Year 8 - German
Compare school experiences: possessive adjectives 'unser' and 'ihr'
Last year or this year: present and perfect tenses
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit revisits past and present tenses in familiar contexts including school. Pupils ask and answer questions in present and perfect tenses. with the use of 'seit' plus present tense contrasting with 'vor' ago, pupils can talk about what they do, since when and for how long.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use possessive adjectives 'unser' and 'ihr' to describe school experiences for different people.
Key Notes
- [er] is usually stressed when it's part of the first syllable of a word or a single syllable word e.g. Herz, er, lernen.
- [er] is most often unstressed when it is is at the end of a word e.g. Bruder.
- Adding the suffix -heit to certain (though not all) adjectives creates nouns, usually meaning adjective + -ity or -ness.
- 'Unser' and 'ihr' are possessive adjectives; 'unser' means 'our' and 'ihr' means 'their'.
- Possessive adjectives 'unser' and 'ihr' change their spelling to agree with gender of the noun and the case.
Vocabulary To Learn
- suffix: a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or how it is used, e.g. '-heit'
- possessive adjective: word that goes before a noun to show ownership or belonging
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- There is only one word in German for 'our' and 'their', just like in English.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
[er] is usually stressed when it's part of the first syllable of a word or a single syllable word e.g. Herz, er, lernen. [er] is most often unstressed when it is is at the end of a word e.g. Bruder.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'suffix'
a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or how it is used, e.g. '-heit'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: There is only one word in German for 'our' and 'their', just like in English. Correction: Possessive adjectives like 'unser' and 'ihr' change the spelling according to the gender of the noun and the case that is needed e.g. 'unser Hund', 'unsere Katze'; 'ihr Vater', 'ihre Mutter'.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 German guide library.