At C1 and C2 the question is no longer whether a sentence is correct, but whether it fits. Choose the version that matches the register, and learn why.
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Which version fits the target register best?
Register is the level of formality of language. The same message sounds very different to a friend, a colleague, a client or an office:
| Register | Example | Where |
|---|---|---|
| colloquial | Ich krieg das Geld nächste Woche. | friends, family |
| neutral | Ich bekomme das Geld nächste Woche. | colleagues, most emails |
| formal | Ich erhalte den Betrag in der kommenden Woche. | clients, offices, reports |
| official (Amtsdeutsch) | Die Auszahlung des Betrags erfolgt in der Folgewoche. | letters from authorities |
At C1 and C2 you are expected to switch between them on purpose, and to understand official German even when it is hard to read.
Formal and academic German likes to turn verbs into nouns: weil die Kosten gestiegen sind becomes aufgrund der gestiegenen Kosten. The typical moves are: conjunction → preposition (weil → aufgrund, obwohl → trotz, wenn → bei, nachdem → nach), verb → noun (einreichen → die Einreichung), object → genitive (den Antrag → des Antrags), adverb → adjective (rechtzeitig → rechtzeitiger).
Use it in reports, applications and academic texts, but don't overdo it: three nominalisations in one sentence make a text hard to read. Good C2 writers know when to switch back to verbs.
The C1 lessons practise nominal style, formal correspondence and decoding official German; the C2 lessons go further into style levels, modal particles and idioms. For connectors at every level, use the connectors trainer.
The formal, nominal style of German authorities: long nouns, passive and genitive chains. Many offices now try to write in plainer German, but you will still meet it in letters and decisions.
No, it is a register. It suits reports, contracts and academic texts. In emails and conversation, verbal style is clearer and more natural.
Ask who you are writing to and what relationship you have. When in doubt in a professional context, choose neutral to formal and mirror the register of the person who wrote to you.
