Conquering the B1.2 Email: My First Time Writing to Alice

Okay, so, let me be honest. Writing in German still feels… weird. Like my brain is doing a little jig every time I try to string a sentence together. I moved to Berlin six months ago, and while I can order a Bier and ask for directions (mostly), actually communicating with people in German, beyond the basics, is a whole other challenge. That’s why I’m tackling this TELC B1.2 writing task – the informal email to a friend. It feels like a really practical step, and honestly, a little bit less intimidating than, say, writing a formal letter to the landlord!

The Task: Chatting with Alice

The task is pretty straightforward: write an email to my friend Alice, who’s living in Munich. She’s been telling me all about her new job as a Praktikant at a design agency, and I want to tell her about my struggles finding a decent Kaffee. The goal is to sound casual and friendly, like I’m actually talking to her. I’ve been told that sounding like a textbook is a no-go – and trust me, I get that!

My Initial Attempts – And the Embarrassing Mistakes

My first draft was… awful. Seriously. I went straight for complex sentences, trying to use all the vocab I’d learned. It read like a German news article, not a friendly email. I started with something like: “Sehr geehrte Alice, ich hoffe, diese E-Mail findet Sie wohlbehalten.” – Big mistake! Total formal. I quickly realized that just starting with “Hey Alice!” would be much better.

I also used too many Sies. I kept accidentally addressing her formally, which felt really strange and distanced. I kept getting corrected by my language partner, Luke, who patiently explained that using du (informal you) is crucial for this kind of email. He said, “Es ist wichtig, dass du die richtige Form benutzt, sonst wirkt es, als würdest du Alice nicht gut kennen.” (It’s important that you use the right form, otherwise it looks like you don’t know Alice well.)

Building a Realistic German Dialogue

Let’s look at what I actually wrote after a few more tries and Luke’ help. Here’s the email:

• Hallo Alice,

• Wie geht’s dir? Ich hoffe, du hast dich in München gut eingelebt!

• Mir geht’s so lala. Ich habe total Probleme, einen guten Kaffee zu finden. Die Kaffees in Berlin sind wirklich schlecht! Ich brauche dringend einen starken Kaffee, um wach zu bleiben!

• Du weißt ja, ich habe mich bei dem kleinen Café “Café am Markt” angemeldet. Die machen einen guten Espresso. Vielleicht treffe ich dich mal dort.

• Was machst du so? Erzähl mal!

• Liebe Grüße,

• Max

(Translation: Hello Alice, How are you? I hope you’ve settled in well in Munich! I’m doing okay-ish. I’m having serious problems finding good coffee. The coffee in Berlin is really bad! I desperately need a strong coffee to stay awake! You know, I’ve signed up at the little café “Café am Markt.” They make a good espresso. Maybe I’ll meet you there. What are you up to? Tell me! Lots of love, Max)

Key Vocabulary and Phrases I Used

Here are some of the phrases and vocabulary that felt really useful for this email:

• Wie geht’s dir? – How are you? (Informal)
• Ich habe total Probleme… – I’m having serious problems…
• Die Kaffees sind wirklich schlecht! – The coffee is really bad!
• Ich brauche dringend… – I desperately need…
• Du weißt ja… – You know…
• Vielleicht treffe ich dich mal dort. – Maybe I’ll meet you there.
• Was machst du so? Erzähl mal! – What are you up to? Tell me!
• Liebe Grüße, – Lots of love,

A Word of Warning (and Encouragement!)

The biggest thing I learned was to relax. Seriously. Don’t overthink the grammar so much. Focus on conveying your message in a natural way. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Luke says that making mistakes is part of the learning process. “Es ist okay, wenn du Fehler machst,” he said. “Wichtig ist, dass du versuchst, dich zu verbessern.” (It’s okay if you make mistakes. What’s important is that you try to improve.)

Writing this email feels like a small victory. I’m still a long way from being fluent, but I’m taking steps, and I’m starting to feel a bit more confident in my German. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find a decent Kaffee.

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