The listening section is where many A2 candidates lose easy points, not because the German is too hard, but because they do not know what the recording will do next. This guide covers Goethe A2 Hören and telc A2 Hören (Start Deutsch 2) side by side: how each part works, what to do before, during and after each recording, and which traps come up again and again. You will also find useful vocabulary, a short A2 listening practice set with answer key, and a weekly plan. If you are searching for practical German A2 listening exam tips, start here, then test yourself with our online mock exams, which include the audio.
What the exam looks like
Both exams test the same kind of everyday listening: phone messages, announcements, radio items and conversations about daily life. The structure is different, though, so check which exam you are taking.
| Goethe-Zertifikat A2 | telc Deutsch A2 (Start Deutsch 2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | approx. 30 min | approx. 20 min, no break |
| Parts and items | 4 Teile, 20 items | 3 Teile, 15 items |
| Teil 1 | 5 short announcements or messages (radio, phone, public), multiple choice a/b/c, played twice | 5 telephone messages, complete a note with a short piece of information (open answer), played twice |
| Teil 2 | 1 conversation, match 5 items to pictures a–i (each picture used once), played once | 5 short radio items, multiple choice a/b/c, played once |
| Teil 3 | 5 short dialogues, multiple choice a/b/c, played once | 1 conversation, match 5 people or things to 9 options a–i (4 are distractors), played twice |
| Teil 4 | 1 interview or radio conversation, Ja/Nein, played twice | – |
| Points | 20 items, converted to 25 points (× 1.25) | 15 points (1 per item) |
Goethe A2 has a written part of 90 minutes in total (Lesen, Hören, Schreiben, no break), and a few minutes of each section are for transferring answers to the answer sheet. At telc, Hören comes as its own block before the combined Lesen/Schreiben block.
Strategy for each part: Goethe A2 Hören
Teil 1: Announcements and messages (heard twice)
- Read the question first and underline the question word: wann, wo, wie viel, was. That tells you whether to listen for a time, a place, a price or an action.
- First listening: mark your best guess. Second listening: confirm or correct it.
- Expect corrections. Announcements love changes: „Der Zug fährt heute nicht von Gleis 4, sondern von Gleis 7.“ The first number you hear is often the wrong one.
Typical trap: all three options are mentioned. In „Normalerweise haben wir bis 18 Uhr geöffnet, am Samstag schließen wir schon um 14 Uhr“, both 18 and 14 appear. Ask yourself which day the question is about.
Teil 2: Conversation and pictures (heard once)
- Before the audio, look at all pictures a–i and say the German word for each in your head (Fahrrad, Kuchen, Blumen, Buch …). Cross out the picture used in the example.
- The items (for example days of the week or people) come in order. Follow along and do not get stuck: if you miss one, move on.
- Each picture can be used only once, so cross out pictures as you use them.
Typical trap: a thing is mentioned but rejected: „Am Montag wollte ich eigentlich Blumen kaufen, aber dann habe ich doch einen Kuchen gebacken.“ The answer for Monday is the cake, not the flowers.
Teil 3: Short dialogues (heard once)
- You hear each dialogue only once, so read the question and the options carefully in the pause before.
- Listen for the final decision. In short dialogues people often suggest, refuse and then agree.
- Answer immediately after each dialogue; there is no second chance.
Typical trap: „Treffen wir uns um halb acht?“ – „Das ist mir zu früh. Lieber um acht.“ – „Okay.“ The answer is 8:00, not 7:30. Remember also that halb acht means 7:30, not 8:30.
Teil 4: Interview (heard twice), Ja/Nein
- Read all five statements before the audio. They follow the order of the interview.
- Decide Ja only if the speaker clearly says it. Small words can turn a statement into Nein: nicht, kein, nie, nur, noch nicht, schon.
- Use the second listening to check the items you were unsure about.
Typical trap: statement „Frau Berg arbeitet jeden Tag im Café.“ – audio: „Ich arbeite im Café, aber nur am Wochenende.“ The answer is Nein.
Strategy for each part: telc A2 Hören
Teil 1: Telephone messages and notes (heard twice)
- Look at the note: what is missing? A time, a day, a name, a number, a thing?
- During the first listening, write a quick key word. During the second, check the spelling and the detail.
- Write a short answer, one or two words. You do not need a sentence.
Typical trap: names spelled aloud. Practise the German alphabet: „Mein Name ist Kowalski – K-O-W-A-L-S-K-I.“ Also practise numbers like siebenundvierzig (47), where the units come before the tens.
Teil 2: Radio items (heard once)
- Radio items include weather, traffic, event tips and short news. Read the question and guess the topic before the recording starts.
- Listen for the key information only: you do not need to understand every word of a traffic report.
- Choose your answer straight away and turn to the next question.
Typical trap: „Heute Vormittag bleibt es trocken, am Nachmittag kommt Regen.“ If the question asks about the afternoon, the answer is rain, even though trocken came first.
Teil 3: Conversation and matching (heard twice)
- Read the five people or things (11–15) and the nine options a–i. Four options will not be used.
- First listening: match what you can. Second listening: fill the gaps and check.
- Watch out for options that are mentioned but belong to someone else, or were planned and then cancelled.
Useful vocabulary for A2 listening
| German | English | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| halb acht / Viertel nach drei / Viertel vor neun | 7:30 / 3:15 / 8:45 | Times are in almost every Teil |
| Gleis, Bahnsteig, Verspätung, Ausfall | track, platform, delay, cancellation | Station announcements |
| Sonderangebot, im Erdgeschoss, im ersten Stock | special offer, on the ground floor, on the first floor | Shop announcements |
| Rufen Sie mich bitte zurück. | Please call me back. | Phone messages |
| Der Termin fällt aus. / Wir müssen den Termin verschieben. | The appointment is cancelled. / We have to postpone the appointment. | Changes |
| leider, doch, lieber, eigentlich, stattdessen | unfortunately, after all, rather, actually, instead | Signal words for a change of plan |
| sonnig, bewölkt, Regen, Gewitter, Grad | sunny, cloudy, rain, thunderstorm, degrees | Weather reports |
| Stau, Umleitung, gesperrt | traffic jam, diversion, closed | Traffic reports |
Practice: short A2 listening exercise
Read the transcripts below, ideally aloud or with a partner, and answer the questions. In the exam you will only hear these texts, so try covering the transcript and having someone read it to you. Full audio versions of exam-style tasks are in our online mock exams.
Text 1 (phone message): „Hallo Jana, hier ist Marek. Wir wollten uns ja morgen um zehn vor dem Kino treffen. Ich habe aber noch einen Arzttermin. Können wir uns um halb zwölf treffen? Und nicht vor dem Kino, sondern direkt im Café Lindner. Bis morgen!“
- When does Marek want to meet? a) 10:00 b) 11:30 c) 12:30
- Where do they meet? a) in front of the cinema b) at the doctor’s c) in the café
Text 2 (announcement): „Liebe Kundinnen und Kunden, heute haben wir für Sie ein besonderes Angebot: Alle Sportschuhe kosten nur 39 Euro. Sie finden sie im zweiten Stock. Die Kasse im Erdgeschoss ist heute leider geschlossen. Bitte bezahlen Sie im ersten Stock.“
- Where are the sports shoes? a) ground floor b) first floor c) second floor
- Where can customers pay today? a) ground floor b) first floor c) second floor
Text 3 (interview, Ja/Nein): „Herr Sommer, Sie fahren jeden Tag mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit?“ – „Fast jeden Tag. Nur wenn es stark regnet, nehme ich den Bus. Ich brauche ungefähr zwanzig Minuten. Früher bin ich mit dem Auto gefahren, aber das war mir zu teuer.“
- Herr Sommer fährt immer mit dem Fahrrad. Ja / Nein
- Er braucht etwa 20 Minuten zur Arbeit. Ja / Nein
- Er hat jetzt kein Auto mehr. Ja / Nein
Answer key
- b: um halb zwölf = 11:30. 10:00 was the old plan.
- c: nicht vor dem Kino, sondern … im Café.
- c: im zweiten Stock.
- b: the ground-floor till is closed; pay im ersten Stock.
- Nein: fast jeden Tag; he takes the bus when it rains heavily.
- Ja: ungefähr zwanzig Minuten.
- Nein (not stated): he says he used to drive and it was too expensive, but not that he no longer owns a car. In a Ja/Nein task, choose Ja only if the text clearly says so.
Common mistakes in A2 Hören
- Choosing the first thing you hear. Correction: wait for the end of the sentence; aber, doch, sondern, lieber often change the answer.
- Misreading halb. halb neun is 8:30, not 9:30. Practise clock times every day.
- Mixing up teen numbers and tens. vierzehn (14) vs. vierzig (40); dreiundsechzig = 63.
- Writing long answers in telc Teil 1. Correction: write only the missing information, e.g. Ausweis or Freitag, 15 Uhr.
- Panicking in parts played once. Correction: guess, mark something and move on; there is no penalty for a wrong answer.
- Ignoring the example. The example shows the task type and, in matching tasks, uses up one option. Cross it out.
- Forgetting the answer sheet. Plan the transfer time at the end of the section (Goethe) and do it carefully.
Weekly practice plan
- Monday: 15 minutes of numbers, prices and clock times (dictation from a partner or an app).
- Tuesday: listen to a short German weather or traffic report and note three key facts.
- Wednesday: one Hören section of a mock exam under exam conditions.
- Thursday: review your mistakes; read the transcript and mark the signal words that changed the answer.
- Friday: shadowing: repeat short dialogues aloud to train your ear for linking and speed.
- Weekend: a German podcast or video for learners, 20 minutes, just for enjoyment.
Next steps
- Practise with audio in our German mock exams (Goethe and telc format).
- Do a timed run in the exam simulator.
- Build your level step by step with the German A2 course.
- Read the other A2 guides: A2 Lesen, A2 Schreiben, A2 Sprechen.
FAQ
How many points do I need to pass Goethe A2 Hören?
There is no separate pass mark for Hören at Goethe A2. You need at least 45 of 75 points in the written part (Lesen, Hören, Schreiben together), at least 15 of 25 in the oral part, and at least 60 of 100 overall. Hören is worth 25 of those points.
How many times do I hear the recordings in telc A2 Hören?
Teil 1 (phone messages) and Teil 3 (conversation) are played twice; Teil 2 (radio items) is played once. At Goethe A2, Teil 1 and Teil 4 are played twice, Teil 2 and Teil 3 once.
What is the pass mark for telc A2?
The telc A2 exam is passed with 36 of 60 points overall. No separate minimum for Hören is stated in the practice test; check the current rules with telc before your exam.
How can I improve my A2 listening quickly?
Focus on numbers, times and signal words like aber and sondern, and do several full mock tests with audio. Short daily listening works better than one long session per week.