublich!
This is unbelievable.
Das ist unglaublich!
This is unbelievable!
≠ glaubhaft
führen
- to lead
- to carry, to sell
- to conduct some activity or process, to hold (a discussion, a negotiation), to have (a conversation), to lead (one's life), to wage (a war or campaign), to fight (a war)
- to wield (a weapon)
- Present (er/sie/es)
- führt
- Preterite
- führte
- Past participle
- hat geführt
Führe uns an.
Lead the way.
Was führt Sie her?
What brought you here?
Das führt zu nichts.
It won't amount to anything.
geschickt
- adept, habile, skillful, clever
- Positive
- geschickt
- Comparative
- geschickter
- Superlative
- am geschicktesten
Wen haben Sie geschickt?
Who'd you send?
Wer hat Sie geschickt?
Who sent you?
Wer hat das geschickt?
Who sent this?
≠ ungeschickt≠ unbeholfen≠ tollpatschig
Regeln
- plural of Regel (“rule”)
Wir haben Regeln.
We have rules.
Es gibt Regeln.
There are rules.
Ich kenne die Regeln.
I know the rules.
absolut
- absolute
- Positive
- absolut
- Comparative
- absoluter
- Superlative
- am absolutesten
Nicht, absolut nicht.
Not at all.
Absolut, alter Junge.
Quite right, old chap.
Absolut nicht, nein.
Absolutely not, no.
≠ relativ≠ verhältnismäßig
dieKontrolle
- inspection
- control
- Article
- die Kontrolle
- Plural
- die Kontrollen
- Genitive
- des Kontrolle
Wagen 6 an Kontrolle.
Car 6 to Control.
Ja, alles unter Kontrolle.
Yes, everything under control.
Sie hat die Kontrolle.
Without a woman there is no control here.
= Steuerung= Regelung= Beherrschung= Aufsicht= Herrschaft
beschützen
- to protect, to guard, to defend
- Present (er/sie/es)
- beschützt
- Preterite
- beschützte
- Past participle
- hat beschützt
Sie beschützt Sie.
It protects you.
Wen beschützen Sie?
Who are you holding out on?
Es wird Sie beschützen.
It will protect you.
= behüten= verteidigen
dasSchicksal
- destiny, fate (irresistible power that predetermines events)
- someone's destiny, fate
- life story; the general conditions and main developments of a person's life; more often than in English used without any notion of predetermination
- Article
- das Schicksal
- Plural
- die Schicksale
- Genitive
- des Schicksals
Das ist mein Schicksal.
That's the breaks I get.
Lies mal dein Schicksal.
See what your fortune is.
Das ist dein Schicksal.
This is your fate.
= Lebensweg= Lebensschicksal
dasVolk
- people, nation, folk, tribe, race (group united by culture, history, descent, and/or language)
- people, population, citizens
- common people, the lower classes, the working classes
- folk, crowd (large group of people gathered somewhere)
- Article
- das Volk
- Plural
- die Völker
- Genitive
- des Volkes
Vater des Volkes!
Father of the people!
Ich muss diesem Volk helfen.
I must help these people.
Endlich habe ich aus ihnen ein Volk gemacht!
I've finally made a nation out of them!
dieKönigin
- queen
- queen (chess piece)
- Article
- die Königin
- Plural
- die Königinnen
- Genitive
- des Königin
Lang lebe die Königin!
Long live the Queen!
Guten Morgen, meine Königin!
Good morning, my queen.
Sie wollen ihre Königin sehen.
They want to see their Queen.
drehen
- to turn
- to turn (one’s body), turn around
- to roll, twist, make something revolve, rotate
- to revolve, rotate, spin
- Present (er/sie/es)
- dreht
- Preterite
- drehte
- Past participle
- hat gedreht
Er drehte den Schlüssel.
He turned the key.
Ich kann meinen Film nicht weiter drehen!
I cannot continue to shoot my film!
Manchmal weiß ich nicht, wie ich mich drehen soll.
Sometimes I don't know which way to turn.
treten
- to step, to walk (a short distance)
- to appear
- to come into a state implied by a phrase
- to step; to tread; to trample
- Present (er/sie/es)
- tritt
- Preterite
- trat
- Past participle
- hat getreten
Treten Sie ein.
Of course not, general.
Ich trete zurück.
I resign!
Bitte tritt ein!
Please step inside.
derAuftrag
- assignment, job, mission
- order, instructions
- Article
- der Auftrag
- Plural
- die Aufträge
- Genitive
- des Auftrages
Einen Auftrag meiner Tante.
By my aunt.
Einen Auftrag meines Herzens.
Orders from my heart.
Hier ist der Auftrag.
Here is the order.
= Aufgabe= Job= Bestellung
entkommen
- to escape
- Present (er/sie/es)
- entkommt
- Preterite
- entkam
- Past participle
- ist entkommen
Er ist entkommen.
He got away!
Sie sind entkommen.
They've escaped me.
Ich bin entkommen.
I escaped.
dieOperation
- operation
- Article
- die Operation
- Plural
- die Operationen
- Genitive
- des Operation
Wie läuft die Operation?
How's the op going?
Wann ist meine Operation?
When is my surgery?
Die Operation war gestern.
The surgery was yesterday.
hinterlassen
- to leave, to leave behind (after leaving a location)
- to leave, to leave behind, to be survived by (after demise)
- to bequeath, to devise
- Present (er/sie/es)
- hinterlässt
- Preterite
- hinterließ
- Past participle
- hat hinterlassen
Wir hinterlassen eine Nachricht.
Better leave him a note.
Bitte eine Nachricht hinterlassen!
Please leave a message.
Hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht!
Leave a message.
vollkommen
- perfect (fitting its definition precisely)
- complete
- Positive
- vollkommen
- Comparative
- vollkommener
- Superlative
- am vollkommensten
Niemand ist vollkommen.
No one's perfect.
Nichts ist vollkommen.
Nothing is perfect.
Ich verstehe vollkommen.
I totally understand.
wahnsinnig
- mad, insane
- incredible, unbelievable
- Positive
- wahnsinnig
- Comparative
- wahnsinniger
- Superlative
- am wahnsinnigsten
Sind Sie wahnsinnig?
Are you insane?
Bist du wahnsinnig?
Are you crazy?
Ich bin wahnsinnig.
I am crazy.
= irrsinnig
stehlen
- to steal
- to skulk, to move secretly
- Present (er/sie/es)
- stiehlt
- Preterite
- stahl
- Past participle
- hat gestohlen
Wer hat gestohlen?
"Who did the stealing?
Sie wurde gestohlen!
Somebody stole it.
Was wurde gestohlen?
What was stolen?
= rauben= entwenden= klauen= abstauben= stibitzen
entlassen
- to release
- to dismiss
- Present (er/sie/es)
- entlässt
- Preterite
- entließ
- Past participle
- hat entlassen
Ihr seid entlassen!
You're through!
Nicht entlassen, bitte!
Don't fire her, will you?
Sie wurde entlassen.
She's got the sack.
= außerordentlich kündigen= fristlos kündigen
merken
- to notice, to sense, to be able to tell (the difference in a situation or state)
- to memorize, remember, learn
- to realize
- Present (er/sie/es)
- merkt
- Preterite
- merkte
- Past participle
- hat gemerkt
Merken Sie nichts?
don't you notice?
Merkt man es?
Does it show?
Ich merkte mir alles.
I memorized everything.
derSieg
- victory
- Article
- der Sieg
- Plural
- die Siege
- Genitive
- des Sieges
Unsere größten Siege.
Our biggest victories.
Noch ein Sieg.
Another victory.
Und der große Sieg?
And the great victory?
derStock
- stick (solid, wooden, broken off twig or small branch mostly clear of leaves or smaller twigs)
- stick, staff (length of wood or other hard material that is being used as an aid in movement, e.g. in hiking or skiiing)
- floor, storey, level
- stock, supply (but only in some contexts and much less common than in English)
- Article
- der Stock
- Plural
- die Stöcke
- Genitive
- des Stockes
Und mein Stock!
Oh, and my cane!
Gib mir den Stock!
Give me that!
Bring mir den Stock.
Bring me my cane.
derjenige
- he (who)
- the one
- this one, that one
Derjenige ist verloren.
They die.
Du bist derjenige.
You are the one.
Und derjenige könnte ich sein.
And I could if you'd let me.
zulassen
- to allow
- (administrative) to license (a car, a professional); to admit (a student)
- to keep something shut or closed
- Present (er/sie/es)
- lässt zu
- Preterite
- ließ zu
- Past participle
- hat zugelassen
Bin ich zugelassen?
Am I approved?
Ich werde es zulassen.
I'll allow it.
Ich werde das zulassen.
I'll allow this.
schlau
- clever in a way that enables one to achieve one's goals; slightly sly or cunning (but not usually implying any evil intentions)
- bright, intelligent, clever (with no such overtone at all)
- Positive
- schlau
- Comparative
- schlauer
- Superlative
- am schlauesten
Katzen sind schlau.
Cats are smart.
Das wäre schlau.
That would be smart.
Sie sind sehr schlau.
Yeah, if you are clever, my friend.
= gewieft= pfiffig= clever= ausgebufft= klug
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Common questions
How many words are in German C1 vocabulary?
This C1 list adds 2,987 words — 1,175 nouns, 1,036 verbs and 776 others. Counting everything from A1 up to C1, that is 6,636 words in total, which is the figure exam syllabuses usually quote.
What does C1 mean in German?
C1 is the advanced level of the Common European Framework (CEFR), also called "Effective Operational Proficiency". At C1 you express ideas fluently and use German flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.
How long does it take to learn C1 German vocabulary?
At a couple of dozen words a session, 2,987 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 C1 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.