Gemeinsam Etwas Planen: How to Ace Your Sprechen Teil 1

 

The oral exam is a crucial component of the Deutsch Zertifikat B1, a qualification necessary for enrolling in universities and other higher education institutions, pursuing vocational training, or simply applying for a visa at the German Consulate. However, this module can be quite challenging for some students. That’s why we’ve prepared a detailed article you can use to successfully pass your Sprechen exam, particularly Teil 1, also known as “Gemeinsam etwas planen” (Planning something together).

The Sprechen component of the Goethe Zertifikat B1 consists of two parts, as we all know: Teil 1, which is the focus of our article today—“Gemeinsam etwas planen”—and Teil 2, called “Ein Thema präsentieren” (Presenting a topic).

But before we dive into our Teil 1 of the Sprechen exam, I’d like to draw your attention to one point that the majority of language learners neglect: Sich vorstellen (introducing yourself).

Everyone always says that introducing yourself is as easy as pie, but strangely enough, when it comes to the actual exam, some people are incapable of doing it! And that’s really unfortunate.

But don’t worry, because if the Sprechen has always seemed impossible to you, with today’s article, I guarantee that will no longer be the case.

And as I mentioned, we’ll start with self-introduction before moving on to the main issue, which is Teil 1 (Gemeinsam etwas planen = planning something together).

1. Sich Vorstellen: The Perfect Self-Introduction

The introduction (die Vorstellung in German) is a very important step in the oral exam because it represents the first impression a learner gives the examiner about their language level.

And imagine if you’re already stuttering at the beginning—that will already give a bad image of you and you’ll likely receive a poor grade. Therefore, the introduction must be taken very seriously and you must always keep it in mind: don’t imagine it and don’t improvise, regardless of your language level.

Just like all parts of an exam, it also has steps to follow that examiners expect from learners. I’ll give them to you right away with the phrases to use:

• Name
• Alter (Age)
• Land (Country)
• Wohnort (Place of residence)
• Sprachen (Languages)
• Beruf (Profession)
• Hobbys (Hobbies)

As you can see, there are 7 points to cover during the introduction, and they must not be presented in the wrong order. And don’t try to add another one—the examiners don’t need to know your entire life story…

A. Name

Ich heiße/ Mein Name ist/ Ich bin………… (Jonas Vogel, for example)

B. Alter (Age)

Ich bin ……… (achtzehn Jahre alt, for example / eighteen years old)

C. Land (Country)

Ich komme aus…….. (Kamerun, for example / Cameroon)

D. Wohnort (Place of Residence)

Ich wohne in……. (Yaoundé, for example)

E. Sprachen (Languages)

Ich spreche zwei/ drei/ vier/ fünf Sprachen: ……… (Französisch, Englisch, Deutsch und meine Muttersprache, for example / French, English, German and my mother tongue)

F. Beruf (Profession)

Ich arbeite noch nicht/ Ich habe keinen Job/ Ich bin Student/ Ich bin arbeitslos…. usw (I don’t work yet/ I don’t have a job/ I’m a student/ I’m unemployed… etc.)

Ich arbeite als…./ Ich bin …..von Beruf/ Ich mache….. beruflich/ Ich arbeite bei….. (I work as…/ I am… by profession/ I do… professionally/ I work at…)

G. Hobbys

Meine Hobbys sind………. (Fußball spielen, Musik hören, Tanzen, Freunde treffen, for example / playing soccer, listening to music, dancing, meeting friends)

Mein Hobby ist……. (Bücher lesen, for example / reading books)

So there you have the expressions you can use during your introduction and as I specified at the top: add nothing and remove nothing.

2. Understanding the Gemeinsam Etwas Planen Exam Format

Teil 1: Gemeinsam etwas planen
Duration: approximately three minutes

You have participated together in a competition and won a one-week language course for two people in Cologne. Plan the trip together.

Talk about the points below, make suggestions and respond to your conversation partner’s suggestions.

Plan and decide together what you would like to do.

Well, here’s an example of a topic you might get in the exam, and as the prompt clearly states, the duration of the test is 3 minutes, so you must (your Gesprächpartner and you) be as precise as possible to avoid wasting time unnecessarily and to make the task easier for each other.

3. What Is Expected in the Gemeinsam Etwas Planen B1 Exam?

This part of the exam is a role-play scenario. You receive a described situation in which your goal, together with your partner, is to plan an activity.

And as usual, the topic offers you 4 points about which you need to talk. The purpose of the exercise is to make proposals and react to your partner’s proposals. (Please read this last sentence carefully.)

Understanding the Exam Context and How to Succeed

The Gemeinsam etwas planen section tests your ability to:

• Communicate collaboratively in everyday situations
• Express opinions and preferences clearly
• Negotiate and compromise with a conversation partner
• Use appropriate vocabulary for planning and decision-making
• Maintain natural conversation flow for approximately 3 minutes

Key Success Factors:

1. Active Participation
Don’t just agree with everything your partner says. Examiners want to see that you can contribute your own ideas, express disagreement politely, and negotiate solutions. A successful dialogue includes both agreement and constructive discussion.

2. Natural Language Use
While it’s tempting to memorize phrases, the examiners are looking for natural, spontaneous communication. Use the expressions as a foundation, but adapt them to the specific situation and your partner’s suggestions.

3. Time Management
With only 3 minutes for the entire conversation, you need to balance covering all four points while maintaining depth in your discussion. Aim for about 45 seconds per topic, which allows time for natural back-and-forth.

4. Balanced Dialogue
This is a conversation, not a presentation. Both partners should speak roughly equal amounts. If your partner is dominating, politely interject with your own suggestions. If they’re quiet, ask for their opinion directly.

5. Cultural Appropriateness
Germans value directness but also politeness. It’s perfectly acceptable to disagree, but frame it constructively: “Das ist ein guter Vorschlag, aber vielleicht könnten wir auch…” (That’s a good suggestion, but perhaps we could also…)

4. Step-by-Step Preparation Strategy

A. Read the Situation and Points Carefully

You need to read the exercise situation thoroughly to better understand your role and what you need to do. Visualize the situation clearly for a moment to better grasp it.

B. Make Brief Notes for Each Point

Make small notes during the preparation time. Note down proposals for each point to participate actively in the dialogue. Also think about how you can start the dialogue.

C. Clarify the Form of Address

Decide whether to use du (informal you) or Sie (formal you), and if you’re nevertheless uncertain, you can clarify this at the beginning of the conversation with your dialogue partner.

D. Lead the Dialogue… Propose and React

Lead the dialogue with your partner: Make suggestions and respond to your partner’s suggestions, and don’t be afraid to express your disagreement. However, be careful that you must have an active role in the dialogue during the exam. Don’t just say ja (yes) and nein (no), but also express your own ideas.

5. Essential Phrases for Gemeinsam Etwas Planen B1

The following expressions will help you in this part of the Goethe Zertifikat B1 Sprechen exam:

• Making Suggestions (Etwas vorschlagen)

• Ich habe eine Idee/einen Vorschlag: (I have an idea/a suggestion:)
• Ich schlage vor, dass… (I suggest that…)
• Mein Vorschlag wäre… (My suggestion would be…)
• Wollen wir…? (Shall we…?)
• Wir könnten auch… (We could also…)
• Was hältst du/halten Sie davon, wenn…? (What do you think about if…?)
• Wie findest du/finden Sie…? (How do you find…?)
• Vielleicht wäre es besser, wenn… (Perhaps it would be better if…)
• Ich glaube wir sollten… (I believe we should…)
• Ich schlage … vor / Ich schlage vor, …. zu + Infinitiv (I suggest…)
• Wie wäre es mit … ? (How about … ?)
• Was hältst du davon, ….. ? (What do you think about…?)

• Expressing Doubt (Zweifel ausdrücken)

• Ich weiß nicht. Vielleicht sollten wir lieber…? (I don’t know. Perhaps we should rather…?)
• Vielleicht können wir das so machen, aber… (Perhaps we can do it that way, but…)
• Das ist zwar ein guter Vorschlag, aber.. (That is indeed a good suggestion, but…)
• Ich finde es besser, wenn…. (I think it’s better if…)
• Vielleicht hast du Recht, aber wir dürfen nicht vergessen, dass (Perhaps you’re right, but we mustn’t forget that)

• Agreeing (Zustimmen)

• Ja, das ist eine gute Idee / ein guter Vorschlag. Dazu könnten wir noch… (Yes, that’s a good idea / a good suggestion. We could also…)
• Das gefällt mir. So machen wir das! (I like that. Let’s do it that way!)
• Das finde ich super/prima/toll. Ich finde auch wichtig, dass… (I think that’s great/excellent/fantastic. I also find it important that…)
• Ich bin deiner /Ihrer Meinung. Wir müssen auch noch… (I agree with you. We also need to…)
• Damit bin ich einverstanden. Könnten wir dazu auch noch… ? (I agree with that. Could we also…?)
• Du hast/ Sie haben Recht. Dann… (You’re right. Then…)
• Das ist eine gute Idee / ein guter Vorschlag. (That’s a good idea / a good suggestion.)
• Damit bin ich einverstanden (I agree with that)
• Das sehe ich auch so. (I see it that way too.)

• Disagreeing (Ablehnen)

• Es tut mir leid, aber ich kann dir/Ihnen nicht zustimmen. Besser wäre es, wenn…. (I’m sorry, but I can’t agree with you. It would be better if…)
• Das finde ich nicht gut. Ich habe eine andere Idee: … (I don’t think that’s good. I have another idea:…)
• Ich bin ganz anderer Meinung. Wir sollten…. (I have a completely different opinion. We should…)
• Ich glaube, das ist keine gute Idee. (I believe that’s not a good idea.)
• Das kommt nicht in Frage, so geht es nicht. Wir müssen auf jeden Fall zuerst… (That’s out of the question, it doesn’t work that way. We must definitely first…)
• Wir haben sehr unterschiedliche Ideen. Als Kompromiss schlage ich vor…. (We have very different ideas. As a compromise, I suggest…)
• Da bin ich (ganz) anderer Meinung (I have a (completely) different opinion on that)
• Das ist aber keine gute Idee. (But that’s not a good idea.)
• Damit bin ich nicht einverstanden. (I don’t agree with that.)
• Ich bin dagegen. (I’m against it.)

6. Gemeinsam Etwas Planen Themenbeispiel: Complete Model Dialogue

I hope these various expressions will help you get through this part of the exam. But to have a clearer idea, we’re going to take an example that I created myself of two people discussing how to plan their friend’s visit.

Themenbeispiel Sprechen Teil 1

So here’s our topic and I think it’s quite simple for everyone, so I can already share with you the example I created with fictional characters.

Teil 1: Gemeinsam Etwas Planen – Complete Dialogue

7. Key Takeaways for Gemeinsam Etwas Planen Success

✓ Do:

• Prepare your self-introduction perfectly
• Make notes for each of the 4 points during preparation time
• Use a variety of phrases for suggesting, agreeing, and disagreeing
• Maintain an active role throughout the dialogue
• Express your own opinions, not just agree
• Stay within the 3-minute time limit
• Practice with a partner before the exam

✗ Don’t:

• Improvise your introduction without preparation
• Simply say “ja” or “nein” without elaborating
• Dominate the conversation or stay too quiet
• Use only one type of phrase (only agreements, for example)
• Forget to address all 4 points in the topic
• Panic if you make a mistake—keep the conversation flowing

Conclusion: Your Path to B1 Sprechen Success

Mastering the Gemeinsam etwas planen themenbeispiel B1 requires practice, preparation, and confidence. With the strategies, phrases, and themenbeispiel provided in this guide, you now have all the tools necessary to excel in your Goethe Zertifikat B1 Sprechen Teil 1 exam.

Remember:

• Perfect your selbstvorstellung (self-introduction)
• Learn the essential phrases for suggesting, agreeing, and disagreeing
• Practice with real themenbeispiel scenarios
• Maintain active participation throughout the dialogue
• Stay calm and enjoy the conversation!

Download the Papagei app today to access 20+ additional expressions, complete answer keys, and interactive practice exercises that will take your B1 preparation to the next level. Good luck with your exam—viel Erfolg!