Year 10 - German
Zukunftsentscheidungen: nominalisation of infinitives, adding '-ung'
Studying and my future: Zukunftsentscheidungen
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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 present tense modal verbs. It consolidates the nominalisation of infinitives, feminine word formation (ending in -ung) and 'um...zu' and 'statt...zu' clauses. Pupils also learn 'ohne....zu' and phrases for expressing options, including 'entweder....oder' and 'weder...noch'.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to create nouns from verbs and use a range of vocabulary in the context of future education and work plans.
Key Notes
- Infinitive verbs can be turned into nouns and correspond to English '-ing' nouns, e.g., 'das Lesen' - 'reading'.
- Infinitives as nouns are capitalised and are always neuter. They can be used with or without 'das'.
- The suffix '-ung' is added to the stem of some verbs to form nouns, e.g., 'die Entscheidung'. They are always feminine.
- Nouns ending in '-ung' have the equivalent and transparent meaning of the verb, e.g., 'lösen' becomes 'Lösung'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- noun: word for a person, place, thing, or activity which has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine or neuter
- infinitive: form of the verb giving its general meaning, with no subject or tense
- stem: part of the verb that appears in all forms, created by removing the ending of the infinitive
- suffix: a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or how it is used
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Nouns created from verbs are always formed from the infinitive and are always neuter.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Infinitive verbs can be turned into nouns and correspond to English '-ing' nouns, e.g., 'das Lesen' - 'reading'. Infinitives as nouns are capitalised and are always neuter. They can be used with or without 'das'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'noun'
word for a person, place, thing, or activity which has a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine or neuter. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: Nouns created from verbs are always formed from the infinitive and are always neuter. Correction: Nouns can be formed from the infintive and those nouns are always neuter. However, other nouns can be formed from the verb stem rather than the infinitive. Nouns ending in the suffix '-ung' are always feminine.
More Lessons In This Unit
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