Your weekly German class has just finished. Your copy of Menschen A1.2 (1. Auflage, 2012), published by Hueber Verlag, lies open on your desk next to your homework assignment.

Aligning your self-study with your current chapter keeps you focused instead of pulling you in different directions. This guide uses three original companion scenes to show how this works in practice. You can find these on the Menschen A1.2 companion courses hub. This method works alongside your teacher's homework and the official audio, giving you a straightforward path to start speaking.

The strategy relies on a simple, flexible between-class routine that you can adapt to any lesson. First, listen to a short conversation for general meaning. Next, replay a short part of 10 or 20 seconds. Then, say a useful turn or phrase aloud. After that, personalise a reply using your own life details. Finally, write down one specific question to bring to your next class. This routine helps you process the language actively rather than just reading sentences off a page.

Start with your current chapter

To begin, pick one question or dialogue from your current Lektion. Listen to a short track from the publisher's audio or an original companion scene. Pause the recording, but do not just repeat the characters' words. Give a real answer about your own life. If you make a mistake or get stuck on a word, write it down. This gives you a concrete question to ask your teacher in your next lesson.

How to practise directions (Lektion 13)

Asking for and giving directions in town is the core of Wir suchen das Hotel Maritim. (Lektion 13). This chapter introduces local prepositions with the dative case, which often intimidate beginners.

To practise these structures, you can use the companion course Lost on the way. The scene is set on a Saturday afternoon in May on the outskirts of Bonn. Jakob is grilling in his allotment garden when Miriam, a friend from his choir, visits for the first time. She took the tram and got off at the right stop, but she has been walking in circles. She calls Jakob, who asks what she can see and guides her landmark by landmark. They use the informal du throughout the conversation.

The goals here are entirely practical: saying where you are, following directions, and describing where a place is. You can use this setup to practise with either the publisher's audio or the companion course.

Here is how to apply the between-class routine to this lesson:

  1. Listen for meaning: Play the conversation between Jakob and Miriam. Focus on the landmarks they mention, such as the tram stop or the bridge.
  2. Replay a short part: Listen again to the section where Miriam describes her immediate surroundings.
  3. Say a useful turn aloud: Repeat Miriam's line:
  • "Ich kann den Garten nicht finden!"
  • This means: "I can't find the garden!"
  1. Personalise a reply: Pause the audio when Jakob asks Miriam where she is standing. Instead of repeating her answer, describe your own physical location. You might say:
  • "Ich bin an der Haltestelle vor der Apotheke."
  • In English, this translates to: "I am at the tram stop in front of the chemist."
  • Or if you are at home:
  • "Ich bin im Haus neben dem Park."
  • This phrase is equivalent to: "I am in the house next to the park."
  1. Bring one question to class: Note down any confusion you had with the dative endings, like why die Haltestelle becomes an der Haltestelle.

Describing people in the past tense (Lektion 19)

Describing physical appearance, character traits, and reacting to surprising news are the main focus of Der hatte doch keinen Bauch! (Lektion 19). The grammar introduces the past tense (Präteritum) of war (was) and hatte (had), the perfect tense (Perfekt) of inseparable verbs, and negative adjectives with the prefix un-.

You can find this context in the companion course Twenty years later.

The scene takes place in a lakeside beer garden in Potsdam on a Saturday evening in June. Two former classmates, Katja and Henrik, who sat next to each other in maths class, meet at their 20-year school reunion. They have not seen each other since school. As they catch up, they look across the tables at their old classmates: Jens, who used to have a ponytail, Nils, who never spoke, and Leonie, who was always late. They use the informal du to talk about how everyone has changed.

Apply the five-step routine to this lesson to make the past tense feel natural:

  1. Listen for meaning: Listen to the reunion conversation. Focus on the physical descriptions and how the characters react to seeing each other after 20 years.
  2. Replay a short part: Go back to the moment where Katja points out Jens across the beer garden.
  3. Say a useful turn aloud: Practise Henrik's reaction of surprise:
  • "Den hab ich gar nicht erkannt!"
  • The English translation is: "I didn't recognise him at all!"
  1. Personalise a reply: Think of a friend from your school days. Describe how they used to look and how they look now. You could say:
  • "Er hatte früher einen Pferdeschwanz, aber heute hat er eine Glatze."
  • This statement means: "He used to have a ponytail, but today he has a bald head."
  • Or describe their old habits:
  • "Sie war immer unpünktlich."
  • Which translates to: "She was always unpunctual."
  1. Bring one question to class: Write down any verbs where you are unsure of the past participle, especially inseparable verbs like erkannt or vergessen.

Planning a party with the subjunctive (Lektion 24)

Celebrations, expressing wishes, and reading invitations take centre stage in Ich würde am liebsten jeden Tag feiern. (Lektion 24). The key grammar points are the subjunctive mood (Konjunktiv II) using würde with gern or am liebsten to express wishes, alongside ordinal numbers for dates.

The companion course Planning a family party provides a clear setting for this. The scene is Theresa's flat in Bamberg on a Sunday afternoon in May. It is her birthday, and her brother Florian comes round with a present. He calls her Resi and she calls him Flo. Theresa would actually prefer to spend her birthday relaxing on the sofa instead of hosting a party. However, they quickly move on to a bigger task: planning their parents' 30th wedding anniversary party, which is coming up on 14 July in their parents' garden.

Use the standard five-step routine to practise these planning structures:

  1. Listen for meaning: Play the dialogue and identify the main conflict between what Theresa wants for her birthday and what her brother suggests.
  2. Replay a short part: Listen again to the section where they discuss the date for their parents' anniversary party.
  3. Say a useful turn aloud: Speak Florian's birthday greeting:
  • "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!"
  • This expression means: "Happy birthday!"
  1. Personalise a reply: Imagine your own ideal celebration. State your wishes aloud using the subjunctive. You might say:
  • "Ich würde am liebsten eine Party im Garten machen."
  • This sentence means: "I would prefer to have a party in the garden."
  • Combine this with a specific date using ordinal numbers:
  • "Die Party ist am vierzehnten Juli."
  • In English, this translates to: "The party is on the fourteenth of July."
  1. Bring one question to class: Note down how to form ordinal numbers for dates, especially the distinction between numbers under 20 and those over 20.

Vary your questions, not just your answers

If you are practising with a classmate or speaking aloud to yourself, try varying the prompts based on the chapters you have studied. This keeps your practice from becoming repetitive and helps you adapt to real-world conversations where people rarely follow a script.

When studying Lektion 13, avoid asking only "Wo ist das Hotel?" (Where is the hotel?). Change the question to focus on different landmarks in your own neighbourhood: "Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?" (How do I get to the station?) or "Gibt es eine Bäckerei in der Nähe?" (Is there a bakery nearby?).

When you work on Lektion 19, instead of simply asking how someone looked in the past, ask about their habits or character: "War dein Bruder früher auch so unsportlich?" (Was your brother also so unsporting in the past?).

During Lektion 24, if you miss a detail in the audio or struggle with a word like Konzertkarten (concert tickets), use that gap to form a new question: "Was für Musik magst du?" (What kind of music do you like?). By actively changing the questions, you learn how to navigate conversations flexibly, preparing you for the unpredictable nature of real-world German.

Bring one specific question back to class

The goal of independent practice is not to achieve flawless grammar on your own. It is to find out what you can do and where you still need help. When you practise speaking at home, you will run into moments of uncertainty. You might wonder if you used the correct dative ending in Lektion 13, or if you pronounced a past-tense verb correctly in Lektion 19.

Instead of letting these doubts stop your progress, treat them as useful clues. Keep a small notebook or a digital note on your phone specifically for your German class. When you stumble during your speaking practice, write down the exact phrase or rule that confused you.

Before your next class, take a few minutes to check your note against the grammar summaries and vocabulary lists in your Menschen A1.2 textbook. If you can find the answer yourself, that is ideal. If you are still unsure, bring that single, specific question back to your teacher.

Remember, the publisher's official audio and classroom assignments are entirely sufficient for this practice. The original companion conversations from HearSay are completely optional resources designed to give you extra variety and real-world context.

You can explore the full index of these optional courses on the Menschen A1.2 companion courses hub.

HearSay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hueber Verlag. Menschen A1.2 is a trademark of its owner. These are our own conversations, written around each chapter's themes.

FAQ

Which edition and chapters of Menschen A1.2 does this guide use?

This guide is written for the 1. Auflage (2012) of Menschen A1.2 published by Hueber Verlag. It specifically focuses on the themes and grammar in Lektion 13, 19, and 24. If you are using a different edition, check your table of contents to match the topics.

Can I use the practice idea without HearSay?

Yes, absolutely. The publisher's official audio, your classroom textbook, and your teacher's assignments are completely sufficient for this routine. HearSay simply offers optional, original companion conversations based on the same themes if you want extra listening and speaking practice.

What if I cannot answer without reading?

Start small. If you cannot answer a question aloud, look up just one key word or phrase first. Try giving a very short, one-word or two-word answer, and write down any grammar forms you are unsure of to ask your teacher in your next class.