A1 vs A2 German: Which Is Harder and What Actually Changes?
A2 is harder than A1, mainly because it asks you to leave memorised phrases behind and build your own sentences. A1 is about surviving with fixed phrases in the present tense. A2 adds talking about the past, using the dative case, giving reasons with “weil” and comparing things. According to the Goethe-Institut, reaching A2 takes roughly 200 to 350 lessons of 45 minutes in total, against roughly 80 to 200 for A1.
Figures from the Goethe-Institut are as of October 2026 and are rough guides: speed depends on your first language, your age and how much you practise speaking.
The difference in one table
| A1 | A2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Level description | Understand and use familiar everyday phrases and very simple sentences | Talk about your immediate surroundings, routines and past events in simple connected sentences |
| Typical total study time (Goethe, 45-minute lessons) | about 80 to 200 | about 200 to 350 |
| Main grammar | present tense, sein/haben, basic word order, nominative and accusative, simple modal verbs | Perfekt (past), dative, comparatives, reasons with weil, reflexive and separable verbs |
| Goethe exam: written part | about 65 min (listening, reading, writing) | 90 min (reading 30, listening about 30, writing 30) |
| Goethe exam: speaking | about 15 min, group of up to 4 | about 15 min, in pairs |
| Pass mark | 60 of 100 points | 60 of 100 points, with minimum points also for writing and speaking |
The study-time ranges come from the Goethe-Institut’s course FAQ and its A2 exam page (units are 45 minutes each, and the ranges are cumulative, counted from zero). The exam times come from Goethe’s official exam regulations. Details of the A2 minimums are in our post on the Goethe A2 exam.
Which is harder: A1 or A2?
A2 is harder in three ways.
1. More to learn per hour. A1 gives you a few hundred high-frequency words and a handful of sentence patterns. A2 expands both, and you have to combine them. Instead of “Ich habe Hunger” (I’m hungry), you now need “Gestern habe ich nichts gegessen, weil ich keine Zeit hatte” (Yesterday I didn’t eat anything because I had no time).
2. Grammar that changes the word itself. At A1 you can often get by with unchanged nouns and a present-tense verb. At A2 you need verb forms for the past and articles that change with the case. This is where many learners meet the German article system for real; German cases explained is a good companion.
3. Less predictable conversations. A1 speaking tasks follow a script: introduce yourself, ask a prepared question, make a request. At A2 you have to react to what the other person says, give reasons and agree on a plan.
On the other hand, A1 has its own difficulty: everything is new, including the pronunciation and the sound of the language. Many learners find A1 the most frustrating phase because they cannot yet say what they want. Read is the Goethe A1 exam hard? for the exam side.
What A2 adds, with examples
The exact order differs between course books, but these are typical A2 topics.
| Topic | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Perfekt (past) | Ich bin gestern nach Hause gegangen. | I went home yesterday. |
| Haben or sein | Er hat gegessen. / Sie ist gefahren. | He ate. / She travelled. |
| Dative | Ich helfe meiner Mutter. | I help my mother. |
| Dative prepositions | Ich wohne bei meinem Bruder. | I live with my brother. |
| Modal verbs in full use | Ich muss heute arbeiten. | I have to work today. |
| Comparatives | Berlin ist größer als Bonn. | Berlin is bigger than Bonn. |
| weil clauses | Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Wien arbeiten möchte. | I’m learning German because I’d like to work in Vienna. |
| Reflexive verbs | Ich freue mich auf den Urlaub. | I’m looking forward to the holiday. |
For the past tense, see haben or sein in the Perfekt. For modal verbs, see German modal verbs.
Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:
The size of the jump
If you take A1 as the base, A2 is a big step, because the Goethe ranges above put A2 at about 200 to 350 total lessons against 80 to 200 for A1. B1 is listed at about 350 to 650 and B2 at about 600 to 800, again cumulatively, so each step still costs more. Turning those lessons into hours (45 minutes each) gives a rough guide: A2 is around 150 to 260 hours in total. A common mistake is expecting A2 to feel like “A1 plus a bit”.
What this means: if you learned A1 in six to eight weeks of daily study, plan for A2 to need clearly more than that, often longer, unless you can study many hours a day. For the whole path, our A1 to B2 roadmap and the hours needed to reach B1 put the numbers side by side.
Can I take A2 without A1?
Yes. The Goethe-Institut FAQ says exam participation is not tied to a particular course or to having a certificate from a lower level. If you already speak at A2 level, you can go straight to the A2 exam. A short placement test is a cheap way to find out where you really are.
Where speaking practice makes the difference
At A2 your grammar is not the main problem; getting it out of your mouth quickly is. Learners who know the Perfekt on paper often freeze when a conversation needs it. SipLingo (our app) puts you in spoken everyday scenarios (a doctor’s visit, a flat viewing, a bakery) with an AI partner, and when you say “Ich habe gegangen” it shows the correct sentence and explains the haben/sein rule in your own language. It is a speaking-practice tool and does not replace a grammar course or official exam materials.
A short plan for the step from A1 to A2
- Weeks 1 to 2: Revisit the A1 core (present tense, accusative, modal verbs) until it is automatic.
- Weeks 3 to 5: Perfekt with the 20 most common verbs. Say 5 sentences about yesterday every day.
- Weeks 6 to 8: Dative with a short list of verbs and prepositions (helfen, gefallen, mit, bei, von, zu), then weil sentences.
- Ongoing: Speaking practice three or four times a week, five to ten minutes each.
The week counts are a guide; adjust them to your daily study time.
Related guides: can you take a German exam without A1
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- Goethe-Institut: Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 – official exam page – 4 modules, durations (80 min total), group speaking test, booking
- Goethe-Institut: Goethe-Zertifikat A2 – official exam page – A2 modules and timings: listening, reading, writing 30 min each, speaking 15
Frequently asked questions
Which is harder, A1 or A2 German?
A2. It needs a higher cumulative study time (Goethe: about 200 to 350 lessons against 80 to 200) and adds past tense, dative and subordinate clauses.
Can I write A2 without A1?
Yes. The Goethe-Institut says exam participation is not tied to a lower-level certificate. You should be sure you really are at A2 level first.
Is German A1 easy to pass?
Most learners who have studied for a few months find the exam manageable. You need 60 of 100 points, and the speaking part is where preparation helps most.
How many hours from A1 to B2 German?
Goethe’s cumulative ranges are about 80 to 200 lessons for A1 and 600 to 800 for B2 (45 minutes each), which suggests roughly 400 to 700 more lessons. That is a back-of-the-envelope subtraction, and your own speed can differ.
How hard is A1 German?
Hard in a different way: everything is new, and pronunciation and word order feel unfamiliar. The content itself is limited, so steady daily practice makes it manageable.
Practise your A2 Perfekt and dative sentences out loud, with corrections in your own language.
