After a class with Menschen A1.1, choose one question from the lesson and try a personal answer aloud. This guide follows the first edition (2012), published by Hueber Verlag, and uses Lektionen 1, 7 and 12. The textbook audio and your teacher’s assignments remain your main resources. Our Menschen A1.1 companion courses offer optional original conversations on related themes.
Quick answer: Choose the Lektion your class is studying. Listen to a short exchange from the book or an original companion scene, answer one question aloud using your own details, and note down one phrase you are unsure of. Bring that question to your next class. The three examples below show how to adapt this to different chapter themes.
Start with the chapter you are using
To do this, focus on a single question from your current Lektion. For example, if you are studying hobbies, do not just read the dialogue about playing football. Listen to the publisher's audio track for that chapter. When you hear a question, pause the recording. Instead of repeating the book's pre-written answer, speak your own real-world response aloud. If you do not play football, say that you prefer reading or cooking.
Once you have spoken your answer, identify one word or grammatical structure you felt unsure about. Perhaps you did not know the correct preposition, or you forgot the verb ending. Write this specific uncertainty down. Do not spend hours searching the internet for answers. Simply note it down and bring it to your next class. This keeps your self-study focused, manageable, and directly connected to your classroom learning.
Lektion 1: Meeting your car share
In the very first chapter of the textbook, Lektion 1: Hallo! Ich bin Nicole …, you learn the absolute basics of German communication. You practise greeting people, asking for names, and stating where you are from. To take this beyond the classroom, you can use an optional companion scene from HearSay called Meeting your car share.
This original scene is set at a car-share meeting point outside Cologne's main railway station at seven o'clock on a cold Saturday morning. A driver named Jule is preparing to drive to Leipzig. She has two passengers booked through a ride-sharing app. One passenger, Ana, is already half asleep in the back seat. The other passenger, Luka, arrives and meets Jule for the first time. Because they are peers sharing a ride, they naturally use the informal du form from their very first sentence. By the time they reach Leipzig, they are saying their goodbyes as acquaintances.
To practise with this scene, or with the official audio from your textbook, set yourself a specific listening task. Listen to the exchange once just to catch the names and where the characters are from. On your second listen, focus on how they introduce other people.
Then, try a speaking variation. Imagine you are the passenger arriving at that car in Cologne. When Jule asks for your name and where you live, answer her aloud using your actual name and your real hometown. If you live in London, say Ich wohne in London. If you are from Manchester, say Ich komme aus Manchester.
Lektion 7: Compliments at an open mic
In the middle of the book, Lektion 7: Du kannst wirklich toll …! introduces the modal verb können and teaches you how to talk about hobbies, abilities, and how to pay compliments. To practise these skills, you can explore the HearSay companion course Compliments at an open mic.
The setting for this original scene is a lively open-mic night in a small, cosy bar in Bremen's Viertel neighbourhood on a Thursday evening. A young musician named Jannik has just finished playing two songs on his acoustic guitar. A guest named Merle, who has been sitting with her friends drawing in her sketchbook all evening, walks up to Jannik to compliment his performance. It turns out she has actually been sketching him while he played. They use the informal du register as they chat about music, drawing, and how often they visit the bar.
When practising with this scene or your textbook's audio, your listening task is to identify the frequency words. Listen out for how often the characters do their hobbies, noting words like oft, manchmal, or jeden Tag.
For your speaking practice, focus on the modal verb können and the sentence structure it requires, where the second verb goes to the very end of the sentence. State one thing you can do well, and one thing you cannot do at all. For example, you might say Ich kann gut kochen (I can cook well) or Ich kann nicht singen (I cannot sing).
Lektion 12: Back from holiday
At the end of the volume, Lektion 12: Was ist denn hier passiert? introduces the past tense using the Perfekt with the auxiliary verb sein. This is where you learn to talk about past trips, seasons, and months. You can practise this with the companion course Back from holiday.
This scene takes place in the stairwell of an old apartment building near the harbour in Kiel on a warm Monday evening in late July. Inga is carrying her heavy suitcases up the stairs after a three-week holiday in Norway. Her neighbour Lars, who spent his summer at home in Kiel, stops to welcome her back and ask about her trip. They discuss how she travelled by ferry, what she did in Norway, and what Lars did at the local harbour festival. They also talk about their favourite seasons, using the informal du throughout.
Your listening task here is to pay close attention to the past participle forms that use sein. Listen for verbs of movement like gefahren (travelled) or gekommen (arrived), and notice which auxiliary goes with each participle.
To practise speaking, describe your own last holiday using these past tense structures. Even if you only stayed at home, you can say Ich bin zu Hause geblieben (I stayed at home). If you went to the beach, say Ich bin im Meer geschwommen (I swam in the sea).
Change the question, not just the answer
In the car-share scenario from Lektion 1, instead of just answering where you are from, practise asking the driver: Und du? Woher kommst du? (And you? Where do you come from?). In the open-mic scene from Lektion 7, practise asking about hobbies: Was machst du in der Freizeit? (What do you do in your free time?). In the holiday scene from Lektion 12, practise asking about travel: Wie war das Wetter? (How was the weather?).
If you are practising alone and miss a detail in the audio, do not panic. Instead of rewinding ten times, use it as an opportunity to practise clarification phrases. Say aloud: Wie bitte? (Pardon?) or Kannst du das bitte wiederholen? (Can you repeat that, please?). If you do not know a specific German word for your hobby, use a simple alternative or describe it with basic words. For instance, if you cannot remember the word for sketching, you can say Ich mache Bilder (I make pictures).
Take one useful question back to class
Instead of letting this frustrate you, treat it as valuable data. Write down one specific question or phrase that tripped you up. For example, you might wonder: "How do I say I like hiking in the autumn?" or "Is the past tense of schwimmen regular?" Check your Menschen A1.1 textbook first to see if the answer is in the grammar summaries at the end of the Lektion. If it is not, or if you are still confused, bring that exact question to your teacher in your next class.
The official publisher audio and your teacher's assignments are entirely sufficient for this practice. The original HearSay conversations on the Menschen A1.1 companion courses hub are completely optional resources designed to give you extra listening variety.
HearSay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hueber Verlag. Menschen A1.1 is a trademark of its owner. These are our own conversations, written around each chapter's themes.
FAQ
Which edition and chapters of Menschen A1.1 does this guide use?
This guide is based on the 1. Auflage (2012) of Menschen A1.1 published by Hueber Verlag. It specifically focuses on the themes and grammar of Lektion 1, Lektion 7, and Lektion 12. If you are using a different edition, please check your book's table of contents to match the topics.
Can I use the practice idea without HearSay?
Yes, absolutely. The practice routine is designed to work perfectly with the official Menschen A1.1 textbook, its accompanying publisher audio, and your classroom assignments. HearSay simply provides optional, original companion dialogues on the same themes to give you extra listening and speaking variety between your classes.
What if I cannot answer without reading?
If you struggle to answer aloud, do not worry. Check the spelling of one key word or phrase in your textbook first, then try to speak a much shorter, simpler answer. Write down the specific form you are unsure of and ask your teacher for clarification during your next class.