German B1 Speaking Exam: Repair Phrases That Keep You Talking

A missed word does not have to end a German B1 speaking task. You need a short phrase that protects the conversation while you listen again, clarify the point, or recover your next sentence.

Learn these three moves:

Entschuldigung, können Sie das wiederholen?

Wie meinst du das?

Einen Moment, bitte.

They do three different jobs: formal repetition, informal clarification, and a short pause. The phrase itself is only the first half of the repair. The second half is your next clear sentence.

Why repair is part of the task

The Goethe B1 speaking criteria assess interaction, including whether you can begin, maintain, and close a conversation and react to your partner. The official model also describes Sprechen Teil 3 as reacting appropriately, giving feedback, and asking and answering a question.

The telc B1 criteria are just as direct: Aufgabenbewältigung includes participation in the conversation and the use of discourse strategies and, when needed, compensation strategies. The DTZ speaking test also includes dialogue with examiners or a partner, follow-up questions, and a joint planning task; its handbook tells examiners to seek clarification when communication problems occur.

So the useful goal is not to hide every problem. It is to solve a small problem and keep the exchange moving.

Move 1: ask formally for repetition

Use formal Sie with an examiner:

Entschuldigung, können Sie das wiederholen?

This means: “Excuse me, could you repeat that?” It is a complete request, so you do not need a longer explanation about why you missed the question.

You can combine it with a short pause:

Entschuldigung, können Sie das wiederholen? Einen Moment, bitte.

Listen to the repeated question. Then answer with the shortest sentence that completes the next part of the task.

Move 2: clarify a partner’s meaning

Use informal du with a speaking partner:

Wie meinst du das?

The phrase asks “What do you mean by that?” It is most useful when the partner’s answer is too vague to plan around.

Here is the repair for an unclear time:

Wie meinst du das: später? Treffen wir uns um halb sieben?

The repair has two halves:

1. Identify the unclear word: später.
2. Replace it with a concrete proposal: um halb sieben.

You did not merely ask the partner to speak again. You turned a vague point into a decision.

Move 3: take a moment and recover

When the next sentence disappears, use:

Einen Moment, bitte.

The pause must lead somewhere. In a presentation, you can return by summarising the last point:

Einen Moment, bitte. Ich fasse kurz zusammen: Einkaufen im Internet ist praktisch, aber es gibt viel Verpackung.

You do not need to recover the missing sentence word for word. A short summary gives you a clean restart and keeps the listener inside the topic.

Use a two-part repair

Build every repair from the same shape:

Part	Job	Example
1	signal the problem	Wie meinst du das?
2	move the task forward	Ist der Bus schneller als die U-Bahn?

The second part can be an answer, a specific proposal, a comparison, or a short summary. Pick the form that fits the task in front of you.

This matters because a repair phrase on its own can leave the conversation waiting. The follow-up shows what you understood and gives the other person something to respond to.

A five-minute repair drill

Record three short rounds:

1. Imagine the examiner spoke too quickly. Ask for repetition, pause, and answer one familiar question.
2. Imagine your partner says only that one option is “better.” Ask what they mean, then compare two options.
3. Begin a short presentation. Stop after two sentences, use the pause phrase, and summarise your last point.

Keep each repair to two parts: one repair phrase and one clear return to the task. Replay the recording and check only three things:

• Did you use Sie with the examiner and du with the partner?
• Did you speak again after the repair phrase?
• Did the next sentence make the task more specific or easier to continue?

Run the three rounds once more without notes. The goal is not a perfect speech. It is a repair you can retrieve while another person is waiting.

What to learn next

Repairs work best inside a task structure you already know. The German B1 planning guide gives you the propose, respond, disagree, agree, and close sequence used in the shared planning task.

For the other receptive modules, use the German B1 listening strategy and German B1 reading strategy to practise finding the detail that decides an answer.

Sources

The interaction and strategy claims were rechecked on 29 August 2026 against the official Goethe B1 model exam, telc Deutsch B1 Übungstest 1, and DTZ Prüfungshandbuch. Exam formats and criteria can change, so confirm the current details with your exam centre.