The signals
| When you see | The text is |
|---|---|
| einerseits … andererseits | Weighing two sides |
| zwar … aber | Conceding, then countering |
| deshalb, daher, folglich | Drawing a consequence |
| zum Beispiel, etwa | Illustrating a claim just made |
| allerdings, jedoch, dennoch | Turning against what preceded |
Ten connectors carry most of the structure of German argumentative prose. Knowing them lets you follow a text whose vocabulary you only partly know.
Method
- Read the title and any subheading.
- Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
- Say in one sentence what the text argues.
- Only then read the questions and go hunting.
German puts the finite verb at the end of subordinate clauses, so the meaning of a long sentence often arrives last. Reading to the full stop before deciding is not optional in this language.
Reading for gist — FAQs
2 questions
For the gist task, yes. Detail questions need a targeted second pass.
The concession and contrast ones — zwar/aber, allerdings, dennoch — because they mark where the argument turns.
More lesen (reading) question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.