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Year 8 - German

In the news: 'an' vs 'auf' (accusative and dative)

In the news: using prepositions 'an', 'auf', 'gegen', 'laut'

Unit Summary

Using semi-authentic news articles, this unit introduces known and some new vocabulary in different contexts. Pupils also practise the use of the accusative and dative cases to communicate movement and location with 'an' and 'auf'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use your knowledge of prepositions 'an' and 'auf' with accusative and dative cases, word patterns and word families to understand and respond to a text about cybersecurity.

Key Notes

  • The prepositions 'an' and 'auf' tell us where something or someone is moving to, when used with the accusative case.
  • The prepositions 'an' and 'auf' tell us where something or someone is located, when used with the dative case.
  • Knowledge of word patterns and word families helps you to understand more words in a text.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • an: preposition 'on' or 'onto' for a vertical surface
  • auf: preposition 'on' or 'onto' for a horizontal surface
  • word family: group of related words with a common 'base' word, e.g., 'arbeiten', 'arbeitet', 'die Arbeit', 'der Arbeiter'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • I can use 'an' and 'auf' interchangeably to mean 'on' or 'onto'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

The prepositions 'an' and 'auf' tell us where something or someone is moving to, when used with the accusative case. The prepositions 'an' and 'auf' tell us where something or someone is located, when used with the dative case.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'an'

preposition 'on' or 'onto' for a vertical surface. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: I can use 'an' and 'auf' interchangeably to mean 'on' or 'onto'. Correction: We use 'an' to mean 'on' or 'onto' when the position is vertical, e.g., 'on the wall' - 'an der Wand'. We use 'auf' to mean 'on' or 'onto' when the position is horizontal, e.g., 'on the table' - 'auf dem Tisch'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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