German A1 exam grammar: core review checklist
This is a focused review of core grammar topics, not an official syllabus or a complete exam simulation. Exam providers also assess reading, listening, writing and speaking; use their current sample papers alongside this practice.
Reviewed against official exam-provider information on July 30, 2026.
Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 and telc Deutsch A1 are common first certificates for German learners. This page focuses on four high-value grammar areas in KasusKnacker's A1 track: noun gender, nominative and accusative, present-tense verbs and possessives. It is a review checklist with practice examples, not a substitute for the provider's complete exam specification.
Where grammar appears at A1
In Goethe and telc A1 materials, grammar is embedded in practical language tasks rather than presented as a universal stand-alone syllabus. Reading and listening depend on recognizing forms such as der/den; short writing and speaking tasks require basic article, verb and possessive choices such as „Mein Name ist…" and „Meine Schwester wohnt…".
Short gap texts are useful practice because they force you to choose an article or verb form in context. Exact modules and task formats vary by exam and can change, so pair this track with the official sample paper linked below.
The A1 core grammar checklist
These are the four core topics in KasusKnacker's focused A1 review track. Each links to a grammar guide with tables and examples.
Der, die, das: recognizing articles
Read the Der, die, das: recognizing articles guideNominative and accusative
Read the Nominative and accusative guideVerbs in the present tense
Read the Verbs in the present tense guidePossessives: mein, dein, sein
Read the Possessives: mein, dein, sein guideDer, die, das: recognizing articles. Every German noun has a gender, and A1 is where you build the habit of learning nouns with their article — der Tisch, die Lampe, das Buch. Exams test this constantly and indirectly: nearly every other grammar point depends on knowing the gender first.
Nominative and accusative. The subject of a sentence takes the nominative; the direct object takes the accusative. Visibly, only the masculine changes: „Der Kaffee ist heiß" but „Ich trinke den Kaffee." A1 exercises drill exactly this switch.
Verbs in the present tense. Regular endings (ich trinke, du trinkst, er trinkt) plus the essential irregulars: sein, haben, and stem-changing verbs like fahren → er fährt and essen → sie isst. The speaking module is built on these forms.
Possessives: mein, dein, sein. Possessive articles take the same endings as ein: „mein Bruder", „meine Schwester", „Ich besuche meinen Bruder." Introducing your family — a standard A1 speaking task — is a possessives exercise in disguise.
The four exercise formats, with examples
KasusKnacker's A1 track uses four exercise formats modeled on how exams present grammar. Here is each one, with a real A1-level example — try it before revealing the answer.
Gap texts (cloze)
Short everyday texts with gaps — the format used in the telc grammar section.
Example
Das ist ___ Hund. ___ Hund heißt Bello. Ich sehe ___ Hund im Park.
Show answer
ein (first mention) · Der (subject → nominative) · den (direct object → accusative)
Word-bank texts
Fill the gaps from a shared word bank — the second telc grammar format.
Example
Word bank: habe · ist · meine
Ich ___ eine Schwester. Sie ___ acht Jahre alt. Das ist ___ Katze.
Show answer
habe · ist · meine (die Katze → feminine possessive)
Spot the error
One part of each sentence is wrong — find it and correct it.
Example
Ich sehe der Mann.
Show answer
The error is der — it should be den. The man is the direct object, so the masculine article takes the accusative.
Transformations
Rewrite a sentence in a new form — tense, case or structure.
Example
Ich trinke jeden Morgen Kaffee. → Er ___ jeden Morgen Kaffee.
Show answer
trinkt — third person singular adds -t to the stem.
Heading to A2
Once articles, the nominative–accusative switch and present-tense forms feel automatic, A2 exam grammar adds the dative case, two-case prepositions, reflexive pronouns and the Perfekt — the tense you need to talk about past events.
Official exam information
Use these provider sources for the current exam structure, scoring rules and official practice materials.
The A1 readiness test
20 questions · 20 minutes
12 multiple choice · 1 gap text · 1 word-bank text · 3 spot-the-error · 3 transformations
Your first test at this level is free. Retakes are part of Premium.
Start the A1 track