TELC B1 Sprachbausteine Explained: Parts 1 & 2

Teil 1 — Grammatik (multiple choice cloze)

You receive a continuous text — usually a letter, article, or email — with 15 blanks. Each blank has three answer options (A, B, C). The options are typically grammatically similar forms: different cases, different prepositions, different verb forms, or different conjunctions.

Common grammatical structures tested include: prepositions with dative or accusative (in/an/auf/bei/mit/von), adjective endings (nominative, accusative, dative), verb forms (present, past, subjunctive II for polite requests), and connectors (obwohl, damit, weil, wenn, als).

• ›Read the whole text once before looking at answer options — context resolves many ambiguities.
• ›For prepositions, ask: does this verb / adjective / noun require a fixed preposition?
• ›For verb forms, check: is this direct speech, reported speech, or a wenn-clause?
• ›For adjective endings, identify the gender, case, and whether you're using ein- or definite article.
• ›If two options look equally plausible, re-read the surrounding sentence for a subtle grammatical clue.

Teil 2 — Lexik (word bank)

A second, shorter text has 10 blanks. You are given 20 words in a box (labelled a–t). Exactly 10 words fit the blanks; the other 10 are distractors. Each word can only be used once.

The words are mostly everyday vocabulary: common verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and adverbs. The test is not about knowing rare words — it is about precision. Knowing that "aufhören" and "anfangen" are antonyms, or that "seitdem" requires a past context while "seither" is formal, makes the difference.

• ›Read the text fully before filling any gap.
• ›Fill the blanks you are certain about first, crossing each used word off the list.
• ›For the remaining gaps, use the process of elimination: which words are left and do they fit?
• ›Watch for grammatical constraints: if the gap needs a verb in infinitive form, eliminate past-tense forms.
• ›Check collocations: certain verbs always go with specific prepositions (sich freuen auf, bestehen aus, etc.).

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• ›Choosing by "feel" without checking grammar: always verify case and preposition requirements systematically.
• ›Using the same word twice in Teil 2: each word can only appear once — cross it off when you place it.
• ›Rushing Teil 1 and running out of time for Teil 2: both parts together should take about 20 minutes.
• ›Ignoring punctuation: commas before relative clauses and "weil/dass/ob" clauses can indicate which conjunction is needed.
• ›Not re-reading the completed sentence: after inserting your answer, read the full sentence aloud (in your head) to check it flows naturally.

Grammar areas most often tested

• ›Two-way prepositions (an, auf, in, über, unter, vor, hinter, neben, zwischen) with accusative for motion and dative for location.
• ›Modal verbs (müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, können, mögen/möchten) in present and Konjunktiv II.
• ›Relative clauses: the relative pronoun agrees in gender/number with its antecedent but takes the case required by the relative clause.
• ›Adjective endings with definite article (der, die, das), indefinite article (ein, eine, ein), and no article.
• ›Connectors: coordinating (und, aber, oder, denn, sondern) vs. subordinating (weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, damit).
• ›Reflexive verbs and fixed prepositional phrases (sich interessieren für, warten auf, etc.).

How to prepare

• ›Work through at least three complete TELC B1 Modellsätze — Sprachbausteine appears in every one.
• ›Review the 40 most common German prepositions with fixed cases and verb collocations.
• ›Practise adjective endings using a table and drilling with flashcards.
• ›Cloze tests from any B1 grammar workbook train the pattern-matching reflex needed for Teil 1.
• ›Write short texts yourself using conjunctions consciously — this builds the intuition that makes Teil 1 faster.