What reference words are: Reference words (Bezugswörter) are little words like „er“, „sie“, „es“, „das“, „dies“, „dort“ or „sein/ihr“ that replace or point back to something already said earlier in the text. Writers use them so they don't repeat the same noun again and again. In Paper 2, a question may ask what one of these words refers to — your job is to name the noun or idea it points back to.
The exam instruction you'll see: In the real German Paper 2 exam, this question type is introduced by an instruction like:
„Worauf bezieht sich das Wort „…" in Zeile X?“ → What does the word "…" in line X refer to?
What you have to do: Find the word in the line, then look back (usually) for the noun it stands in for, and answer with that exact word/phrase from the text. (Less common in German B, but tracking what a pronoun points to keeps your reading accurate.)
- das Bezugswort
- reference word (a word that points back to something said before)
- der Bezug / das Bezugsobjekt
- the referent — the noun or idea the word points to
- das Pronomen
- pronoun (e.g. „er“, „sie“, „es“, „ihn“ — stands in for a noun)
- sich beziehen auf
- to refer to (point back to)
- ersetzen
- to replace / to substitute one word for another
- übereinstimmen (in Genus, Numerus, Kasus)
- to agree (in gender, number and case) with the noun it replaces
Name the noun, not the word: The question „Worauf bezieht sich „es“?“ does NOT want you to repeat „es“ — it wants the actual noun or idea „es“ stands for. Always answer with the thing it points to (e.g. „der Hund“), found earlier in the text.
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What each kind points to: Different reference words point to different things. Personal pronouns (er/sie/es) point to a noun and take its gender; „das/dies“ point to a whole idea; „dieser/jener“ point to the nearest noun; place and possessive words point to a place or an owner. This table is your map.
| Bezugswort | Bezieht sich meist auf |
|---|---|
| er / sie / es / ihn / sie | ein schon genanntes Substantiv (nach Genus) |
| das / dies | eine ganze Idee oder einen vorigen Satz (kein einzelnes Substantiv) |
| dieser / jener | das nächstgelegene Substantiv |
| dort / da | einen genannten Ort |
| sein / ihr | den genannten Besitzer (wem etwas gehört) |
It must agree: A reference word agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces — German nouns have three genders. „Er“ replaces a masculine noun (der Brief → er kam), „sie“ a feminine or plural noun, „es“ a neuter noun (das Buch → es liegt da). If your answer's gender doesn't match, it's the wrong referent.
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A reliable routine: To find what a reference word points to, work backwards from it. Find the word, read what comes just before, identify the noun or idea, then substitute it to check the sentence still makes sense. Because you can re-read, this is quick and safe.
Track the reference — 5 steps
1
Find the reference word
Locate the word in the text the question asks about (e.g. „er“, „das“, „dort“).
2
Read the sentence(s) just before it
The referent almost always appears earlier — read back one or two sentences.
3
Identify the noun or idea it replaces
Decide which noun or idea fits — and check it agrees in gender and number (der→er, die→sie, das→es).
4
Substitute it
Put the noun back in place of the reference word — does the sentence still make sense?
5
Answer with that noun/idea
Give the noun or idea it points to as your answer — not the reference word itself.
Find → Read before → Identify → Substitute → Check
Look BEFORE, not after: Reference words almost always point backwards to something already said. So read the lines before the word, not after it. Then substitute the noun to confirm the sentence still makes sense.
Tracking a reference in a real text: Here is a short text — the kind Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. The text stays in front of you, so when a question asks what a reference word points to, you read back to find it. Read the text once (tap Übersetzung anzeigen if you get stuck), then we'll track one reference word together.
Der Brief des Großvaters: Lukas bekam einen Brief von seinem Großvater. Darin erzählte der Großvater, dass er sich einen kleinen Hund gekauft hatte. Er hatte ihn Felix genannt und ging mit ihm jeden Morgen im Park spazieren, der in der Nähe seines Hauses liegt. Dort traf er andere Nachbarn und plauderte eine Weile mit ihnen.
Der Großvater schrieb, dass Felix ihn immer begleite und dass er sich dank ihm weniger einsam fühle. Deshalb bedankte er sich in dem Brief bei Lukas: Er war es gewesen, der ihm den Hund zum Geburtstag geschenkt hatte.
- der Brief
- the letter
- spazieren gehen (mit)
- to go for a walk (with)
- begleiten
- to keep (someone) company / to accompany
- sich einsam fühlen
- to feel lonely
- schenken
- to give (as a present)
Finding the referent
Eine Frage, Schritt für Schritt
- Read the question — „Im Satz „Er hatte ihn Felix genannt“: Worauf bezieht sich „ihn“?“
- Read back. The sentence just before says „er hatte sich einen kleinen Hund gekauft“. So look at that masculine noun.
- Substitute and answer — „Er hatte ihn Felix genannt“ → „Er hatte den Hund Felix genannt“. „Ihn“ bezieht sich auf den Hund.
Check the agreement: „Ihn“ is the masculine accusative of „er“, so its referent must be a masculine noun — „der Hund“, not „der Brief“ (also masculine — so check the meaning too). Always check the reference word and the noun agree before you commit to your answer.
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Where marks are lost: Most marks are lost not to hard German but to careless tracking: pointing to the wrong (often the nearest) noun, choosing a referent whose gender doesn't agree, or guessing without substituting the noun back to check. Compare the two columns.
Gute Strategien
- Read back to find the noun the word really points to.
- Check the referent agrees in gender and number (der→er, die→sie, das→es).
- Substitute the noun back in and confirm the sentence still makes sense.
- For „das/dies“, name the whole idea, not just one noun.
Typische Fehler
- Point to the nearest noun even when it doesn't fit.
- Choose a referent whose gender doesn't agree with the word.
- Guess the referent without substituting it back to check.
- Answer with the reference word itself instead of the noun it points to.
Gender is your check: If your chosen referent's gender doesn't agree with the reference word, it's the wrong one. „Sie“ needs a feminine or plural noun; „es“ needs a neuter noun; „er“ needs a masculine noun. Let gender guide you.