Goethe B1 Hören Teil 1: the first number is often wrong
- 5short texts
- 2questions on each text
- 2×you hear each text twice
- 18 of 30right answers pass Hören
What the paper looks like
HörenTeil 1
Sie hören fünf kurze Texte. Zu jedem Text lösen Sie zwei Aufgaben. Wählen Sie bei jeder Aufgabe die richtige Lösung. Sie hören jeden Text zweimal.
This is Hören Teil 1, just like on exam day. You hear five short texts, each one twice, and answer two questions about each text.
The method
-
1Read both questions first
-
2First listen: find the answer
-
3Second listen: check the answer
Let's do Text 1 together
1Read both questions first
1 Frau Keller muss das Fahrrad am Samstag abholen.
Richtig / Falsch
2 Die Werkstatt ist am Samstag geöffnet …
Both questions are about Samstag, ‘Saturday’. So you listen for Saturday and the times that go with it.
2First listen: find the answer
What you heard
Hallo Frau Keller, hier ist die Fahrradwerkstatt Müller. Ihr Fahrrad ist fertig. Sie können es ab Mittwochnachmittag abholen. Wir haben bis 18 Uhr geöffnet, am Samstag nur bis 13 Uhr.
The bike is ready from Wednesday afternoon. Samstag only comes up with the opening times. So question 1 is Falsch
.
3Second listen: check the answer
2 Die Werkstatt ist am Samstag geöffnet …
- a bis 13 Uhr.✓
- b bis 18 Uhr.✕
- c gar nicht.✕
On Saturday the shop is open until 1 pm, so you mark ‘a’ for question 2.
Mark an answer the first time you hear the text. The second time, check that the speaker does not change it later.
Your turn: Text 2
3 Der Zug nach Köln fährt von Gleis 3.
Not quite. Play it again and listen all the way to the end of the sentence.
What you heard
Liebe Fahrgäste, der Zug nach Köln fährt heute nicht von Gleis 3, sondern von Gleis 7. Bitte beachten Sie: Der Zug hat etwa zehn Minuten Verspätung.
The answer is Falsch
. You hear Gleis 3 first, but the speaker corrects it straight away. sondern
means ‘but instead’, so the train leaves from Gleis 7.
The answer and the explanation are shown above.
Why the first number is often wrong
Many messages in Teil 1 say one thing and then change it. The change usually comes in one of these three ways.
-
Not this, but that
nicht von Gleis 3, sondern von Gleis 7
. The wordsondern
tells you the first number is wrong. -
An old plan is cancelled
Ihr Termin am Montag … muss leider ausfallen. Ihr neuer Termin ist am Dienstag um 9 Uhr.
The new day comes after the old one. -
A time that is about something else
Das Angebot gilt nur bis 12 Uhr.
That is when an offer ends, not when the shop closes.
So on the second listen, check two things: the speaker did not change your answer, and it is about what the question asks. Small words like sondern
, leider
and nur
tell you a change is coming.
Questions
How often do you hear each text in Goethe B1 Hören Teil 1?
Twice. Teil 1 has five short texts, and each one has two questions.
How many right answers do you need to pass Hören?
18 of 30. The handbook's table turns 18 right answers into 60 points, and 60 of 100 passes the module.
Are these the real exam recordings?
No. They are Velang's own practice recordings, made in the same format as the exam.
Practise all of Hören Teil 1 in the app, with new recordings and a timed part.
Start freeSources and notes
- Format facts: Goethe-Zertifikat B1 teacher's handbook (Goethe-Institut): Hören Teil 1 has five texts played twice, with one Richtig/Falsch and one multiple-choice question each; the points table and the 60-of-100 pass mark come from the same handbook. See Goethe-Zertifikat B1 on goethe.de.
- The recordings and German texts are Velang practice items from the app. A native speaker has not checked the dentist item yet.
- Velang is not part of the Goethe-Institut.