Complete German A1 course · €0
From the alphabet to the A1 exam, step by step
- 118 lessons in 6 steps: welcome, foundations, 12 units, exam training, 2 mock exams, resources
- Audio for every word and speaking practice with your microphone
- Full A1 vocabulary with English and Hindi meanings
- Tips and tricks to crack Goethe and telc A1, plus 2 full mock exams
- Self-paced with a progress bar, so you always know where you are
Learn A1 for €0: FULL FREE for readers of German Campus only. No payment, no card: create your account and start today.
Get A1 for €0 →Learn A1 for €0: FULL FREE for readers of German Campus only. The entire level, no payment, no card. Self-paced: create your account and press Start. Everything you need to pass the Goethe or telc A1 exam, from your very first word to exam day.
Exam preparation built in
- Exam training section: 25 tips and tricks to crack A1, how points are given, time management, the 40 mistakes that cost the most points, and a plan for the last 7 days.
- All 4 exam parts in every unit: Hören (listening tasks played once or twice, like the real exam), Lesen (ads, emails, signs), Schreiben (forms and 30-word messages with model answers) and Sprechen (introduce yourself, word cards, requests).
- Ready-made templates for the writing and speaking tests that you can reuse in the exam.
- 2 full mock exams in the Goethe and telc A1 format, with timers, scoring out of 100 and a plan for what to repeat.
- 12 unit tests with a 60% pass mark, just like the real exam.
Your path: 6 steps, 118 lessons
- Welcome and study plan: how the course works, a week-by-week plan and how the A1 exam works.
- Foundations: the alphabet, German sounds, numbers, days and time, your first survival phrases and how German sentences work. Slow and gentle for complete beginners.
- 12 units on real life in Germany: introducing yourself, numbers and forms, family, food and shopping, flat hunting, daily routine, free time, appointments, the city and the Bürgeramt, work and study, health, travel. Every unit trains all skills: vocabulary, grammar, listening (Hören), reading (Lesen), writing (Schreiben) and speaking (Sprechen), plus a unit test.
- Exam training: tips and tricks to crack A1, templates for writing and speaking, extra exam practice and the 40 mistakes that cost the most points.
- 2 full mock exams in the Goethe and telc A1 format, with timers and scoring.
- Resources: grammar cheat sheet, the 100 most important verbs, survival phrases and the complete A1 word list from A to Z.
What makes it different
- The complete A1 vocabulary with articles, plurals, English and Hindi meanings, example sentences, audio, flashcards and quizzes.
- Speaking practice with your microphone: say a sentence and see which words a German would understand.
- Grammar in plain English: short explanations, clear tables, typical mistakes and hundreds of exercises with instant correction.
- Progress bar and Complete buttons, so you always know where you are and what comes next.
Who is this course for?
Complete beginners, international students, job seekers and families who need A1 for a visa, a language course or daily life in Germany. All explanations are in simple English. No grammar knowledge needed.
How long does it take?
About 45 minutes a day for 12 to 14 weeks. You can go faster or slower, and your progress is saved.
Independent course by German Campus. Not affiliated with Goethe-Institut or telc. Levels A2, B1, B2 and C1 are coming next. Native-speaker word recordings: audio credits.
Curriculum
- 18 Sections
- 118 Lessons
- 14 Weeks
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Step 1 · Welcome and your study plan3 ItemsUnderstand how the course works, choose a study plan that fits your day, and see exactly what the A1 exam looks like.
- Step 2 · Foundations: sounds, letters, numbers and first phrases9 ItemsRead German words aloud correctly, spell your name, use numbers, days and times, say your first survival phrases and understand the basic rules of how German works.
- 2.1F.1 The German alphabet and spelling your name30 Minutes
- 2.2F.2 Vowels, umlauts and vowel pairs30 Minutes
- 2.3F.3 Consonants, reading rules and word stress35 Minutes
- 2.4F.4 Numbers 0 to 2025 Minutes
- 2.5F.5 Numbers 21 to 1000: prices, ages, phone numbers and years35 Minutes
- 2.6F.6 Days, months, seasons and telling the time (basics)35 Minutes
- 2.7F.7 Your first survival phrases30 Minutes
- 2.8F.8 How German works: der, die, das, verb position and du or Sie35 Minutes
- 2.9F.9 Foundations test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 1: Hallo! (Hello!)7 ItemsYou will be able to greet people, introduce yourself, say where you come from, which languages you speak, and spell your name letter by letter.
- 3.11.1 Vocabulary: Greetings, personal details, countries and languages35 Minutes
- 3.21.2 Grammar: Personal pronouns, present tense, sein, W-questions, verb in position 250 Minutes
- 3.31.3 Listening (Hören): Greetings, introductions and spelled names35 Minutes
- 3.41.4 Reading (Lesen): Profiles, short messages and course lists35 Minutes
- 3.51.5 Writing (Schreiben): Introducing yourself in a form and a short message40 Minutes
- 3.61.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Introducing yourself and spelling your name35 Minutes
- 3.71.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 2: Zahlen und Kontakte (Numbers and contact details)7 ItemsYou will be able to use numbers from 0 to 1000, say your age, phone number, address and email, ask yes/no questions and fill in simple German forms.
- 4.12.1 Vocabulary: Numbers, contact details and forms40 Minutes
- 4.22.2 Grammar: haben, yes/no questions, du and Sie, ja/nein/doch50 Minutes
- 4.32.3 Listening (Hören): Numbers, phone numbers and addresses35 Minutes
- 4.42.4 Reading (Lesen): Forms, business cards, ads and signs35 Minutes
- 4.52.5 Writing (Schreiben): Filling in forms and sending your contact details40 Minutes
- 4.62.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Age, numbers and contact details35 Minutes
- 4.72.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 3: Familie & Menschen (Family and People)7 ItemsYou will be able to talk about your family, describe people and say what they do, using der/die/das, plurals, ein/kein and my/your/his/her.
- 5.13.1 Vocabulary: Family, people and jobs35 Minutes
- 5.23.2 Grammar: der/die/das, plural, ein/kein, mein/dein/sein/ihr50 Minutes
- 5.33.3 Listening (Hören): Family conversations35 Minutes
- 5.43.4 Reading (Lesen): Emails, profiles and notices about people35 Minutes
- 5.53.5 Writing (Schreiben): Forms and messages about your family35 Minutes
- 5.63.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Talking about your family35 Minutes
- 5.73.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 4: Essen & Einkaufen (Food and Shopping)7 ItemsYou will be able to buy food at the supermarket and bakery, order in a café or the Mensa, ask about prices and say what you like and do not like.
- 6.14.1 Vocabulary: Food, drinks and shopping40 Minutes
- 6.24.2 Grammar: Accusative, möchten, nicht/kein, gern55 Minutes
- 6.34.3 Listening (Hören): At the bakery, supermarket and café35 Minutes
- 6.44.4 Reading (Lesen): Shopping lists, offers and menus35 Minutes
- 6.54.5 Writing (Schreiben): Orders and shopping messages35 Minutes
- 6.64.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Ordering and buying food35 Minutes
- 6.74.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 5: Wohnen (Home and Living)7 ItemsYou will be able to describe your flat or WG room, its rooms, furniture and colours, understand flat ads and talk to a landlord about rent.
- 7.15.1 Vocabulary: Flat, rooms, furniture and colours40 Minutes
- 7.25.2 Grammar: es gibt, adjectives after sein, welch-, ihn/sie/es, negation review50 Minutes
- 7.35.3 Listening (Hören): Flat hunting and furniture35 Minutes
- 7.45.4 Reading (Lesen): Flat ads, WG emails and house notices35 Minutes
- 7.55.5 Writing (Schreiben): Forms and emails about a flat40 Minutes
- 7.65.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Talking about your home35 Minutes
- 7.75.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 6: Tagesablauf und Zeit (Daily Routine and Time)7 ItemsYou will be able to tell the time formally and informally, talk about your daily routine and the days of the week, and understand opening hours and times in announcements.
- 8.16.1 Vocabulary: Time, days and daily routine40 Minutes
- 8.26.2 Grammar: Clock times, separable verbs, time first word order, um/am/von…bis/ab, frequency words55 Minutes
- 8.36.3 Listening (Hören): Times, opening hours and announcements35 Minutes
- 8.46.4 Reading (Lesen): Opening hours, timetables and notes35 Minutes
- 8.56.5 Writing (Schreiben): Course form and messages about your day40 Minutes
- 8.66.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Talking about your day35 Minutes
- 8.76.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 7: Freizeit & Hobbys (Free time and hobbies)7 ItemsYou will be able to talk about your hobbies, sports and the weather, say what you can and want to do, and make simple plans for the weekend.
- 9.17.1 Vocabulary: Hobbies, sport, weather, seasons and months40 Minutes
- 9.27.2 Grammar: können and wollen, stem-changing verbs, gern/lieber/am liebsten, und/oder/aber/denn50 Minutes
- 9.37.3 Listening (Hören): Weekend plans, sport and the weather report35 Minutes
- 9.47.4 Reading (Lesen): Club ads, course programmes and messages35 Minutes
- 9.57.5 Writing (Schreiben): Signing up for a course and writing to a friend35 Minutes
- 9.67.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Talking about hobbies and free time35 Minutes
- 9.77.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 8: Termine & Einladungen (Appointments and invitations)7 ItemsYou will be able to say dates and birthdays, make and change appointments, invite people, accept or decline politely, and give simple instructions and requests.
- 10.18.1 Vocabulary: Dates, appointments, birthdays, invitations and phone calls40 Minutes
- 10.28.2 Grammar: Ordinal numbers and dates, müssen and dürfen, the imperative, mich and dich55 Minutes
- 10.38.3 Listening (Hören): Invitations, appointments and phone messages35 Minutes
- 10.48.4 Reading (Lesen): Invitations, cards and notices about appointments35 Minutes
- 10.58.5 Writing (Schreiben): Inviting, accepting and declining35 Minutes
- 10.68.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Making appointments and asking for things35 Minutes
- 10.78.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 9: In der Stadt (In the city)7 ItemsYou will be able to ask for and give directions, use buses, trains and the station, understand signs and announcements, and handle simple visits to the Bürgeramt, post office, bank and pharmacy.
- 11.19.1 Vocabulary: Transport, places in town, directions and signs35 Minutes
- 11.29.2 Grammar: Dative after prepositions, wo? and wohin?, directions with the imperative45 Minutes
- 11.39.3 Listening (Hören): At the station and on the street35 Minutes
- 11.49.4 Reading (Lesen): Signs, timetables and notices35 Minutes
- 11.59.5 Writing (Schreiben): Describing the way and the Bürgeramt form35 Minutes
- 11.69.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Asking for the way and buying a ticket30 Minutes
- 11.79.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 10: Arbeit & Studium (Work and studies)7 ItemsYou will be able to talk about your job, your studies and your German course, say what you did in the past with war and hatte, and say how long you have been doing something.
- 12.110.1 Vocabulary: Jobs, the workplace, university and the language course35 Minutes
- 12.210.2 Grammar: war and hatte, als + job, seit and vor, müssen and können45 Minutes
- 12.310.3 Listening (Hören): At work and at university35 Minutes
- 12.410.4 Reading (Lesen): Job ads, notices and emails from work and uni35 Minutes
- 12.510.5 Writing (Schreiben): Course registration and messages to your boss or teacher35 Minutes
- 12.610.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Talking about your job and your studies30 Minutes
- 12.710.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 11: Gesundheit (Health)7 ItemsYou will be able to name parts of the body, say what hurts, make an appointment at the doctor's, understand instructions from a doctor or pharmacist, call in sick and call for help in an emergency.
- 13.111.1 Vocabulary: Body, doctor, pharmacy and emergencies40 Minutes
- 13.211.2 Grammar: Mir tut … weh, sollen, imperative and possessive articles review50 Minutes
- 13.311.3 Listening (Hören): At the doctor’s and at the pharmacy35 Minutes
- 13.411.4 Reading (Lesen): Opening hours, notes and medicine instructions35 Minutes
- 13.511.5 Writing (Schreiben): Patient form and calling in sick35 Minutes
- 13.611.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Talking to the doctor35 Minutes
- 13.711.7 Unit test30 Minutes
- Step 3 · Unit 12: Reisen & Kleidung (Travel and clothes)7 ItemsYou will be able to book a hotel room, travel by plane and train, buy clothes in the right size and tell others what you did on your holiday using the Perfekt, and you will review all A1 grammar for the exam.
- 14.112.1 Vocabulary: Travel, hotel, airport and clothes40 Minutes
- 14.212.2 Grammar: The Perfekt with haben and sein, and A1 grammar review60 Minutes
- 14.312.3 Listening (Hören): At the hotel, the airport and in a clothes shop35 Minutes
- 14.412.4 Reading (Lesen): Holiday emails, hotel ads and shop signs35 Minutes
- 14.512.5 Writing (Schreiben): Hotel booking and holiday messages35 Minutes
- 14.612.6 Speaking (Sprechen): Travelling, shopping and talking about the past35 Minutes
- 14.712.7 Unit test (A1 review)45 Minutes
- Step 4 · Exam training: tips and tricks to crack A17 ItemsLearn how the A1 exam is scored, use proven strategies, templates and formulas for Hören, Lesen, Schreiben and Sprechen, avoid the 40 most expensive mistakes and walk into the exam calm and well prepared.
- 15.1E.1 How to crack A1: 25 tips and tricks30 Minutes
- 15.2E.2 Hören (Listening): strategies and practice40 Minutes
- 15.3E.3 Lesen (Reading): strategies and practice40 Minutes
- 15.4E.4 Schreiben (Writing): templates that get full points50 Minutes
- 15.5E.5 Sprechen (Speaking): templates and practice50 Minutes
- 15.6E.6 The 40 mistakes that cost the most points35 Minutes
- 15.7E.7 The last 7 days and exam day25 Minutes
- Step 5 · A1 Mock Exam 1 (Goethe / telc format)5 ItemsTake a complete, original practice exam in the format of Start Deutsch 1 (Hören, Lesen, Schreiben, Sprechen), score yourself out of 100 and plan your last week before the real exam.
- Step 5 · A1 Mock Exam 2 (Goethe / telc format)5 ItemsTake a second complete, original practice exam in the Start Deutsch 1 format with new texts and tasks, score yourself out of 100 and compare your result with Mock Exam 1 to see exactly what to repeat.
- 17.1Mock Exam 2, Part 1: Hören (Listening, about 20 minutes)25 Minutes
- 17.2Mock Exam 2, Part 2: Lesen (Reading, 25 minutes)30 Minutes
- 17.3Mock Exam 2, Part 3: Schreiben (Writing, 20 minutes)30 Minutes
- 17.4Mock Exam 2, Part 4: Sprechen (Speaking, 15 minutes)40 Minutes
- 17.5Mock Exam 2, Part 5: Your score and comparison with Mock Exam 125 Minutes
- Step 6 · Resources: grammar, verbs, phrases and the A-Z word list5 ItemsLook up any A1 grammar rule, verb form or exam phrase in seconds and check yourself with short drills.
Instructor
Kumar Ashish
Kumar Ashish is the founder and editor of German Campus. He studies Engineering Physics at Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, where he is also a student representative, and has lived in Germany for around ten years. From 2019 to 2025 he was National Chairman (Vorsitzender) and spokesperson of the Bundesverband ausländischer Studierender (BAS), the federal association of international students in Germany. Since 2020 he has been active in the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), where he serves as a student representative on the Executive Board (Vorstand). He has led many national campaigns for international students, including raising the yearly work allowance from 120 to 140 full days. He speaks seven languages and is widely known as "Der Netzwerker" (The Networker). He oversees all German Campus guides on visas, studying and living in Germany. More about his work: thekumarashish.com
