The Sprachbausteine (Language Elements) section of the TELC B1 exam tests your grammar and vocabulary in context. It is essentially a cloze test, meaning you must fill in the blanks in a text.
To score high marks, you need a strong command of common German verbs and their prepositions, cases, and conjugations. We've compiled the definitive list of the Top 100 Verbs you absolutely must know for the B1 exam, especially the Sprachbausteine section!
1. Core Modal Verbs (1-6)
You will encounter these in almost every text. Pay close attention to their conjugation and how they alter the sentence structure.
- müssen (must / have to)
- können (can / be able to)
- sollen (should / ought to)
- wollen (want to)
- dürfen (may / be allowed to)
- mögen (to like)
2. Most Frequent Strong (Irregular) Verbs (7-21)
These are fundamental to German. Make sure you know their Präteritum and Partizip Perfekt forms, as you'll constantly need to determine the correct tense!
- sein (to be) - war, ist gewesen
- haben (to have) - hatte, hat gehabt
- werden (to become) - wurde, ist geworden
- gehen (to go) - ging, ist gegangen
- sehen (to see) - sah, hat gesehen
- kommen (to come) - kam, ist gekommen
- geben (to give) - gab, hat gegeben
- nehmen (to take) - nahm, hat genommen
- verstehen (to understand) - verstand, hat verstanden
- finden (to find) - fand, hat gefunden
- wissen (to know a fact) - wusste, hat gewusst
- lassen (to let/leave) - ließ, hat gelassen
- stehen (to stand) - stand, hat gestanden
- bleiben (to stay) - blieb, ist geblieben
- tun (to do) - tat, hat getan
3. Essential Verbs with Prepositions (22-46)
Many blanks in the Sprachbausteine section specifically test whether you know the correct preposition and case that follow a verb. Memorize these!
- sich erinnern an (+ Akk) - to remember
- warten auf (+ Akk) - to wait for
- sich freuen auf / über (+ Akk) - to look forward to / be happy about
- sich interessieren für (+ Akk) - to be interested in
- gehören zu (+ Dat) - to belong to
- teilnehmen an (+ Dat) - to participate in
- sprechen über (+ Akk) / mit (+ Dat) - to speak about / with
- denken an (+ Akk) - to think of
- bitten um (+ Akk) - to ask for
- danken für (+ Akk) - to thank for
- suchen nach (+ Dat) - to search for
- sich bewerben um (+ Akk) - to apply for
- abhängen von (+ Dat) - to depend on
- fragen nach (+ Dat) - to ask about
- sich kümmern um (+ Akk) - to take care of
- anfangen mit (+ Dat) - to start with
- aufhören mit (+ Dat) - to stop with
- helfen bei (+ Dat) - to help with
- sich entschuldigen für (+ Akk) - to apologize for
- sich gewöhnen an (+ Akk) - to get used to
- träumen von (+ Dat) - to dream of
- diskutieren über (+ Akk) - to discuss
- sich konzentrieren auf (+ Akk) - to concentrate on
- sich ärgern über (+ Akk) - to get angry about
- sich verlieben in (+ Akk) - to fall in love with
4. Everyday Action Verbs (47-76)
These verbs vividly describe actions and are frequently the missing puzzle piece in Sprachbausteine reading passages.
- machen (to do / to make)
- sagen (to say)
- arbeiten (to work)
- lernen (to learn / to study)
- spielen (to play)
- lesen (to read)
- schreiben (to write)
- hören (to hear / to listen)
- kaufen (to buy)
- verkaufen (to sell)
- bezahlen (to pay)
- brauchen (to need)
- zeigen (to show)
- versuchen (to try / attempt)
- erklären (to explain)
- bekommen (to get / receive)
- bedeuten (to mean)
- öffnen (to open)
- schließen (to close)
- ziehen (to pull / to move)
- bringen (to bring)
- treffen (to meet)
- tragen (to carry / to wear)
- essen (to eat)
- trinken (to drink)
- schlafen (to sleep)
- reisen (to travel)
- fahren (to drive / to ride)
- fliegen (to fly)
- laufen (to run / to walk)
5. Expressing Thoughts, Feelings & Opinions (77-91)
Often seen in letters, emails, or personal opinion sections in the exam!
- glauben (to believe)
- hoffen (to hope)
- meinen (to mean / to express an opinion)
- scheinen (to seem / to shine)
- erwarten (to expect)
- empfehlen (to recommend)
- entscheiden (to decide)
- gefallen (to be pleasing to / to like)
- fehlen (to lack / to be missing)
- lieben (to love)
- hassen (to hate)
- fürchten (to fear)
- fühlen (to feel)
- erkennen (to recognize)
- bemerken (to notice)
6. State, Change & Utility Verbs (92-100)
These round out our top 100 by describing transitions, conditions, and usage.
- passieren (to happen)
- ändern (to change)
- wachsen (to grow)
- fallen (to fall)
- wohnen (to live / to reside)
- leben (to live / to be alive)
- nutzen (to use / utilize)
- dauern (to last / take time)
- stimmen (to be right / correct)
We highly encourage you to create flashcards for these verbs and practice recognizing them in context. Use Sprachflow to see exactly how these verbs appear in real exam scenarios!