Lesson 27 · German A1-2

Writing a Short Letter or Email

Einen Brief oder eine E-Mail schreiben

This is the single most predictable Schreiben (writing) task on both the Goethe and telc A1 exams: write a short informal letter or email - to a friend about a plan, an apology for missing something, or a request. Today gives you the fixed structure and lets you plug in grammar from every earlier lesson.

Today's win: write a complete, correctly structured short letter covering a greeting, one reason (weil), one request (Können Sie/du), and a closing.

The fixed structure

Opening (informal)Liebe/Lieber [Name], (Liebe for a woman, Lieber for a man)
Opening (formal)Sehr geehrte/geehrter [Name],
Closing (informal)Viele Grüße, / Liebe Grüße,
Closing (formal)Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

A worked example

Liebe Anna,

ich kann heute nicht kommen, weil ich krank bin. (Lesson 26's weil-order)
Ich habe Fieber und habe Kopfschmerzen. (Lesson 14 vocabulary)
Kannst du mir bitte helfen? (modal verb + dative pronoun, Lessons 11 & 18)

Viele Grüße,
[Ihr Name]

Every sentence in this short letter reuses grammar you already have - this is deliberate. At A1, the exam doesn't reward complexity; it rewards correct, complete sentences built from exactly this kind of scaffolding.

What examiners actually check

Try it out loud (or on paper): write a 4-sentence letter to a friend explaining you can't come to something, giving a reason with weil, and asking for their help.

Quick recall check

1. Informal opening for a letter to a woman named Anna - ______ Anna,

Show answer
Liebe

2. Formal closing phrase for a letter?

Show answer
Mit freundlichen Grüßen

3. Informal closing phrase for a letter?

Show answer
Viele Grüße

4. "I can't come because I'm sick." - Ich kann nicht kommen, weil ich krank ______.

Show answer
bin

5. What do exam graders check besides content points and register?

Show answer
grammatical correctness

Primary source

Letter structure and grading criteria cross-checked against the Schreiben section of the official Goethe A1 Modellsatz.

Want feedback on a real letter you write? Draft it and ask your teaching agent to check it against these criteria.

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