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Year 10 - German

Eine Reise: present tense, separable verbs, possessive adjectives

Travel and tourism: Reiseziele

Unit Summary

This consolidation unit revisits all of the grammar covered in previous units in the context of travel destinations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Pupils learn to use 'man' in order to avoid the passive, and also learn 'sein' and 'ihr' in nominative, accusative and dative to mean 'its'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe what you or others do on a trip using the simple present tense, including separable verbs and possessive adjectives.

Key Notes

  • German uses the simple present tense, formed by removing the '-en' from the infinitive and adding verb endings.
  • Separable verbs are made up of a prefix and a main verb. In the present, the prefix moves to the end of the clause.
  • In word order three (WO3) clauses, the prefix and verb join up in separable verbs.
  • Possessive adjectives are used with nouns to show ownership or belonging. They must agree with the noun which follows.
  • Use the possessive adjective 'sein' with masculine or neuter nouns to mean 'its'; use 'ihr' with feminine nouns.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • present tense: refers to actions that occur in the present time
  • separable verb: a two-part verb, with a prefix and a main verb, e.g., 'einkaufen'
  • sein: possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'its'
  • ihr: possessive adjective meaning 'her', 'its', 'their'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • All verbs with prefixes are separable.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

German uses the simple present tense, formed by removing the '-en' from the infinitive and adding verb endings. Separable verbs are made up of a prefix and a main verb. In the present, the prefix moves to the end of the clause.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'present tense'

refers to actions that occur in the present time. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: All verbs with prefixes are separable. Correction: Some prefixes are separable in some verbs, but inseparable in others. For example, 'wieder' in 'wiedersehen' is separable, but not in 'wiederholen'. The stress always falls on the separable prefix.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 10 German guide library.