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Year 7 - German

School activities: infinitives, present tense 3rd person singular

Activities in and out of school: present tense (singular) weak verbs

Unit Summary

This unit introduces pupils to verb infinitives and the patterns for weak (regular) high frequency verbs in the 1st and 3rd persons singular. Pupils learn how to use them in familiar contexts at school and at home. They practise sound-symbol correspondences long and short [o] and [i].

Lesson Summary

You will learn to read, talk and write about activities that someone does at school using the 3rd person singular.

Key Notes

  • [o] can be either short (followed by 2 consonants) or long (followed by a single consonant, double vowel or 'h').
  • Remove 'en' from the infinitive to create the verb stem and add 't' for the 3rd person singular of most verbs in German.
  • Use 'er' for he and 'sie' for she with the 3rd person singular of the verb.
  • If the verb stem ends in –d or –t, an –e is added so that you can hear the verb ending –t.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [o]: pronounced as in 'Wo?' or 'Kopf'
  • infinitive: the dictionary form of a verb
  • 3rd person singular: the short form of a verb, used to say what he or she does or is doing

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The present continuous, e.g., 'he is doing', is translated as 'er ist machen'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

[o] can be either short (followed by 2 consonants) or long (followed by a single consonant, double vowel or 'h'). Remove 'en' from the infinitive to create the verb stem and add 't' for the 3rd person singular of most verbs in German.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[o]'

pronounced as in 'Wo?' or 'Kopf'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The present continuous, e.g., 'he is doing', is translated as 'er ist machen'. Correction: There is only one present tense in German. 'Er macht' means both 'he does' and 'he is doing'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 7 German guide library.