You are preparing for a Goethe-Institut speaking exam and want your practice to match the kinds of things the exam actually asks you to do: plan something with a partner, present a topic, and react to what someone else presents. This page helps you rehearse those moves with everyday German. Goethe's official overview describes exams from CEFR A1 through C2 and says the B1 to C2 modules can be taken separately or combined. The official B1 model speaking paper lists three tasks: plan something with a partner, present a topic, and discuss/react to the presentations; it lists a 15-minute speaking exam and 15-minute preparation for the standard pair format. The A1 model instead uses introducing yourself, asking and giving information, and formulating and responding. Use the linked Yapr German lessons here as practice for everyday speaking building blocks, not as official mock exams. Exam authority, formats, and scoring belong to the Goethe-Institut, so always check its current model sets and terms. This page does not claim certification, official alignment beyond the cited CEFR descriptions, guaranteed scores, or current exam dates or fees, and one practice format does not cover all Goethe levels.
Prepare the building blocks, not a script
Start from the functions the tasks require rather than from memorised paragraphs. For the planning task, practise suggesting, accepting, declining, and settling on a time or place, because that is the interaction the pair format rewards. For the presentation, practise a short opening, two or three main points, and a closing signal so your listener knows when you are done. For the discussion, practise reacting to a partner's points with a brief opinion, a question, or a polite disagreement. The linked Yapr lessons give you ready-made phrases for introductions, invitations with time suggestions, and requests in different registers, and those are exactly the everyday moves that keep a conversation going. Rehearse them aloud in short bursts, then combine two or three in one turn. Keep the vocabulary within what you can actually say without reading, because a rehearsed sentence you cannot retrieve under mild pressure is not yet a speaking skill.
Handling the turn where you must react
The hardest moment in a discussion task is usually not your own presentation but the turn right after someone else speaks, when you must respond to a point you did not prepare. Practise a small set of reaction frames so you are never silent: agree and add a reason, disagree gently and offer an alternative, or ask a clarifying question before you answer. A useful habit is to repeat one key word from your partner's turn before you respond, which buys a moment and shows you listened. If you lose a word mid-sentence, do not restart from the beginning; use a simple repair phrase and continue. In the planning task, the equivalent pressure point is when your partner rejects your suggestion, so rehearse accepting a counter-suggestion and then proposing a compromise. These are interaction skills, not exam secrets, and they transfer directly to ordinary German conversations.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
Ich bin Ana.
I am Ana.
ikh bin AH-nah
Mein Name ist Ana.
My name is Ana.
mine NAH-muh ist AH-nah
Wie heißt du?
What is your name? (informal)
vee hyst doo
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
vee HY-sen zee
Warte mal kurz!
Wait a moment!
VAR-tuh mahl koorts
Kannst du kurz warten?
Can you wait a moment?
kahnst doo koorts VAR-tuhn
Können Sie kurz warten?
Can you wait a moment?
KUR-nuhn zee koorts VAR-tuhn
Entschuldigung, würden Sie bitte kurz warten?
Excuse me, would you please wait a moment?
ent-SHOOL-dee-goong, VOOR-duhn zee BIT-tuh koorts VAR-tuhn
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Hallo, ich bin Ana. Wie heißt du?
Hello, I am Ana. What is your name?Ich bin Tom. Freut mich.
I am Tom. Nice to meet you.Freut mich auch. Kommst du aus Berlin?
Nice to meet you too. Are you from Berlin?Nein, ich komme aus Hamburg. Und du?
No, I am from Hamburg. And you?Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Planning an outing with a partner
You and a partner must plan a joint afternoon activity. Your partner suggests going to a museum on Saturday at two o'clock, but you already know the museum is closed then and you would prefer a later start. You have one minute of thinking time before you speak.
Your task: Say aloud a short opening that accepts the idea of doing something together, then explain the problem with the proposed time and suggest an alternative. Use a suggestion phrase, a time expression, and one reason. Keep it to four or five sentences and do not read from notes.
Presenting a familiar topic
You must give a short presentation about how you usually spend your weekends. You have three minutes to prepare and may note only five keywords, not full sentences. Your listener will ask one question afterwards.
Your task: Speak for about ninety seconds. Open with one sentence that names your topic, give two or three main points with a concrete example each, and close with a sentence that signals you have finished. Use present-tense statements about your routine and at least one frequency word.
Reacting to a partner's opinion
Your partner has just argued that learning a language is mainly about memorising vocabulary, and that grammar practice matters much less. You partly agree but think practice in real conversations matters too. You have no preparation time.
Your task: Respond aloud in four or five sentences. First acknowledge one part of your partner's point, then state where you differ, then give one example from your own experience of speaking German. Use a polite disagreement phrase and a linking word to connect your ideas.
Common questions
Can I use these exercises as an official Goethe mock exam?
No. They are rehearsal activities for the kinds of interaction, presentation, and discussion moves the formats involve. Official model sets, formats, and scoring come from the Goethe-Institut, so use its published materials for exam-specific practice.
How long should I practise before a speaking exam?
Short, regular sessions beat one long session. Ten to fifteen minutes of speaking aloud several times a week, with one planning task, one short presentation, and one reaction turn per session, builds the retrieval speed that matters under time pressure.
What if I blank on a word during the presentation?
Keep going with a simple repair phrase, then continue with your next point. Restarting the whole presentation costs more time than a brief hesitation, and examiners expect natural pauses in spontaneous speech.
Sources and further reading
- German examinations - A1–C2Checked September 2026
- GOETHE-ZERTIFIKAT B1 Modellsatz – SprechenChecked September 2026
- GOETHE-ZERTIFIKAT A1 – SprechenChecked September 2026
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