A2 Guide

Welcome to the A2 stage of German learning! Having mastered the basics at A1, you’re now ready to expand your language skills and gain more confidence in everyday situations. The A2 level is often called the “waystage” level, where you’ll build on your foundation to express yourself more freely and handle a wider range of social interactions.

At A2, your goal is to deepen your understanding of German grammar and broaden your vocabulary. While A1 gave you the tools to survive, A2 will help you thrive in basic German-speaking environments. You’ll start to feel more comfortable with longer conversations and more complex sentence structures.

Let’s break down exactly what you need to know and the best strategies to get there.

What You’ll Learn at A2

Vocabulary: Building Your Word Bank

By the end of A2, you should recognize around 1,300-1,600 words. Your vocabulary will expand to include:

Daily Activities and Routines: Words related to work, study, and daily life (aufstehen (to get up), sich anziehen (to get dressed), zur Arbeit gehen (to go to work))
Food and Dining: Restaurant vocabulary, food preferences, cooking terms
Travel and Transportation: Words for getting around, booking accommodations, asking for directions
Shopping and Services: Terms for different stores, products, and handling transactions
Weather and Seasons: Describing various weather conditions and seasonal activities
Health and Body: Basic medical terms, describing symptoms, parts of the body
Hobbies and Free Time: Activities, sports, entertainment

Grammar: Expanding Your Structure

A2 grammar builds significantly on your A1 foundation:

Past Tense (Perfekt): Learn to talk about past events using the perfect tense (Ich habe gegessen - I have eaten)
Modal Verbs: They were introduced in A1. A2 is where you master verbs like können, müssen, wollen, sollen, dürfen, and mögen in various contexts
Dative Case: Understand when and how to use the dative case, including with certain verbs and prepositions
Comparative and Superlative: Express comparisons (schneller - faster, am schnellsten - fastest)
Separable Verbs: Learn to use and position separable prefixes correctly (aufstehen → Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf)

Core Skill Progression at A2 Level

Listening and Pronunciation

You should be able to understand phrases and common vocabulary related to areas of immediate personal relevance (family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Focus on understanding:

Short, clear announcements
Basic telephone conversations
Simple directions and instructions
Short conversations about familiar topics

Speaking: More Complex Conversations

You’ll progress to more detailed conversations like:

“Entschuldigung, ich suche ein günstiges Hotel in der Nähe vom Hauptbahnhof. Können Sie mir weiterhelfen?” (Excuse me, I’m looking for an affordable hotel near the main station. Can you help me?)

Focus on:

Describing your daily routine
Making and responding to invitations
Expressing preferences and opinions
Handling common situations while traveling

Reading and Writing: Beyond Basics

You’ll advance to:

Understanding short, simple texts on familiar matters
Reading basic advertisements and brochures
Writing brief notes and messages
Composing simple personal letters or emails

Getting Started

Continue with Structured Learning

At A2, while you have more flexibility in learning methods, maintaining structured progress is still important. If you’ve already used a structured program for A1, stick with the same series for continuity. Our recommendation Nicos Weg A2 offers a free, comprehensive continuation of their A1 course.

Increase Your Exposure

Start watching or listening to German content with subtitles. There are a number of free podcasts and youtube channels with great content to learners. Try to pick one that specifically says for A2 learners. The Easy German YouTube channel offers videos specifically designed for A2 learners, with both German and English subtitles. You can find more in the Comprehensible Input section of our reccommended resources.

Begin Active Production

Start speaking and writing more extensively. At A2, you have enough vocabulary and grammar to maintain basic conversations about everyday topics - take advantage of this! While it might feel intimidating, regular conversation practice is crucial for internalizing new grammar patterns and vocabulary. Practice writing short texts about your daily life, and find conversation partners through Tandem (free) or book structured lessons with tutors on iTalki (paid). Even short, regular practice sessions will help you gain confidence and fluency.

Some Technical Points of Emphasis

1. Master the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense (Perfekt) is crucial for discussing past events. Pay special attention to:

Verbs that use haben vs. sein as auxiliary verbs
The formation of past participles (both regular and irregular)
Position of the auxiliary verb and participle in sentences

2. Focus on Cases

Building on your nominative and accusative knowledge from A1, really focus on mastering the dative case:

Learn which verbs always take dative objects
Practice prepositions that always take dative
Understand the concept of indirect objects

Modal verbs add essential meaning to your sentences and are frequently used in everyday German. Practice using them in various contexts:

Expressing ability (können)
Talking about obligations (müssen)
Making requests (dürfen)
Expressing wishes (möchten)

Remember, A2 is about gaining confidence in more varied situations. While you’ll still make mistakes, you should start feeling more comfortable expressing yourself in German. Keep practicing consistently, and don’t be afraid to use what you’ve learned in real-life situations. The goal is to build on your A1 foundation and prepare yourself for more complex language use at B1.