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C1-Grammer C1-Vocabulary

The Detective Reference Guide( Collocations)

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Detective Series · The Reference Vault

50 Fixed Expressions Every C1 Candidate Must Know

Funktionsverbgefüge · Feste Präpositionalphrasen · Redewendungen

If the previous case files taught you to recognise idiomatic gaps, this dossier gives you the ammunition to solve them. Fifty expressions, organised by family, each with a model sentence and an English equivalent. Memorise these and a third of every Sprachbausteine paper becomes free points.

Three families of fixed expressions appear again and again in telc C1 — and not just in Sprachbausteine. They surface in Leseverstehen, slip into Hörverstehen as connective tissue, and impress examiners when used naturally in the Mündliche Prüfung. They are the connective sinew of educated German.

The trouble is that none of them follow logic. “Etwas in Frage stellen” takes in, not auf or zur, for no rule-based reason. “Im Großen und Ganzen” declines like that and not otherwise because it just does. Either you have memorised the phrase or you guess.

This case file is structured for repeated reference. Read it once now to see what is here. Then return to it ten times — every time you do a Sprachbausteine drill, every time one of these phrases appears in a reading, every time your German teacher uses one and you nod without quite knowing why.

Part 1 · Funktionsverbgefüge (FVG) 20 entries

A Funktionsverbgefüge (“function-verb construction”) replaces a single verb with a noun-plus-light-verb combination. Instead of “entscheiden” you say “eine Entscheidung treffen”. The noun carries the meaning, the verb is a near-empty placeholder. FVGs sound formal, literary, and very C1 — examiners love them. They are also the single most testable construction in Sprachbausteine because the preposition or article in front of the noun is a perfect gap.
№FunktionsverbgefügeMeaning · Equivalent verb
1zur Verfügung stellento make available · bereitstellen
2in Betracht ziehento take into consideration · berücksichtigen, erwägen
3in Frage stellento call into question · bezweifeln
4in Kraft tretento come into force · gültig werden
5in Kraft setzento enact, put into force · erlassen
6eine Entscheidung treffento make a decision · entscheiden
7eine Frage stellento ask a question · fragen
8eine Rolle spielento play a role / matter · wichtig sein
9in Anspruch nehmento make use of, claim · nutzen, beanspruchen
10zur Sprache bringento bring up (a topic) · thematisieren
11zum Ausdruck bringento express · ausdrücken
12in Erfüllung gehento be fulfilled (of wishes) · sich erfüllen
13unter Druck setzento put under pressure · bedrängen
14zum Einsatz kommento be deployed / used · eingesetzt werden
15in Auftrag gebento commission · beauftragen
16Abschied nehmen (von)to say goodbye (to) · sich verabschieden
17Bezug nehmen (auf)to refer (to) · sich beziehen auf
18in Verbindung treten (mit)to get in contact (with) · kontaktieren
19zur Folge habento result in · verursachen, bewirken
20in Erwägung ziehento consider, weigh up · erwägen

Five FVGs in action

Die Universität stellt den Studierenden moderne Computerräume zur Verfügung.
The university makes modern computer rooms available to its students.
Bevor wir entscheiden, müssen wir alle Alternativen in Betracht ziehen.
Before we decide, we must take all alternatives into consideration.
Das neue Gesetz tritt am 1. Januar in Kraft.
The new law comes into force on the 1st of January.
Die Klimakrise spielt in dieser Debatte eine zentrale Rolle.
The climate crisis plays a central role in this debate.
Viele Eltern nehmen die staatliche Beratung in Anspruch.
Many parents make use of the state advisory service.
Sprachbausteine pattern: the gap is almost always the preposition in front of the noun (in, zur, zum, unter, außer) — never the noun itself. Train yourself to recognise the noun-plus-verb skeleton (“Verfügung … stellen”) and the gap snaps into focus.

Part 2 · Feste Präpositionalphrasen 20 entries

Fixed prepositional phrases are short, frozen combinations of a preposition and a noun (often without an article) that function as an adverb or modifier. “Auf Probe” means “on a trial basis” — you cannot say “in Probe” or “zur Probe”. The phrase is welded together. These appear constantly in formal German and almost always show up as Sprachbausteine gaps.
№PhraseMeaning
21auf Probeon a trial basis, probationary
22im Großen und Ganzenon the whole, by and large
23in der Regelas a rule, usually
24im Gegenteilon the contrary
25im Gegensatz zuin contrast to
26im Vergleich zucompared to
27im Hinblick aufwith regard to, in view of
28in Bezug aufwith reference to, regarding
29unter Umständenpossibly, under certain circumstances
30auf jeden Fallin any case, definitely
31auf keinen Fallon no account, definitely not
32in der Tatindeed, in fact
33aus diesem Grundfor this reason
34vor allemabove all, especially
35zum einen … zum anderenon the one hand … on the other
36auf den ersten Blickat first glance
37auf lange Sichtin the long run
38in der Lage sein (zu)to be in a position (to), able (to)
39aus Versehenby accident, inadvertently
40unter vier Augenin private, just between us

Five fixed phrases in action

Sie wurde zunächst auf Probe eingestellt; nach sechs Monaten erhielt sie einen festen Vertrag.
She was initially hired on a trial basis; after six months she received a permanent contract.
Im Großen und Ganzen bin ich mit der Entscheidung zufrieden, auch wenn einige Details verbesserungswürdig sind.
On the whole, I am satisfied with the decision, even if some details could be improved.
Im Hinblick auf die wirtschaftliche Lage müssen wir vorsichtig planen.
In view of the economic situation, we must plan carefully.
Sein Verhalten hat mich nicht enttäuscht — im Gegenteil, ich war beeindruckt.
His behaviour did not disappoint me — on the contrary, I was impressed.
Das Unternehmen ist nicht in der Lage, die Lieferfristen einzuhalten.
The company is not in a position to meet the delivery deadlines.
Sprachbausteine pattern: the gap usually lands either on the preposition (im, in, auf, unter, vor) or on the article-fragment fused to it (im = in dem, zur = zu der). Notice that most of these phrases have no separate article in front of the noun — that bare-noun signature is itself a recognition cue.

Part 3 · Redewendungen 10 entries

Idioms are the highest-risk, highest-reward category. They never appear with their literal meaning intact. “Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen” has nothing to do with hammers — it means “to hit the nail on the head”. You will not deduce these. You learn them, you recognise them, you deploy them. Use one or two of these in the Mündliche Prüfung and your examiner will mentally upgrade you half a band.
№IdiomMeaning
41den Nagel auf den Kopf treffento hit the nail on the head
42aus dem Ruder laufento get out of hand, spiral out of control
43unter den Tisch fallento be ignored, slip through the cracks
44im Großen und Ganzen funktionierento work in essence, broadly speaking
45jemandem unter die Arme greifento lend someone a hand, help out
46auf der Hand liegento be obvious, self-evident
47jemandem einen Strich durch die Rechnung machento thwart someone’s plans
48die Daumen drückento keep one’s fingers crossed
49ins Auge fassento consider, contemplate (a plan)
50über den Tellerrand schauento think outside the box, broaden one’s horizon

Five idioms in action

Mit deiner Analyse hast du den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen — genau das ist das Problem.
With your analysis you hit the nail on the head — that is exactly the problem.
Wenn wir nicht eingreifen, wird das Projekt aus dem Ruder laufen.
If we do not intervene, the project will get out of hand.
Die Sicherheitsbedenken dürfen nicht unter den Tisch fallen.
The safety concerns must not be swept aside.
Dass die Digitalisierung Arbeitsplätze verändert, liegt auf der Hand.
That digitalisation is changing jobs is self-evident.
Als Führungskraft muss man manchmal über den Tellerrand schauen, um neue Lösungen zu finden.
As a leader, one sometimes has to think outside the box to find new solutions.

How to actually learn these

Fifty entries in one sitting is not a learning plan — it is a list. Here is the protocol that works:

Week one: Read the entire dossier once. Mark with a pen the ones you have never seen before. Do not try to memorise; just acquaint your eye.

Week two: Take ten entries per day. For each, write one sentence of your own — about your work, your week, your German learning. Five sentences per day, fifty by week’s end. Personal context anchors the phrase to memory.

Week three onward: Drill in mixed Sprachbausteine practice. When one of these appears in a real exam paper, you will recognise the skeleton (“Verfügung stellen”, “Probe”, “Tellerrand”) and the missing preposition will be obvious.

Bonus drill: In the Mündliche Prüfung, plant two idioms and three FVGs into your Präsentation. Phrases like “in Betracht ziehen”, “eine zentrale Rolle spielen”, “im Großen und Ganzen”, “auf der Hand liegen”, and “über den Tellerrand schauen” sound natural in any opinion piece. Your examiner will hear them and tick the C1-vocabulary box without further deliberation.

The honest reality: nobody learns 50 expressions in one week. Aim for 10 mastered, 20 recognised, 20 vaguely familiar by exam day. That is enough to handle every fixed-phrase gap in the Sprachbausteine and to spike your Mündliche performance. Total domination is a goal for after the exam, not before it.

REFERENCE · VAULT
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