German C2.1: the words, the grammar and the mock exams

What C2 means

At C2 you understand virtually everything you hear or read. You can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, and express yourself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, telling apart finer shades of meaning.

These are the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which the Goethe-Zertifikat and telc exams follow. Each step's words and grammar are Sogda's selection for its level.

The 20 grammar topics of C2.1

• Denotation und Konnotation
• Synonymdifferenzierung
• Modalpartikeln: Kombination und Stellung
• Verbvalenz und seltene Rektionen
• Präpositionen im gehobenen Stil
• Vorfeld, Ausklammerung, Nachfeld
• Stilebenen und Stilbruch
• Kollokationen erweitern
• Idiomatik: Bild und Gebrauchsgrenze
• Sprichwörter und ihre Brechung
• Litotes und Understatement
• Rhetorische Figuren
• Textsorten der Presse
• Erzähltextanalyse
• Wissenschaftssprache: Präzision und Hecken
• Rechtssprache entschlüsseln
• Archaismen und poetische Formen
• Anglizismen im Deutschen
• Interferenzfehler abbauen
• Umgangssprache: Struktur

The 3 mock exams

Each mock exam for C2.1 has 40 questions and two tasks, 48 points in all, with a result for each section. Like the real exams, they test listening, writing and speaking, plus vocabulary and grammar; there's no reading-comprehension part. They're generated from the step's words and grammar, not official Goethe or telc papers.

• Vocabulary: 10 questions
• Reverse (from the meaning to German): 8 questions
• Articles: 6 questions
• Word forms: 4 questions
• Gap fill: 6 questions
• Grammar: 4 questions
• Listening: 2 questions
• Writing: a text of at least 250 words
• Speaking: up to 120 seconds

25 of the 222 words

A sample from step C2.1: each word with its article and forms where it has them, its meaning in English and a pronunciation guide. The app has all 222, with examples.

Vorschrift / Regelung / Bestimmung / Richtlinie

regulation / arrangement / provision / directive — /FOHR-shrift / RAY-guh-loong / buh-SHTIM-moong / RIHYT-lee-nyuh/

scheinbar / anscheinend

seemingly (but not) / apparently (probably true) — /SHAIN-bahr / AN-shai-nent/

immerhin (Partikel)

at least / after all (concessive) — /im-mer-HIN/

denn (Partikel)

then (softens a question) — /DEN/

der Fachjargon

jargon (pejorative) — /FAKH-zhar-gong/

die Reportage · Reportagen

reportage (scenic, eyewitness) — /ray-por-TAH-zhuh/

das Nachfeld

the field after the final verb — /NAHKH-felt/

erschüttern · erschüttert · hat erschüttert

to shake / to undermine (confidence) — /air-SHEWT-tern/

die Einordnung · Einordnungen

contextualisation — /AIN-ort-noong/

aber (Partikel)

really (surprise, in exclamations) — /AH-ber/

streichen · streicht · hat gestrichen

to cut / to delete — /SHTRAI-hyen/

das Plagiat · Plagiate

plagiarism — /pla-ghi-AHT/

beantragen · beantragt · hat beantragt

to move (a motion, in a meeting) — /buh-AN-trah-gen/

die Überschrift · Überschriften

headline / heading — /EW-ber-shrift/

die Ellipse · Ellipsen

ellipsis (omission) — /el-LIP-suh/

die Gesinnung · Gesinnungen

mindset / ideological conviction (often pejorative) — /guh-ZIN-noong/

posten / liken / teilen

to post / to like / to share — /POHS-ten / LAI-ken / TAI-len/

der Ausblick · Ausblicke

outlook (final section) — /OWSS-blik/

der Zynismus

cynicism — /tsew-NIS-mooss/

lernen / erlernen / studieren · lernt · erlernt · studiert

to learn / to acquire (a skill) / to study (at university, or examine) — /LAIR-nen / air-LAIR-nen / shtoo-DEE-ren/

ambitioniert

ambitious (positive of plans, ambivalent of people) — /am-bi-tsyo-NEERT/

in etwas verfallen · verfällt · ist verfallen

to lapse into — /in et-vass fair-FAL-len/

das Motiv · Motive

motif (literary) / motive — /mo-TEEF/

anzeigen (Behörde) · zeigt an · hat angezeigt

to notify (an authority) — /AN-tsai-gen buh-HUR-duh/

ehrgeizig

ambitious (of a person, can be edged) — /AIR-gai-tsihy/

Questions, answered.