Hören (Listening)
Hear the task the way exam day presents it
Listen at the pace of the real recording, answer while the detail is still fresh, then see the exact phrase that decided it.
About this skill
Hören is the module most people underestimate. The candidates who pass are not the ones with the best vocabulary; they are the ones who know, before the audio starts, what kind of detail each Teil will ask for and where in the recording it tends to sit.
No slowing down.
You cannot slow the speaker down; the recording sets the pace and the answer has to be ready when the phrase arrives.
No re-reading.
You cannot re-read. What you missed is gone unless the Teil plays twice.
One play in several parts.
In several parts you hear the recording only once. Find the 1 in the plays column before you start.
What passers know.
Before the audio starts: what kind of detail each Teil will ask for and where in the recording it tends to sit.
Built to the Teil.
Every Hören item on Sprachpass is written to the format of a specific Teil of a specific board and level: the task type, the option count, the instruction wording and the play count of the official Modellsatz for that exam.
Two examples.
Goethe A1 Teil 2 the way the Goethe paper runs it: four public announcements, richtig or falsch, one play. telc B2 Teil 2 the way telc runs it: one interview, ten statements, one play, with the statements in front of you before the audio starts.
The numbers
Four numbers of this skill across the eight exam targets
What you get
Three things every run gives you
Real task format.
Each item is built on the official Modellsatz of its board and level: the same Teil, the same instruction wording, the same number of options, the same play count.
Feedback you can use.
After every answer you see the phrase in the recording that decided it, why the wrong option tempted you, and what to listen for next time.
A number that means something.
Practice runs are untimed with instant feedback; mock exams are timed and scored the way the board scores its paper, so your practice result maps onto exam day.
How it works
From first tap to explanation
Step 1 of 5
Pick board, level and Teil.
The matrix at the bottom of this page keeps your choice in the start button.
Step 2 of 5
Read the task first.
The instruction and the question stems appear before the audio, the way the paper gives you a reading window.
Step 3 of 5
Listen and answer.
The recording plays the number of times the real Teil allows. Answer while the detail is fresh.
Step 4 of 5
See the verdict and the deciding phrase.
Right or wrong, you get the line from the recording that settles it and the reason the wrong option pulled.
Step 5 of 5
Finish the run and read the summary.
Ten questions per practice run; the summary shows which Teil cost you.
Step 1 of 5: Pick board, level and Teil.
Inside the exam
Every Teil, per board and level
All numbers below come from the official papers listed in the sources footnote at the end of the page.
Goethe A1 (Start Deutsch 1): about 20 minutes, 3 Teile, 15 items, 25 result points
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Six short everyday dialogues, one concrete fact each (a time, a price, a place) | Choose a, b or c; the paper prints three pictures with captions | 6 | 2 |
| 2 | Four public announcements (station, shop, airport) | richtig or falsch | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Five voicemail and phone messages | Choose a, b or c | 5 | 2 |
Goethe A2: 30 minutes, 4 Teile, 20 items, 25 result points
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five short texts: announcements, answering machine, radio | Choose a, b or c | 5 | 2 |
| 2 | One connected conversation about a week | Match each item to a picture (a to i) | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | Five short everyday conversations | Choose the matching picture | 5 | 1 |
| 4 | One radio interview | Ja or Nein per statement | 5 | 2 |
Goethe B1: 40 minutes, 4 Teile, 30 items, 100 points, pass at 60
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five short everyday texts | Per text: one richtig or falsch and one three-option question | 10 | 2 |
| 2 | One guided tour or short talk | Choose a, b or c | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | One everyday conversation | richtig or falsch | 7 | 1 |
| 4 | One radio discussion with several speakers | Who says what: attribute each statement to a speaker | 8 | 2 |
Goethe B2: about 40 minutes plus 5 minutes transfer, 4 Teile, 30 items, 100 points, pass at 60
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five short conversations and statements | Per text: one richtig or falsch and one three-option question | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | One radio interview | Choose a, b or c | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | One conversation with several speakers | Who says that: match each statement to a speaker | 6 | 1 |
| 4 | One lecture | Choose a, b or c | 8 | 2 |
telc A1 (Start Deutsch 1): about 20 minutes, 3 Teile, 15 items, 15 points
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Six short everyday texts | Choose a, b or c | 6 | 2 |
| 2 | Four public announcements | richtig or falsch | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Five short messages | Choose a, b or c | 5 | 2 |
telc A2 (Start Deutsch 2): about 20 minutes, 3 Teile, 15 items, 15 points
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five telephone messages | Complete the telephone notes with the exact value you hear | 5 | 2 |
| 2 | Five radio items | Choose a, b or c | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | One conversation | Match each item to a letter | 5 | 2 |
telc B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch): about 30 minutes, 3 Teile, 20 items, 75 points
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five short contributions; judge the gist | richtig or falsch | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | One longer interview or conversation | richtig or falsch | 10 | 2 |
| 3 | Five short announcements or messages; find the specific detail | richtig or falsch | 5 | 2 |
telc B2: about 20 minutes, 3 Teile, 20 items, 75 points
| Teil | What you hear | Task type | Items | Plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five statements about a news sequence | richtig or falsch | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | One longer interview or discussion | richtig or falsch | 10 | 1 |
| 3 | Five short announcements or messages | richtig or falsch | 5 | 1 |
Who Hören decides pass or fail for
| Exam | Hören points | Total and pass mark | Floors | Own module? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goethe A1 | 25 result points: 15 items, one raw point each, converted by a factor of 1.666 | 100 in total, 25 per part, pass at 60 | None | No: the four parts add up to one result |
| Goethe A2 | 25 result points: 20 items, one raw point each, converted by 1.25 | 100 in total, 25 per part, pass at 60 | At least 45 of the 75 written points and at least 15 of the 25 speaking points | No: a poor Hören can be carried by strong Lesen and Schreiben, but lose 15 of your 25 listening points and the written floor is suddenly close |
| Goethe B1 | 100 result points: 30 items, one raw point each, so the 60-point pass needs 18 correct items | 100 per module, pass at 60 | None: each module is certified separately | Yes: a brilliant Schreiben does not lift a weak Hören; you sit that module again |
| Goethe B2 | 100 result points: 30 items, one raw point each; on the official B2 conversion table the pass is 18 of the 30 items | 100 per module, pass at 60 | None: each module is certified separately | Yes: a brilliant Schreiben does not lift a weak Hören; you sit that module again |
| telc A1 | 15 points: one point per item | 60 in total, 15 per skill, pass at 36 | No per-skill minimum | No: one part of a single result |
| telc A2 | 15 points: one point per item | 60 in total, 15 per skill, pass at 36 | No per-skill minimum | No: one part of a single result |
| telc B1 | 75 points: 25 per Teil | 225 written points, pass at 135, alongside 45 of 75 in speaking | 135 of 225 written and 45 of 75 speaking | No, but Hören is a third of the written result on its own |
| telc B2 | 75 points: 25 per Teil | 225 written points, pass at 135, alongside 45 of 75 in speaking | 135 of 225 written and 45 of 75 speaking | No, but Hören is a third of the written result on its own |
Try one
A real item, right here
One real Hören task in the format of the exam you picked. Answer it here and see the result straight away.
Goethe A1 · Hören Teil 1
Was brauchen sie morgen für den Deutschkurs?
What you see after every answer
Every Hören item on Sprachpass carries the same four-part explanation, written when the item is authored and checked against the transcript:
Step 1: The verdict.
Right or wrong, shown at once. Practice runs are untimed and give feedback after every answer; mocks show results only at the end, like the paper.
Step 2: The deciding phrase.
The words from the recording that settle the item, quoted, so you can hear what you missed rather than guess at it.
Step 3: Why the wrong option tempted you.
It was built to catch something specific: a number said and then corrected, a place mentioned for a different reason, a speaker who changes their mind. The explanation names it.
Step 4: What to listen for next time.
One line you can carry into the next item: "wait for the correction", "the day is said before the activity", "the second speaker answers the question, not the first".
No transcript is shown before you answer, because the paper does not give you one either.
Choose your target
Where do you want to go?
Cells carry the level tone and the live state. Pick one and the button keeps your board and level.
- A1GoethePractice live
- A2GoethePractice live
- B1GoethePractice live
- B2GoethePractice live
- A1telcPractice live
- A2telcOpens soon
- B1telcPractice live
- B2telcPractice live
Hover or tap a cell to keep its board and level in the button.
Common mistakes
Three mistakes that cost points
Reading the options while the recording plays.
Your eyes are on the paper and the deciding phrase goes past. Fix: use the reading window to read the question stems only, then look up and listen. Options are for after you have heard the answer.
Trusting the first word that matches.
Many items name the wrong option first and correct it a sentence later ("Um acht? Nein, um halb neun"). Fix: wait for the sentence to finish. The correction is the answer.
Still writing the last answer when the next text starts.
In a one-play Teil that costs two items, not one. Fix: mark something for every item the moment the text ends, move on, and use the transfer time at the end of the module to tidy the answer sheet.
Questions
What people ask before their first run
How many times is each recording played?
It depends on the Teil, not the exam. Goethe A1 plays Teil 1 and 3 twice and Teil 2 once.
Goethe A2 plays Teil 1 and 4 twice and Teil 2 and 3 once. Goethe B1 plays Teil 1 and 4 twice and Teil 2 and 3 once.
Goethe B2 plays Teil 2 and 4 twice and Teil 1 and 3 once. telc A1 plays Teil 1 and 3 twice and Teil 2 once; telc A2 plays Teil 1 and 3 twice and Teil 2 once; telc B1 plays Teil 1 once and Teil 2 and 3 twice; telc B2 plays everything once. Sprachpass practice uses the same count.
Can I pause or replay the audio in practice?
In a practice run the recording follows the Teil's play count, and you get feedback after each answer. Real exam mode in a mock follows the clock and the audio rules of the paper with no pause.
Practice mode in a mock is the calmer version while you are still learning the paper.
Real exam mode for a timed German mockHow much Hören practice is free?
Ten listening questions a day, which is one practice run, plus one free full mock exam per account. Premium removes the daily limit.
German mock exam onlineIs telc Hören different from Goethe Hören at the same level?
Yes. At A1 the two papers share the same three-part architecture.
At A2 telc opens with telephone notes you complete by writing, which Goethe does not have. At B1 and B2 telc uses richtig or falsch throughout across three Teile, while Goethe mixes multiple choice, richtig or falsch and speaker attribution across four Teile.
Pick the board you have booked in the matrix above.
telc B1 HörenWhere do the items come from?
Every item is written to the format of the official Modellsatz for its board and level, then checked against that format before it is served. The audio is produced for each item; no official recording is copied.
German exam guides for Goethe and telcDo I need headphones?
For practice, anything that lets you hear clearly is fine. For a mock in Real exam mode, use what you expect to have on exam day, and practise without headphones now and then so a room speaker does not surprise you.
Which level should I start at?
Start at the level you have booked or plan to book. If you are unsure between two levels, take one practice run at each; the per-Teil summary shows you which level your result supports.
German exam study plansContinue preparing
Sources: Goethe-Institut exam rules and Modellsätze for A1 to B2, telc Übungstests for A1 to B2.
All sources
- Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Start Deutsch 1 exam rules (Durchführungsbestimmungen)
- Goethe-Zertifikat A2 exam rules (Durchführungsbestimmungen), valid from 1 September 2025
- Goethe-Zertifikat A2 Modellsatz Erwachsene
- Goethe-Zertifikat B1 exam rules (Durchführungsbestimmungen)
- Goethe-Zertifikat B1 Modellsatz Erwachsene
- Goethe-Zertifikat B2 exam rules (Durchführungsbestimmungen)
- Goethe-Zertifikat B2 Modellsatz Erwachsene
- telc Deutsch A1 Übungstest 1 (structure, points, result bands)
- telc Deutsch A2 Übungstest 1 (structure, points, pass mark)
- telc Deutsch B1 mock examination (Übungstest 1)
- telc Deutsch B2 mock examination (Übungstest 1)
Ready when you are
Start with a real Hören item.
Pick your board and level, hear the recording the way the exam plays it, and see the phrase that decided it.
