Why vocabulary comes first
Words carry meaning. Even with little grammar, knowing the right words lets you understand and be understood. This is why German with Levels teaches vocabulary first, in small batches, before adding grammar.
A strong word base also makes grammar easier. When you study grammar with words you already know, you only have to focus on the rule, not on new words at the same time.
Which German words to learn first
For A1, focus on words you use every day:
- Greetings and polite words: hallo, danke, bitte, tschüss
- Numbers and days of the week
- Family words: Mutter, Vater, Bruder, Schwester
- Food and drink: Wasser, Brot, Kaffee, Apfel
- Common verbs: sein (to be), haben (to have), gehen (to go), machen (to do)
- Question words: wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum
- Everyday nouns: Haus, Auto, Arbeit, Tag, Zeit
These words appear again and again, so they give you the most value early on.
How to learn German words so they stick
Learn in small batches. A few words at a time is easier to remember than a long list.
Test yourself. Word tests show you which words you truly know and which need more review.
Review what you forget. Use a dictionary or words section to look up and review words you lose.
Hear and say the words. Listening and speaking practice connect each word to sound and use, not just spelling.
See words in context. Short stories show your known words inside real sentences.
German nouns and gender
German nouns have a gender: der (masculine), die (feminine), or das (neuter). It is a good habit to learn each noun with its article, for example "das Brot" instead of just "Brot." This makes grammar easier later because the gender is part of the word from the start.
Turning vocabulary into sentences
Once you know a batch of words, you can begin to build simple sentences. With "ich" (I), "haben" (to have), and "Zeit" (time), you can say "Ich habe Zeit" (I have time). This is the bridge from vocabulary to grammar: you use known words to learn how German sentences work.