Cambridge International · IGCSE · 0525
German (Foreign Language) — Keywords & Key Terms — Definitions Glossary (2026)
Cambridge IGCSE German — Foreign Language (0525)
Topic-by-topic keywords, key terms and definitions for precise exam language—separate from our revision checklists (topic coverage) and formula sheets (equations).
Keywords & Key Terms — definitions
Examiner-style keywords and definitions organised by syllabus topic. Terms are tagged Essential (start here), Core (typical exam standard), and Advanced for harder distinctions — tick each row when you can recall it. Your progress is saved in this browser for this list.
Cambridge International IGCSE German (Foreign Language) (0525)
Cambridge International IGCSE German (Foreign Language) (0525)
Cambridge IGCSE German — Foreign Language (0525)
Aligned to Cambridge IGCSE German 0525 (2026): the 5 prescribed topic areas (everyday activities, personal & social life, the world around us, the world of work, the international world) assessed across Listening (Paper 1), Reading (Paper 2), Speaking (Paper 3) and Writing (Paper 4).
Mark schemes: Cambridge rewards a range of tenses, accuracy of case endings (especially after prepositions and on adjectives), correct word order in main and subordinate clauses, and varied vocabulary. Examiner reports highlight loss of marks for English-style word order, wrong auxiliary (haben vs sein) in the perfect, and missing capital letters on nouns.
Active recall: 0 / 22 terms ticked
| Recalled | Topic | Level | Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verb conjugations & tenses | Essential | Present tense — weak and strong verbs | Regular (weak) verbs add -e/-st/-t/-en/-t/-en to the stem; strong verbs additionally change the stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms (fahren → du fährst). | |
| Verb conjugations & tenses | Core | Perfect tense with haben / sein | Auxiliary haben or sein in the present + past participle at the end of the clause; verbs of motion or change of state (gehen, fahren, kommen, werden) take sein. | |
| Verb conjugations & tenses | Core | Imperfect / preterite of haben, sein and modals | Use ich hatte, ich war and ich konnte/musste/durfte/sollte/wollte for past description in writing — they are preferred over the perfect for these verbs. | |
| Verb conjugations & tenses | Core | Simple future — werden + infinitive | Conjugate werden in the present and put the infinitive at the end of the clause to talk about the future (ich werde studieren). | |
| Verb conjugations & tenses | Core | Conditional — würde + infinitive | Use würde + infinitive at the end of the clause for ‘would’ (ich würde gern nach Berlin fahren). | |
| Verb conjugations & tenses | Advanced | Modal verbs and Konjunktiv II | Können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, möchten — push the main verb to the end of the clause as an infinitive; ich möchte/könnte/sollte are Konjunktiv II forms used for politeness and hypothesis. | |
| The four cases | Essential | Nominative — the subject | The person or thing doing the action; uses the dictionary form of articles (der, die, das, ein, eine). | |
| The four cases | Core | Accusative — the direct object | The person or thing receiving the action; masculine forms change (der → den, ein → einen). Also used after durch, für, gegen, ohne, um. | |
| The four cases | Core | Dative — the indirect object | The person or thing to/for whom an action is done; articles become dem, der, dem, den (+n on plural noun). Used after aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu. | |
| The four cases | Core | Genitive — possession | Shows ownership (das Auto meines Vaters); articles become des, der, des, der (+s/es on masculine/neuter nouns). | |
| The four cases | Advanced | Case endings on adjectives | Adjective endings change with case, gender and whether the article is definite, indefinite or absent (mit dem netten Lehrer / ein netter Lehrer / netter Lehrer) — the most marked-down area at IGCSE. | |
| Word order | Essential | Verb-second (V2) in main clauses | The conjugated verb is always the second element in a German main clause, even after a time/place phrase (Heute gehe ich ins Kino). | |
| Word order | Core | Verb-final in subordinate clauses | After weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, als — the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause (…weil ich müde bin). | |
| Word order | Core | Time–Manner–Place (TMP) | When several adverbials appear, German order is Time, then Manner, then Place (Ich fahre morgen mit dem Bus nach Berlin). | |
| Word order | Core | Separable verbs | Prefix splits off and goes to the end of the clause in main clauses (aufstehen → Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf). | |
| Word order | Advanced | Inversion after a fronted element | Whenever something other than the subject starts the sentence, subject and verb swap to keep the verb second (Am Wochenende spiele ich Fußball). | |
| Topic vocabulary & exam technique | Core | The 5 Cambridge topic areas | Everyday activities, personal & social life, the world around us, the world of work, and the international world — every Speaking/Writing prompt maps onto one of these. | |
| Topic vocabulary & exam technique | Core | Useful connectives | weil (because — verb to end), obwohl (although), aber (but), denn (for/because — no inversion), deshalb (therefore — causes inversion), trotzdem (nevertheless). | |
| Topic vocabulary & exam technique | Core | Paper 1 — Listening | Recorded extracts in German; listen for tense markers (gestern, morgen, seit) and case-marked articles to identify subject vs object. | |
| Topic vocabulary & exam technique | Core | Paper 2 — Reading | Texts in German testing comprehension and inference; spelling and capitalisation of nouns count. | |
| Topic vocabulary & exam technique | Core | Paper 3 — Speaking | Role play + presentation/discussion + general conversation; show range of tenses, modal verbs and at least one subordinate clause with weil or obwohl. | |
| Topic vocabulary & exam technique | Advanced | Paper 4 — Writing | Two tasks (e.g. email and longer composition); reward range of tenses, accurate cases, correct word order, and topic-specific vocabulary. |
Pair this with our revision checklists, formula sheets hub and past paper finder.
German (Foreign Language) (0525) — Keywords & Key Terms FAQ
- What is on this Cambridge International IGCSE German (Foreign Language) keywords and key terms list?
- It is a topic-organised glossary of important german (foreign language) terms with short, exam-style definitions aligned to Cambridge IGCSE German — Foreign Language (0525) (0525). It is designed for “define”, “state”, “outline” and “explain” questions where precise vocabulary earns marks.
- How should I use this German (Foreign Language) glossary alongside past papers?
- Tick terms when you can recall them without reading the answer, then check your wording against mark schemes. Pair vocabulary practice with past papers for IGCSE German (Foreign Language) (0525) so you apply terms in context.
- Is this the same as a revision checklist or a formula sheet?
- No. Revision checklists help you track which syllabus topics you have covered and your confidence—separate pages on Tutopiya. Formula sheets summarise equations and quantitative relationships. This page is only a definitions and key-terms glossary for German (Foreign Language).
- Can I download this German (Foreign Language) keywords and key terms list for free?
- Yes. After a quick free sign-up you can download a UTF-8 CSV (opens in Excel or Google Sheets) or open a print-friendly page and save as PDF. Browsing the list on the page is free.
- Is this German (Foreign Language) list aligned to the 0525 specification?
- Topic groupings and wording follow Cambridge IGCSE German — Foreign Language (0525) for Cambridge International IGCSE. Always confirm final learning objectives and any regional options in your official specification and recent examiner reports for your exam session.
- Why focus on definitions instead of full notes?
- Mark schemes reward correct technical terms and clear links between ideas. A compact glossary lets you drill the exact language examiners expect for German (Foreign Language) at IGCSE, separate from longer notes or topic trackers.