Language course
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Sprachbausteine Teil 1 looks difficult, but with the right method it can be learned well. Here you will find out what is tested, which grammar you really need, what traps there are — and above all, how to practise correctly from the very beginning.
Sprachbausteine is part of the written section of the telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege exam and is completed together with Lesen. Unlike Leseverstehen, the focus here is not on the content of a text but on language structures — that is, grammar and vocabulary. The section has two parts: Teil 1 covers grammar, Teil 2 covers specialist vocabulary. Because telc B1·B2 Pflege is a scaled exam, it covers both levels B1 and B2 simultaneously.
This is what Teil 1 looks like in practice: you read a short text from everyday nursing life, very often a report. Eight words are missing from the text. Below it there is a list of ten words. For each gap you choose a suitable word from this list. Important: of the ten words, only eight fit. Two words are surplus and do not belong in any gap. What is primarily tested are connecting words (Konnektoren), Präpositionen, Adverbien and the prefixes of separable verbs.
| Feature | Sprachbausteine Teil 1 |
|---|---|
| Task type | Matching: one word per gap from a shared list |
| Number of gaps | 8 |
| Words to choose from | 10 (one list) |
| Distraktoren | 2 words do not fit any gap |
| Focus | Grammar and text cohesion |
| Structures tested | Konnektoren, Präpositionen, Adverbien, prefixes of separable verbs |
| Points | 8 (one point per correctly solved gap) |
| Assessment | Together with Hören and Lesen, Dual-Level B1/B2 |
Hören, Lesen and Sprachbausteine are evaluated together. One point is awarded for each correctly solved task. Teil 1 therefore brings up to 8 points. There is no separate pass threshold just for Sprachbausteine B1-B2 Pflege — what matters is the overall result in the written section. Every point counts, so targeted practice is worthwhile.
There is one thing you should know from the very beginning: Teil 1 is not a pure grammar test. Very often several words from the list fit grammatically into the gap, but only one word fits the meaning of the text. You therefore need two things: solid grammar and a feel for text cohesion — that is, for temporal and causal relationships between sentences. That is exactly what we train in this article.
👉 Exercises for telc B1·B2 PflegeThe task is deliberately built with traps. If you know the following patterns, you will no longer fall into them. Each trap comes with a small example.
In Teil 1, it is often not grammar alone that decides but the logical connection in the text. For every gap ask first: is this about time, a reason, a consequence or a contrast? And only then: does the word also fit grammatically in the sentence?
Here are all the grammar topics that really appear in Teil 1 — briefly explained, with a clear example and a tip on how to recognise the correct word.
Konnektoren are words that connect sentences and show HOW two pieces of information are related. Most gaps in Teil 1 are Konnektoren. There are three groups, and the difference lies in the sentence structure.
Group A — coordinating Konjunktionen: und, oder, aber, sondern, denn. They connect two equal sentences; afterwards the normal word order remains (subject, then verb). und = together, oder = choice, aber/sondern = contrast (sondern only after a negation: keine normale Folge, sondern eine Krankheit), denn = reason.
Group B — subordinating Konjunktionen: weil, da, dass, nachdem, bevor, seitdem, während, sobald. They introduce a subordinate clause. Key feature: the verb moves to the end of the clause. Example: Sie braucht Hilfe, weil sie nicht gehen kann. Temporal: nachdem (first A, then B), bevor (before), seitdem (since that point in time).
Group C — Konjunktionaladverbien: deshalb, deswegen, daher, dadurch, trotzdem, dennoch, allerdings, jedoch, dann, danach, anschließend, zunächst, bisher, inzwischen. They often stand at the beginning of the sentence; immediately after them comes the verb (inversion). Example: Sie übt täglich. Deshalb geht es ihr besser.
Look at the verb. If the verb is at the end of the clause, you need a subordinating Konjunktion (weil, da, nachdem, seitdem). If the verb comes immediately after the gap in second position, you need an Adverb (deshalb, trotzdem, dann). This is how you distinguish weil from deshalb, even though both relate to reason and consequence.
Präpositionen are small words before a noun or pronoun. Temporal and causal Präpositionen are particularly important.
These are words such as dadurch, darunter, dafür, davor, dazu, dahin. They replace Präposition + das/es when talking about a thing (instead of unter das one says darunter). They usually refer to something mentioned earlier in the text. Examples: Sie ist abhängig. Darunter leidet sie. · Sie wird umgelagert. Dadurch sinkt der Druck. · bis dahin = until that point in time. Tip: read carefully what the word is pointing to and which meaning fits — the forms look very similar.
A Relativpronomen (der, die, das, denen ...) introduces a relative clause and replaces a noun. It depends on two things: first on the reference word (Genus and Numerus), second on its function in the subordinate clause (Kasus). Example: Medikamente, die ihr helfen — the reference word is plural, in the subordinate clause it is the subject, so Nominativ plural: die. The trap denen (Dativ plural) only fits when a Dativ is needed.
This rule helps with almost every Konnektor gap. In the main clause the verb stands in second position. If there is already a word at the front (e.g. Deshalb), the verb comes immediately after it (inversion): Deshalb braucht sie Hilfe. In the subordinate clause the verb stands at the end: ..., weil sie Hilfe braucht.
This part is the most important. Those who practise with the right method from the very start make fewer mistakes later and work faster. It goes in two steps: first you learn how to think through every gap, then you learn how to train correctly.
For every gap ask yourself four questions, always in this order:
The sentence with the gap: Frau Berg ist beim Gehen sehr unsicher. ___ benötigt sie einen Rollator.
Three words to choose from: weil, deshalb, trotzdem. Which one is correct? We work through the four questions one by one.
Question 1 — What kind of word is missing here?
Let us look at what surrounds the gap. Before the gap a complete sentence ends: Frau Berg ist beim Gehen sehr unsicher. After the gap a new sentence begins: ... benötigt sie einen Rollator. The missing word stands exactly between two sentences and connects them. We therefore need a connecting word. All three words (weil, deshalb, trotzdem) are connecting words — up to this point all three still fit.
Question 2 — What relationship should the word express?
Now we think about how the two sentences relate to each other in terms of content. Sentence 1 (she is unsteady) is the reason. Sentence 2 (she needs a Rollator) is the consequence. It is therefore about reason and consequence. This eliminates trotzdem, because trotzdem shows a contrast (it would mean: even though she is unsteady, she does NOT need a Rollator — that is illogical). weil and deshalb remain.
Question 3 — Where is the verb?
Now the sentence structure decides between weil and deshalb. Both relate to reason and consequence, but they build the sentence differently. Let us look at the verb after the gap: benötigt stands directly after the gap in second position. Rule: if the verb stands immediately after the connecting word in second position, we need an Adverb, i.e. deshalb. The Konjunktion weil would send the verb to the end of the sentence (..., weil sie einen Rollator benötigt). Here the verb is in second position — so deshalb and not weil.
Question 4 — Does everything fit together?
Let us insert deshalb and read the whole sentence: Deshalb benötigt sie einen Rollator. Subject (sie) and verb (benötigt) match, the sentence structure is correct (Adverb at the front, verb in second position) and the logic is correct (reason leads to consequence). Solution: deshalb.
How we eliminated the words step by step: Question 2 eliminates trotzdem (wrong meaning), Question 3 eliminates weil (wrong sentence structure), deshalb remains.
It is not the quantity of tasks that makes the difference, but HOW you practise. These habits build the skill step by step:
Solve the gaps you are sure about first and cross those words off the list. The difficult gaps will then become easier because fewer words remain. At the end leave no gap empty: if you are uncertain, assign the remaining words so that the sentence sounds as logical as possible.
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