DTZ Gemeinsam etwas planen (Sprechen Teil 3): plan it together, and decide

Teil 3 of the DTZ Sprechen is the planning task: you and your partner are given a shared situation — a course trip, a party, a study group — and a few notes, and you plan it together out loud until you reach a decision. It lasts about six minutes, with no preparation time, and the examiners mostly listen: they only step in if the conversation breaks down.

The tasks on this page are our own, on everyday DTZ themes — never the official exam task. One comes with a full model dialogue so you can hear a whole negotiation from the first proposal to the final decision, and underneath you can drill the four moves a Teil 3 answer is built from: suggesting, agreeing, declining, and settling.

How Teil 3 works, with example tasks

The examiners are not listening for the cleverest plan — they are listening for whether you really negotiate: make a proposal, react to your partner's, give reasons, and agree on something concrete together.

Negotiate, don't take turns reading the notes

The task sheet gives you a situation and a handful of Leitpunkte (where? when? who brings what?). They are prompts to plan around, not a list to read out one by one. Open the conversation, put a proposal on the table, then keep it going — the B1 descriptor for Teil 3 is exactly „ein Gespräch beginnen und in Gang halten“ and „spontan etwas planen, Vorschläge machen, auf solche reagieren“.

The simplest way to show you can react is to disagree once, politely, and offer an alternative with a reason — then agree. Don't say yes to everything: a short „Wie wäre es, wenn …“ with a reason, followed by settling a concrete detail (a time, a place, who pays), is worth more than a smooth plan where neither of you ever pushes back. And always close with a clear joint decision; letting the talk trail off leaves the task unfinished.

Example planning tasks (one with a full model dialogue)

A course trip at the weekend

Ihr Deutschkurs möchte am Wochenende zusammen einen Ausflug machen. Sie und Ihre Partnerin / Ihr Partner organisieren den Ausflug für die ganze Gruppe.

Planen Sie gemeinsam, was Sie machen wollen. Einigen Sie sich am Ende auf einen Plan.

Planning points (Leitpunkte)

Where to go (a lake, a forest, a nearby town …)?
How do you get there (train, car, bikes)?
What do you do there, what do you eat?
When do you meet, and who brings what?

A model dialogue (you + your partner)

You: Sollen wir mit dem Planen anfangen? Ich schlage vor, dass wir einen Ausflug an den See machen.
Shall we start planning? I suggest we go on a trip to the lake. — open the dialogue and put the first proposal on the table; Ich schlage vor, dass sends the verb to the end. Starting is itself scored (B1: „Kann ein Gespräch beginnen und in Gang halten“).
Partner: Das ist eine gute Idee. Aber am See waren wir letztes Mal schon. Wie wäre es, wenn wir in den Wald fahren und grillen?
That's a good idea. But we were at the lake last time. How about going to the forest and having a barbecue? — accept briefly, then make a counter-proposal with a reason: Wie wäre es, wenn … is the polite counter.
You: Einverstanden, der Wald gefällt mir besser. Dann brauchen wir einen Grill und etwas zu essen. Was meinst du, wie kommen wir dorthin?
Agreed, I like the forest better. Then we need a grill and something to eat. What do you think, how do we get there? — agree, move the plan one step on, and hand the turn back with a question. Was meinst du keeps it a real exchange, not two monologues.
Partner: Ich würde sagen, wir fahren mit dem Fahrrad, dann sparen wir Geld. Treffen wir uns um zehn Uhr am Bahnhof?
I'd say we cycle, then we save money. Shall we meet at ten at the station? — propose with a reason and settle a concrete detail (the time, the meeting point). Naming times and places is what reaches B1 in a planning task.
You: Ja, zehn Uhr passt gut. Ich bringe den Grill und die Getränke mit, und du kümmerst dich um das Fleisch und das Gemüse. Sind wir uns einig?
Yes, ten works well. I'll bring the grill and the drinks, and you take care of the meat and vegetables. Are we agreed? — divide the tasks and ask for the final agreement; Sind wir uns einig? invites the close.
Partner: Ja, abgemacht! Dann treffen wir uns am Samstag um zehn Uhr am Bahnhof und fahren mit dem Fahrrad in den Wald.
Yes, it's a deal! Then we'll meet on Saturday at ten at the station and cycle to the forest. — close with a clear joint decision that repeats the plan. It's a good way to round off the conversation.

An end-of-course party

Ihr Deutschkurs ist bald zu Ende. Sie und Ihre Partnerin / Ihr Partner wollen eine kleine Abschiedsfeier für die Gruppe organisieren.

Planen Sie gemeinsam die Feier. Einigen Sie sich am Ende auf einen Plan.

Planning points (Leitpunkte)

Where do you celebrate (in the school, in a park, at someone's home)?
What food and drinks do you need?
What do you do at the party (music, games, photos)?
When is it, and how do you invite everyone?

A study group

Sie und Ihre Partnerin / Ihr Partner möchten mit ein paar Leuten aus dem Kurs eine Lerngruppe gründen.

Planen Sie gemeinsam, wie die Lerngruppe funktionieren soll. Einigen Sie sich am Ende.

Planning points (Leitpunkte)

How often and where do you meet?
What do you practise together (speaking, writing, listening)?
Who brings materials, who finds a room?
How do you stay in touch between meetings?

A joint present for a colleague

Eine Kollegin aus Ihrem Kurs bekommt ein Baby. Sie und Ihre Partnerin / Ihr Partner wollen zusammen mit der Gruppe ein Geschenk kaufen.

Planen Sie gemeinsam, was Sie schenken. Einigen Sie sich am Ende auf ein Geschenk.

Planning points (Leitpunkte)

What do you give (clothes, toys, a voucher)?
How much does each person pay?
Who buys it and where?
When and how do you give it to her?

Which plans can come up in Teil 3

There is no official topic list, and each exam version picks its own tasks. These are examples to practise with, not a prediction.

In the current official practice sets

A course outing
Visiting a friend in another city
A party with the neighbours

In older official or youth sets

An end-of-course party
Selling food at a school fair (youth set)

Possible under the official course framework

Studying together with people from the course
Arrangements between parents: the way to school, a child's birthday
Neighbours helping during a holiday: plants, a parcel
Looking for a flat, or finding out about further training

How to drill this: cover the German column with your hand, read each cue, and say the phrase out loud before you check. The four groups are the moves of a Teil 3 dialogue — suggest, agree, decline, settle — so you can build a whole negotiation from them, just like the model dialogue above.

Making a proposal (vorschlagen)

The openers: put an idea on the table and hand the turn back, so the planning actually starts and keeps moving.

Ich schlage vor, dass wir …
I suggest that we … — the workhorse proposal; verb to the end after dass.
Wie wäre es, wenn wir …?
How about we …? — a softer proposal or counter-proposal; wie wäre es, wenn takes the verb to the end.
Was hältst du davon? / Was meinst du?
What do you think of that? / What's your view? — hand the turn back; the examiners want a real exchange, not two monologues.

Agreeing (zustimmen)

Accept a good idea — but add a half-sentence, so it reads as a reaction, not a bare „ja“.

Das ist eine gute Idee, (weil) …
That's a good idea, (because) … — agree and give a reason; verb to the end after weil.
Da stimme ich dir zu.
I agree with you there. — a clean agreement; zustimmen takes the dative (dir).
Einverstanden, das machen wir so.
Agreed, let's do it like that. — accept and move the plan one step on.

Declining and counter-proposing (ablehnen)

The move that shows you can react: disagree politely, give a reason, and offer an alternative — never just „nein“.

Das finde ich nicht so gut, weil …
I don't think that's so good, because … — soften the refusal with a reason; verb to the end after weil.
Ich bin nicht sicher. Vielleicht wäre es besser, wenn …
I'm not sure. Maybe it would be better if … — a tentative objection that leads straight into your alternative.
Lieber … als … , oder?
Rather … than … , don't you think? — offers the alternative compactly and hands the turn back.

Settling it together (sich einigen)

The close: tie off a concrete detail and agree on the plan, which rounds the conversation off well.

Dann machen wir es so: …
Then let's do it like this: … — sums up the agreed plan in one sentence.
Sind wir uns einig?
Are we agreed? — invites the final agreement so the decision is explicit, not assumed.
Gut, abgemacht!
Good, it's a deal! — the clear joint close.

Download the B1 Sprechen Redemittel sheet (PDF)The core B1 speaking phrases on one printable page — cover the German column and say each one aloud.

Sources: g.a.s.t. — der DTZ auf einen Blick · g.a.s.t. — DTZ Übungssatz 1 (Sprechen) · g.a.s.t./Goethe — DTZ Prüfungshandbuch · BAMF — Abschlussprüfung und Zertifikat

Last updated: 2026-11-05