Year 11 - German
Mein Schultag: perfect tense, conversation (AQA)
People and lifestyle: Wiederholung: mein Leben, meine Zukunft
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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 begins formal revision of the course, with known grammar and vocabulary reactivated throughout. Pupils apply knowledge on plural nouns, present and perfect tenses, including reflexive and separable verbs, imperfect tense, modals, verbs with prepositions, future tense and 'möcht-'
Lesson Summary
You will learn to categorise vocabulary to aid mastery, use the German perfect tense accurately and take part confidently in a conversation about your school life.
Key Notes
- The perfect tense in German takes a present tense form of the auxiliary verb and a past participle.
- Weak verb past participles sandwich the stem with 'ge-' and '-t'. Strong verbs use 'ge- and -'en'.
- Put separable prefixes before the 'ge-', but there is no 'ge-' before inseparable prefixes or '-ieren' verbs.
- Reflexive pronouns follow the auxiliary in WO1 and the subject in WO2. The German perfect has 2 English translations.
- Use verb clauses in a conversation response, and extend answers with a different tense, subject, opinions and reasons.
Vocabulary To Learn
- auxiliary verb: a form of 'haben' or 'sein' used to form the perfect tense
- past participle: verb form that forms the perfect tense, together with the auxiliary verb
- weak verb (perfect tense): verb whose past participle sandwiches the stem with 'ge-' and '-t'
- strong verb (perfect tense): verb whose past participle sandwiches the stem with 'ge-' and '-en' and often changes the stem vowel
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All German past participles start with 'ge-'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The perfect tense in German takes a present tense form of the auxiliary verb and a past participle. Weak verb past participles sandwich the stem with 'ge-' and '-t'. Strong verbs use 'ge- and -'en'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'auxiliary verb'
a form of 'haben' or 'sein' used to form the perfect tense. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: All German past participles start with 'ge-'. Correction: Verbs starting with inseparable prefixes like 'be-', 'er-', 'ent-' and 'ver-' do not need 'ge'. Neither do verbs ending in '-ieren', e.g., 'interessiert'. Separable prefixes appear before 'ge-' in the perfect tense, e.g., 'aufgemacht', 'eingeführt'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- An der Universität: present vs future, 'möchte', extended writing (AQA) Study Guide
- An der Universität: present vs future, 'möchte', extended writing (Edexcel) Study Guide
- An der Universität: read aloud, reading comprehension (AQA) Study Guide
- An der Universität: read aloud, reading comprehension (Edexcel) Study Guide
- An der Universität: verbs, nouns, adjectives with prepositions, role-play (AQA) Study Guide
- An der Universität: verbs, nouns, adjectives, prepositions, role-play (Edexcel) Study Guide
- Mein Schultag: nouns and plurals, present tense, picture task (AQA) Study Guide
- Mein Schultag: nouns and plurals, present tense, picture task (Edexcel) Study Guide
- Mein Schultag: perfect tense, conversation (Edexcel) Study Guide
- Mein Tag: dictation, listening (AQA) Study Guide
- Mein Tag: dictation, listening (Edexcel) Study Guide
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