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LEARNING GERMAN

How long does it take for your German to be good enough for permanent residency and citizenship?

Whether you're looking to receive permanent residency or citizenship in Germany, you need to prove you have language skills. Here's how to bring it to the required B1 level, and how long that's likely to take.

Published: 13 October 2023 10:09 CEST
Updated: 15 October 2023 08:06 CEST
A person learns German
Learning German up to B1 level needs several hours of studying. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

To fulfil the basic requirements for German permanent residency and citizenship, you’ll first have to obtain a B1 level of proficiency in the German language.

Keep in mind, however, that you’ll need prove a higher level of German, B2 (or C1 in future), to expedite the process for citizenship.

READ ALSO: What’s the difference between B2 and C1 German for new fast track citizenship?

German language competence is assessed using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). 

Perhaps you think you already have B1 German but you’ll need to prove this through official accreditation.

If you are starting to learn German from scratch and are curious about the timeline for achieving this proficiency level, we break down the steps to reach this point.

What does B1 German look like? 

According to the CEFR, if you are at B1 level: 

  • You can handle most situations while travelling in different areas in which German is spoken 
  • You can describe your experiences of different events and meetings
  • You can understand and discuss the main points of your immediate circumstances – family, school/work and surroundings

Grammar at this level includes: 

  • More complex German phrases (position of verb and word order) 
  • Modal verbs – dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen and wollen
  • Genitive case – for example, das Haus meiner Mutter (my mother’s house)
  • Passive forms of verbs – “mein Bruder bereitet das Essen zu” (My brother prepares the food) becomes ‘das Essen wird zubereitet’ (The food is being prepared).
  • Imperfect tense – er las ein Buch (he read a book)

As a general rule of thumb, you should know 2,400 ‘common’ German words. 

These normally include greetings (Hallo, auf Wiedersehen) and frequently-used nouns (die Familie, das Essen). 

How does this differ from A1 or A2 level? 

A1 is the lowest scale on the CEFR and it is expected that you have basic grammar skills, knowledge of sentence structures and you can hold basic conversations.

Students study from a textbook at a school in Munich

Students study from a German textbook at a language school in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

A2 builds on from this, particularly with grasp of grammar. You should have firm knowledge of the accusative case, prepositions that take the dative case, reflexive and separable verbs, the simple future tense (ich werde reisen or I will travel ) and the past tense (ich habe Fußball gespielt or I played football). 

How long will it take? 

Language learning is very subjective and takes different people different lengths of time. 

For instance, learning German when you already know another Germanic language like Dutch or Danish immediately speeds up the process, just as learning Portuguese usually comes easier when you already know Spanish.

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) uses the following to predict how long it will take to learn German when learning German from English: 

A1 – 60-150 hours 

A2 – 150-260 hours 

B1 – 260-490 hours 

Other researchers suggest that reaching B1 level can take up to 540 hours. 

Therefore, if we use the assumption of attending language classes for 4.5 hours a day, 5 days a week, it will take you five to six months to reach that level from scratch. 

Naturally, this will be a lot less if you are already at A2 level, or even A1.

But don’t be alarmed if you do not have the time/resources to attend a language course, as there are many other methods of Deutschlernen, some which will allow you to advance without paying anything at all.

READ ALSO: The best ways to improve your German for free

How do I prove my level of German?

According to Germany visa, here are the several ways to prove your B1 level: 

  • A German language certificate such as the Zertifikat Deutsch 
  • A certification that you have obtained through an integration course, such as the ‘DTZ – German test for immigrants’ 
  • A certificate that proves you have completed your education at a German secondary school 
  • Admissions proof in a German upper secondary school 
  • A certificate that proves you have completed at least four years of school in German with a passing grade 
  • Proof of higher education degrees in German. 

If you don’t have one of these documents, you can complete a government language test administered by your respective citizenship authority. 

B1 level proficiency in German is a crucial step toward obtaining permanent residency or citizenship.

Member comments

  1. It took me 1.5 years of studying with a private teacher to prepare for an exam. 2 lessons a week with homework. I passed the exam, but I don’t think I have a solid B1 proficiency. The exam gives you wiggle room. I think I am a confident A2 with a general knowledge of things required for B1, like passive, etc.

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LEARNING GERMAN

‘Forget about bilingual Kitas’: Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

With greater numbers of international workers choosing to settle in Germany and raise a family, the question of how to best raise bilingual children is often considered. 

Published: 25 April 2024 15:01 CEST
'Forget about bilingual Kitas': Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

The Local asked its readers who have raised bilingual children in Germany to tell us how they managed to raise children who speak German in addition to their parent’s mother tongue. 

Trust the (school) system. 

One piece of advice was echoed by several readers: Trust the German education system to take care of teaching German through immersion. 

Siniša, 44, from Hesse, who speaks Croatian and English at home, told The Local: “Speak your native language at home. The school will ‘cover’ German and other languages.”

Steve, 55, who lives in Munich and speaks English and Spanish with his daughter agrees.

“Be consistent and raise your child in your native tongue. At a local school, they will learn German quickly,” he said.

Chris, 44, from Hamburg, who speaks English with his children, backed the idea of leaving kids’ schools to take charge of teaching them German.

“Get the kids into the German education system as early as possible and let them learn themselves from native speakers. As a bonus, they’ll pick it up quickly and not pick up a ‘non-German’ accent either,” he said.

Read more: ‘Multilingualism is an enrichment’ – The challenges of raisin bilingual kids in Germany

Readers also noted that even in the preschool stage, children can handle multiple languages. 

Julie, 41, who lives in Hamburg and speaks English and Italian at home, said: “Relax and go with the flow. Don’t get hung up on finding bilingual Kitas for toddlers if they already get significant exposure to the non-German language at home. Languages seem to develop in different spurts at different speeds.”

However, liaising with schools in Germany was noted as an essential skill. 

Kim, 46, based in Sindelfingen, with a family speaking both English and German, said: “It’s essential for at least one parent to understand German when children attend a German school. They can help explain language and cultural differences. They can also help with administrative matters and even homework.”

Maintain the mother tongue.

While readers were keen to encourage parents to trust the immersion process that German schools provide, they were also quick to advise a concerted effort to maintain speaking the mother tongue in and around the home. 

“For international parents, I think it’s very important that their children do not lose touch with their mother tongue, as it is a very special part of their identity,” said Prashanth, 42, who lives in Munich.

Anne-Marie, 52, from Frankfurt, who speaks ‘Singlish’ (Singaporean English) with her children, stated that it’s essential to be firm.

“Speak in your mother tongue to your kids from the day they are born. Be consequent about it, even in front of other people who do not speak your mother tongue,” she said.

Karl, 44, who lives in Celle and who speaks English and the indigenous American Ute language with his children, said getting family on board is important. 

“Communicate with all family members your decision, intentionally speak all of the languages, when possible provide translations so family members present are not excluded from conversations,” he said.

Charles, 40, from Berlin, even stated that speaking German at home may prove detrimental: “Don’t speak your own mediocre German with them. It may be hard to see them speaking another language as their more comfortable primary language than your own.”

Charles, who speaks English at home, added: “Find books and shows to share with them in your native language to continue the shared experience.”

Read More: What foreign parents should know about German schools

Just let it happen with the kids…

Sometimes, it seems, becoming bilingual takes care of itself. 

Paul, 40, from Munich, married to a German, said: “Our oldest just started speaking English one day around age 3. She had heard so much she could understand and just started talking. 

“The twins are starting to speak more and more English. It wasn’t a problem since she was fluent in both by age 4. I advise patience and not expecting perfection at a young age.

Crystal, 38, who lives in Nuremberg and speaks English at home, responded: “At first, my main concern was getting as much German into our lives as possible so my son would be ready for Grundschule. 

“Now I’m swinging the other way. My advice is to try to relax. There are always other things to worry about, and kids learn so much really quickly.”

…but also challenge yourself

Finally, respondents to The Locals’ survey repeated that raising bilingual children is something that requires a degree of effort – on the parent’s behalf. 

J.K, 40, who lives in Hanau and speaks English and Telugu at home, told The Local: “Language is very important for the kids to grow in a culture. 

“Parents should facilitate situations around the kid to better integrate locally. Parents (at least one) should be able to speak German at a level better than B1. 

“If not, supporting kids in their education is difficult, and this will hamper their chances of reaching a higher education level.”

Read More: Six surprising facts about Germany’s school system

Moreno, 40, who lives in Munich and speaks Portuguese with his children, was firm in his advice: “Don’t choose the easy way for you, parents. Don’t hide in your language community bubble. 

“If you intend to live in Germany for a long time, put your kids in German schools and get them in touch with the German community.

“If you don’t speak German like me, deal with it. But don’t transfer your problem to your kids.”

Have we missed any crucial advice for raising bilingual children in Germany? Tell us in the comments section below.

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