My Struggle (and Small Victories) with TELC B1 Writing: Recommending a Service

Okay, deep breaths. I’ve been living in Berlin for almost two years now, and let’s just say my German is… patchy. There are days when I can order a Kaffee mit Milch like a pro, and then there are days when I accidentally ask for a Hundebett (dog bed) at the supermarket. It’s… humbling. But I’m determined to pass my TELC B1 Writing exam, and honestly, it’s starting to feel less like a chore and more like a genuine challenge. The task they gave us – recommending a service to a friend – felt particularly daunting at first. It’s one thing to talk, but to write a convincing recommendation in German? Ugh.

The Task Explained (and My Initial Panic)

The prompt was basically this: “Mein Freund/Meine Freundin [Name] braucht einen guten [Service – e.g., Zahnarzt, Friseur, Automechaniker]. Ich soll ihm/ihr einen Service empfehlen und erklären, warum ich ihn/sie empfehlen kann.” (My friend/girlfriend [Name] needs a good [Service – e.g., dentist, hairdresser, mechanic]. I have to recommend a service to him/her and explain why I can recommend it.) I stared at the paper for a good ten minutes, completely blank. “A service?” I thought. “How do I even begin?” I kept repeating “Ich weiß nicht!” (I don’t know!) to myself, which, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly helpful.

First Attempts – A Mess of “Ich” and “Du”

My first attempt was… a disaster. I started by saying, “Ich bin hier und ich kenne diesen Ort.” (I am here and I know this place.) It was completely unstructured, riddled with grammatical errors, and just generally sounded like a confused tourist rambling. I even used the wrong level of formality – assuming I could just start with “du” with a stranger! My friend Lena, who’s also studying for the exam, gently pointed out that I needed to build a proper recommendation. She said, “Du musst den Vorteil des Services erklären, und warum du ihn empfehlen kannst, nicht nur sagen, dass du ihn kennst.” (You need to explain the advantage of the service, and why you can recommend it, not just say you know it.)

Practical German – Ordering a Recommendation

Lena gave me some brilliant examples. Let’s say I was recommending a hairdresser. A decent draft might look like this:

• “Ich möchte dir unbedingt den Friseur ‘Salon Farben’ empfehlen. Mein Bruder hat dort eine Farbe gemacht und er ist total begeistert! Die Friseure sind sehr nett und professionell. Sie haben eine tolle Auswahl an Produkten und die Preise sind angemessen. Ich denke, es wäre eine gute Wahl für dich, besonders wenn du eine natürliche Farbe suchst.” (I really want to recommend the hairdresser ‘Salon Farben’ to you. My brother had a color done there and he is totally enthusiastic! The hairdressers are very friendly and professional. They have a great selection of products and the prices are reasonable. I think it would be a good choice for you, especially if you’re looking for a natural color.)

Notice how I used phrases like “Ich möchte dir empfehlen…” (I want to recommend you…) and talked about the benefits (nett, professionell, tolle Auswahl). Also, I used “mein Bruder” to give it more credibility.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

I quickly realized I was making a ton of mistakes. One HUGE one was overusing “ich”. It just sounded… self-focused. I also kept translating directly from English, which is a recipe for disaster. For example, I tried to say “Ich denke, es ist eine gute Idee” (I think it’s a good idea) – which is perfectly fine in English, but sounds incredibly formal and unnatural in German. Lena corrected me, saying something like, “Besser ist es, wenn du sagst: ‘Ich glaube, das wäre eine gute Idee.’” (It’s better if you say: ‘I believe that would be a good idea.’)

Another recurring issue was mixing up formal and informal language. I was too hesitant to use “du” with someone I was recommending a service to, and then overcompensating by using overly formal phrases. It’s a constant balancing act!

My Latest Attempt – Feeling a Little Better

I’ve been practicing a lot, and my last draft was much better. I finally managed to create a coherent paragraph explaining why I’d recommend a mechanic – Garage Schmidt – and why. It still wasn’t perfect, but it flowed reasonably well. I even used a few new words and phrases, like “zuverlässig” (reliable) and “die Reparaturen” (the repairs).

• “Ich kann dir die Garage Schmidt wärmstens empfehlen. Sie sind sehr zuverlässig und kompetent. Mein Nachbar hat dort seinen Wagen repariert und er ist sehr zufrieden. Die Reparaturen sind fair ge-preist und das Team ist freundlich. Ich denke, das wäre eine gute Wahl für dich, wenn du Probleme mit deinem Auto hast.” (I can warmly recommend Garage Schmidt to you. They are very reliable and competent. My neighbor had his car repaired there and he is very satisfied. The repairs are fairly priced and the team is friendly. I think that would be a good choice for you if you have problems with your car.)

Next Steps (and a Little Bit of Hope!)

I’m still nervous about the exam, but I feel like I’m actually starting to get the hang of this. Lena is going to help me proofread my final draft, and I’m going to keep practicing. Honestly, just writing about this experience has already helped me feel more confident. I’m hoping to actually pass, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to confidently recommend a service to someone without completely embarrassing myself! Viel Glück! (Good luck!)