Essential German B1 Vocabulary: 100 Words to Unlock Intermediate German

B1 is the tipping point in language learning — it's where German starts to feel usable in real life. You can understand the news, argue your opinion, and navigate complex situations. These words are the core of B1.

B1 Verbs (The Action Words)

1. 1sich vorstellen (to imagine)
2. 2erklären (to explain)
3. 3beschreiben (to describe)
4. 4vergleichen (to compare)
5. 5entscheiden (to decide)
6. 6bemerken (to notice)
7. 7vorschlagen (to suggest)
8. 8behaupten (to claim)
9. 9zweifeln (to doubt)
10. 10bestehen (to exist / to insist)

B1 Nouns (Core Concepts)

1. 1die Meinung (opinion)
2. 2der Unterschied (difference)
3. 3die Möglichkeit (possibility)
4. 4der Vorteil (advantage)
5. 5der Nachteil (disadvantage)
6. 6die Gesellschaft (society)
7. 7die Entwicklung (development)
8. 8die Erfahrung (experience)
9. 9die Verantwortung (responsibility)
10. 10das Ergebnis (result)

B1 Connectors (Flow Words)

1. 1außerdem (moreover)
2. 2jedoch (however)
3. 3deshalb (therefore)
4. 4trotzdem (nevertheless)
5. 5obwohl (although)
6. 6damit (so that)
7. 7einerseits (on one hand)
8. 8andererseits (on the other hand)
9. 9zum Beispiel (for example)
10. 10im Gegenteil (on the contrary)

How to Learn B1 Vocabulary

The key at B1 is learning words in context — not in isolation. Read German news (DW Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten), watch German TV with subtitles, and use spaced repetition to review regularly. GerLan's SRS system is designed exactly for this.