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Zahlen hören — The German Number Traps
🔢 Zahlen hören — The German Number Traps
German numbers have two traps that cost easy listening marks — units are said BEFORE the tens (einundzwanzig = 21, you hear the small number first), and teens versus tens sound alike (dreizehn 13 vs dreißig 30). Master these patterns and number questions become free marks.
1. Units Before Tens — The Big Trap
In German two-digit numbers, the units digit is said first, then und, then the tens digit. You hear the small number first — do NOT write it down straight away.
Earn the mark scheme marks
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- For two-digit numbers: hold the first (units) digit in your head, then add the ten when you hear it.
- Listen carefully for -zehn (teen) vs -zig (ty) — they sound similar at normal speech speed.
- Remember: halb X = X minus 30 minutes. Say it out loud every time you practise.
- Write down the full time once you have heard both parts — do not commit to a digit before the number is complete.
❌ Common error: Hearing einundzwanzig and writing 12.
✓ Correct: 21 — German says the units digit first (ein-und-zwanzig = one-and-twenty).
Why it costs marks: German two-digit numbers are said units-first. Writing the digits in the order you hear them gives the mirror image of the correct number. Hold the first digit, wait for the und, then add the ten.