Year 8 - German
Exchange gifts: verbs with indirect objects
Family and friends: verbs with indirect objects
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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 introduces verbs with indirect objects in familiar contexts involving family and friends. Pupils apply this in terms of exchanging gifts, and giving a range of opinions using verbs such as 'gefallen'. Word order 2 and 3 are revisited as pupils give opinions with or without 'dass'.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use verbs with direct and indirect object pronouns to talk about things we do to and for others.
Key Notes
- German vowels can be long or short; vowels followed by more than one consonant are short; other vowels are long.
- Some German and English cognates or near-cognates have the same pronunciation of [i] ('Kilo'); others not ('Musik').
- Many German verbs are followed by direct objects; personal direct object pronouns are 'mich', 'dich', 'ihn', 'sie'.
- With certain German verbs we use indirect objects; personal indirect object pronouns are 'mir', 'dir', 'ihm', 'ihr'.
- Sometimes indirect object pronouns mean 'to me', 'to you', etc., but they can just mean 'me', 'you', 'him', 'her'.
Vocabulary To Learn
- indirect object pronoun (IOP): replaces the person, people or thing(s) that the verb action is done to, when the action is to me, for you
- mir: indirect object pronoun (to/for) me
- dir: indirect object pronoun (to/for) you
- ihm: indirect object pronoun (to/for) him
- ihr: indirect object pronoun (to/for) her
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The German pronoun for singular informal 'you' is always 'du'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
German vowels can be long or short; vowels followed by more than one consonant are short; other vowels are long. Some German and English cognates or near-cognates have the same pronunciation of [i] ('Kilo'); others not ('Musik').
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'indirect object pronoun (IOP)'
replaces the person, people or thing(s) that the verb action is done to, when the action is to me, for you. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: The German pronoun for singular informal 'you' is always 'du'. Correction: German uses 'du' as subject pronoun, 'dich' as direct object pronoun, and 'dir' as indirect object pronoun. There are also two object pronouns for 'me'. E.g., 'Du fragst mich.' ('You ask me.'), 'Du antwortest mir.' ('You answer me'.).
More Lessons In This Unit
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