Sprechen Teil 1: Planning Something Together

What This Task Is

In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 Sprechen module (~15 minutes, 3 parts), Teil 1 is a paired task: you and your partner have to organise something together — for example a farewell party (eine Abschiedsparty), a day trip (ein Tagesausflug), a visit to a sick friend (ein Besuch), or a birthday surprise (eine Geburtstagsüberraschung). You receive a task card with a situation and several points you must clarify.

The key word is together. This is not a presentation and not a monologue — it is a dialogue. The examiners want to see that you can suggest, react, negotiate, and finally agree on a plan.

What You Must Cover

A good plan answers every "W-question" on the card. Aim to settle each of these:

Point	German cue	What to decide
What?	Was machen wir?	The activity / type of event
When?	Wann?	Day and time
Where?	Wo?	Location / meeting point
Who does what?	Wer macht was?	Tasks shared between you
Costs / getting there	Kosten / Anreise?	Budget, transport, who pays

If you ignore one point, you lose marks — so mentally tick each one off.

Redemittel Grouped by Function

Learn these set phrases so you can react instantly instead of searching for words.

Making suggestions - Wir könnten … (we could …) - Ich schlage vor, dass … (I suggest that …) - Wie wäre es mit …? (how about …?) - Sollen wir vielleicht …? (shall we maybe …?)

Agreeing - Gute Idee! (good idea!) - Das finde ich gut. (I like that.) - Einverstanden. (agreed.) - Ja, das machen wir. (yes, let's do that.)

Disagreeing politely - Hm, das finde ich nicht so gut, weil … (hm, I don't think that's so good, because …) - Lieber nicht, denn … (rather not, because …) - Vielleicht besser …? (maybe better …?)

Asking your partner - Was meinst du? (what do you think?) - Bist du einverstanden? (do you agree?) - Hast du eine bessere Idee? (do you have a better idea?)

Deciding - Dann machen wir das so. (then let's do it that way.) - Abgemacht! (deal! / settled!) - Gut, dann ist alles geklärt. (good, then everything is settled.)

How to Run a Good Dialogue

• Don't dominate, don't go silent. Aim for a balanced 50/50 exchange.
• Always react to what your partner says before adding your own idea: Ja, gute Idee. Und wir könnten auch …
• Ask questions to pull your partner in: Was meinst du?
• Disagree politely and offer an alternative — never just say Nein.
• Close each point with a decision before moving on, then confirm the whole plan at the end.

Common Mistakes

• Delivering a monologue instead of a real conversation.
• Deciding too fast without discussing — the examiner wants to hear negotiation.
• Ignoring a point on the card (e.g. forgetting costs or transport).
• Only saying ja / nein without giving reasons or alternatives.
• Letting one partner do all the talking.

You've got this — practise the phrases until they come automatically, then try a full mock exam and run through Teil 1 with a partner.