Language course
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In the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), telc B1, or Goethe B1 exam, the Hören (Listening) section tests not only how well you understand individual words but, above all, whether you can grasp the overall meaning of what is said.
Examiners deliberately replace familiar words with synonyms to check whether you understand the context rather than just recognizing words from your textbook.
Such word replacements are called Synonym-Fallen — “synonym traps.” If you don’t know them in advance, you can easily lose points even when you fully understand the meaning of the text.
In the question it says:
Der Eintritt ist kostenlos.
In the audio you hear:
Der Eintritt ist gratis.
Both sentences mean the same — entry is free.
But if you are expecting to hear kostenlos and instead hear gratis, you might think the correct answer wasn’t mentioned at all. This is a typical synonym trap: the examiner changes the form but keeps the meaning.
🎯 The goal of DTZ, telc, or Goethe exams is to test how well you can understand real spoken German.
In everyday life, people don’t say “beginnt” but “fängt an,” not “der Nachlass” but “der Rabatt” or “der Abzug.” That’s why the listening section is designed this way — to see if you can recognize meaning even when the words sound different from what you’ve learned.
👩🏫 1. Learn meanings, not just words.
When listening, don’t look for word-for-word matches. Focus on what’s happening and what action is being described.
🧠 2. Train your ear to recognize word changes.
For example, in B1 DTZ, all exercises in the section 👉🏻 B1 👉🏻 DTZ 👉🏻 HÖREN on the website https://deutsch-vorbereitung.com/hoeren-b1-dtz-gast-uebungen-2-pruefung-3.html include typical Synonym-Fallen that actually appear in official exams by BAMF, telc, Goethe, Beruf, OIF, and OSD.
These exercises are designed to help you recognize meaning even when words sound different.
📒 3. Create your own synonym table.
When practicing on the platform, write down pairs you encounter: kostenlos – gratis, fällt – sinkt, beginnt – startet, anrufen – erreichen. After a few sessions, you’ll start to understand these automatically — without translation.
Below are the most common synonyms that examiners use in the listening recordings. All of them can be found in the exercises in our section 👉🏻 https://deutsch-vorbereitung.com/hoeren-b1-dtz-gast-uebungen-2-pruefung-3.html.
| No. | Topic | Word in the test | How it may appear in audio | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Price | kostenlos | gratis, umsonst, gebührenfrei | free of charge |
| 2 | Transport | umsteigen | wechseln, weiterfahren mit | to transfer |
| 3 | Transport | Haltestelle | Station, Bushaltestelle | bus stop |
| 4 | Transport | gesperrt | geschlossen, nicht befahrbar | closed |
| 5 | Time | beginnt | fängt an, startet | begins, starts |
| 6 | Time | endet | hört auf, ist zu Ende | ends |
| 7 | Contact | anrufen | telefonieren, erreichen, sich melden | to call |
| 8 | Medicine | einnehmen | anwenden, verwenden | to take (medicine) |
| 9 | Medicine | Versicherungskarte | Gesundheitskarte, Chipkarte | insurance card |
| 10 | Medicine | Sprechstunde | Öffnungszeiten, Praxiszeiten | consultation hours |
| 11 | Cinema | Film läuft | kommt im Kino, wird gezeigt | film is showing |
| 12 | Radio | hören | läuft auf, anhören | to listen |
| 13 | Weather | Temperatur fällt | sinkt, wird kälter | temperature drops |
| 14 | Weather | Temperatur steigt | nimmt zu, wird wärmer | temperature rises |
| 15 | Weather | es regnet | Schauer, Niederschlag | it’s raining |
| 16 | Work | Chef | Leiter, Vorgesetzter | boss, supervisor |
| 17 | Work | Kollege | Mitarbeiter, Teammitglied | colleague |
| 18 | Work | Beruf | Tätigkeit, Job | profession, job |
| 19 | Housing | Wohnung | Apartment, Unterkunft | apartment, accommodation |
| 20 | Form | Anmeldung | Registrierung, Eintragung | registration |
| 21 | Form | Dokumente | Unterlagen, Papiere | documents |
| 22 | Tickets | Fahrkarte | Ticket, Einzelfahrschein | ticket |
| 23 | Location | gegenüber | in der Nähe, bei, neben | across from, opposite |
| 24 | Location | in der Nähe | gleich um die Ecke, nahe | nearby |
| 25 | Event | Veranstaltung | Event, Fest, Feier | event, celebration |
| 26 | Price | Ermäßigung | Rabatt, Preisnachlass | discount |
| 27 | Time | sofort | gleich, jetzt, unverzüglich | immediately |
| 28 | Weather | sonnig | heiter, klar, viel Sonne | sunny |
| 29 | Instruction | bitte beachten | achten auf, denken Sie daran | please note |
| 30 | Age | unter 16 Jahren | Kinder und Jugendliche, jüngere Personen | under 16 years old |
Step 1. Take 5–6 words from the table and find them in the HÖREN B1 exercises.
Step 2. Listen to the recording and try to grasp the overall meaning rather than focusing on the exact wording.
Step 3. Pause and say out loud: “Aha, gratis means kostenlos. I understood it from the context.”
Step 4. Write down pairs in your notebook or phone. After a few practice sessions, you’ll start recognizing them automatically.
If you know at least 30 common Synonym-Fallen, you’ll be able to understand listening texts in the B1 exam as a whole — not just focus on familiar words. You can find all these traps in the Hören section on the deutsch-vorbereitung.com platform.
It contains real exam situations where every second word can be a Synonym-Falle — the key difference between B1 comprehension and simply recognizing isolated words.
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