telc Deutsch B1 Guides
B1 grammar in exam focus
By PreparaioEditorial team & sourcesUpdated
B1 grammar is broad; for the exam a small core is enough. This guide prioritises what is reliably tested.
Contents
Tenses: Perfekt and Präteritum
Oral storytelling uses Perfekt ("Ich habe … gemacht"). With sein, haben and modal verbs Präteritum is also used orally ("ich war", "ich hatte", "ich musste").
Learn the participles of frequent irregular verbs (gegangen, gefahren, gefunden, geblieben, gewesen, geworden).
Konjunktiv II for polite requests
For formal letters and requests: könnte, hätte, wäre, würde. "Könnten Sie mir bitte mitteilen …" is the standard opener in a semi-formal letter.
Connectives and word order
Subordinating (weil, obwohl, dass, wenn) → verb at the end. Coordinating (und, aber, denn, sondern, oder) → normal word order. Adverbial (deshalb, trotzdem, außerdem, danach) → verb in position 2.
Prepositions and case
Dative prepositions: mit, bei, nach, aus, von, zu, seit, gegenüber. Accusative: für, ohne, gegen, um, durch. Two-way (in, an, auf, unter, über, vor, hinter, zwischen, neben): dative = location, accusative = direction.
Passive — only the basics
"werden" + past participle. Present: "Das Formular wird ausgefüllt." Past: "Das Formular wurde ausgefüllt." Usually enough at B1.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to master Konjunktiv II fully?
No. The high-frequency forms (könnte, hätte, wäre, würde) suffice. For most weak verbs, "würde" + infinitive is standard.
Sources & currency
- Exam version
- telc Deutsch B1, as of 2026
- Editorial check
- Source check by the Preparaio editorial team ()
- Author
- Preparaio RedaktionEditorial team, fact-checking against official primary sources
- Reviewed by
- Source-checked by PreparaioSource comparison with the exam providers' own pages
- Fact-check status
- Source check in progress ()
- Content version
- 2026-07-31
How we check: Every exam-relevant fact is compared with the exam providers' official pages (g.a.s.t./TestDaF-Institut, BAMF, ETS, IELTS Partners, telc). The check is editorial, supported by AI and automated test gates; it is not a review by certified examiners.
The hard exam facts in this article were verified against the official primary sources linked below on the date shown. This is not a review by an examination body and does not replace information from your test centre. Fees, dates and local procedures are set by the test centres themselves.
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