How this path is ordered
Most courses mix new words and new grammar in every lesson, which is exactly why beginners feel overloaded. This path does it differently: every stage gives you words first, and only then a grammar point that uses those words. You never study a rule full of vocabulary you have never seen.
If you want the day-to-day version of this path with time estimates, pair this page with the step-by-step A1 study plan.
Stage 1: Your first words
Begin with the vocabulary you will use in every conversation for the rest of your life: greetings and polite words, numbers 1–20, family members, and everyday nouns like Haus, Tag, and Zeit. Learn every noun with its article from day one. The first 100 German words cover this stage completely.
Stage 2: First sentences
With your first words in place, learn the two most important verbs in German: sein (to be) and haben (to have), in the present tense, together with the pronouns ich, du, er/sie/es, wir. Suddenly your words become sentences: “Ich bin müde.” “Wir haben Zeit.” This is the first grammar you should ever study — and notice that every word in the examples is one you already know.
Stage 3: More topics, more verbs
Now widen the base: food and drink, days and time, common verbs (gehen, machen, kommen, sprechen, wohnen), and the question words wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum. With question words plus your verbs, you can ask real questions: “Wo wohnst du?” “Was machst du heute?” The A1 vocabulary guide organizes all of this by topic.
Stage 4: A1 grammar essentials, in order
Take these one at a time, always practicing each rule with words from the earlier stages:
- 1. Present tense of regular verbs — ich spiele, du spielst, er spielt.
- 2. Articles der/die/das and ein/eine — definite and indefinite.
- 3. Negation with nicht and kein — “Ich habe keine Zeit.”
- 4. Verb-second word order — why the verb stays in position two: “Heute gehe ich nach Hause.”
- 5. The accusative case basics — “Ich esse den Apfel.”
- 6. Möchte and können — polite wishes and ability: “Ich möchte einen Kaffee.”
- 7. Simple past of sein — war: “Ich war gestern zu Hause.”
Each of these is a small lesson when the words are familiar — and a wall when they are not. That is the whole point of the order. See grammar with known words for the method behind it.
Stage 5: Listening, speaking, and stories — throughout
These are not a final stage; run them alongside every stage above. Listen to your known words spoken aloud, say every new sentence out loud once, and read short stories as soon as you can follow them. Context is what turns studied words into usable German.
Am I ready for A2? A quick checklist
- I can introduce myself and my family in a few sentences.
- I can ask and answer simple questions (where, when, what, how much).
- I understand numbers, prices, and times when spoken slowly.
- I can order food, buy a ticket, and say what I did not understand.
- I can write a short message: greeting, two or three sentences, goodbye.
If you can tick most of these, move on to the German A2 learning path — it continues in exactly the same order: words first, then grammar.
Follow this path inside the app. Download German with Levels — its A1 level is built in this exact order: word batches, tests, then grammar lessons that use only words you already know. Or see how the method works first.