Year 10 - German
Eine neue Sprache lernen: plural rules 4 - 6
People and lifestyle: sprichst du Deutsch?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit revisits the present tense of strong verbs, negation with nicht and kein, compound and plural nouns in the context of learning a new language. Pupils learn to distinguish between wissen, kennen and können with opportunities to apply all these in listening, reading, speaking and writing.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use plural rules to form plural nouns.
Key Notes
- Some masculine and neuter nouns add '-er' with an umlaut, where possible, to form the plural.
- Nouns borrowed from other langauges usually add '-s' to form the plural.
- Female person nouns add '-nen' to form the plural.
- The German short [a] sounds like the 'a' in 'Blatt'. The short [ä] is as in the plural 'Blätter'.
- The German short [u] sounds like the 'u' in 'Unterschied'; the long [u] is as in 'Uhr'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- plural rule 4: add '-er' to some masculine and neuter nouns, with an umlaut where possible; for example, 'Blätter'.
- plural rule 5: add -s to nouns borrowed from other languages; for example, 'Interviews'.
- plural rule 6: add -nen to all female person nouns; for example, 'Lehrerinnen'.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All German nouns form their plural by adding 's'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Some masculine and neuter nouns add '-er' with an umlaut, where possible, to form the plural. Nouns borrowed from other langauges usually add '-s' to form the plural.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'plural rule 4'
add '-er' to some masculine and neuter nouns, with an umlaut where possible; for example, 'Blätter'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: All German nouns form their plural by adding 's'. Correction: Plural rules in German are complex and need to be learnt. Pronunciation is also important, as umlauts [ä], [ö] and [ü] can change meaning; for example, Vater, Väter. Accurate pronounciation can help with vocabulary, reading aloud and transcription.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Christine Thürmer: nominalisation of infinitive verbs, plural rules 7-9 Study Guide
- Deutsch lernen: compound nouns, 'Lieblings-' and 'Haupt-', translation Study Guide
- Englisch lernen: 'haben', present tense weak verbs, negation with nicht and kein Study Guide
- Sprachen: word order, strong verbs, adjectives identical to adverbs Study Guide
- Wissen ist Macht! 'Wissen', 'kennen', 'können' Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 10 German guide library.