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Year 8 - German

Since when? 'seit' with dative and present tense

Last year or this year: present and perfect tenses

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 'seit' to say when something started or for how long it has been happening.

Key Notes

  • Short [e] and [ä] are pronounced the same.
  • In some singular nouns with short [a], the vowel changes to short [ä] in the plural.
  • Using a range of skills to develop vocabulary is an important part of language learning.
  • 'Seit' can mean 'since' when used with a point in time, or 'for' when used with a time span.
  • Seit is followed by the dative and is used with the present tense in German, though in English we say 'have been -ing'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • seit: preposition meaning 'since' or 'for', followed by the dative case
  • dative: case used for the indirect object in a sentence and after a dative verb or preposition

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • 'Seit' is always used with the continuous past, like in English, e.g. 'I have been learning German since June'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Short [e] and [ä] are pronounced the same. In some singular nouns with short [a], the vowel changes to short [ä] in the plural.

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

preposition meaning 'since' or 'for', followed by the dative case. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: 'Seit' is always used with the continuous past, like in English, e.g. 'I have been learning German since June'. Correction: In German, 'seit' is used with the present tense to say 'for', e.g. 'Ich lerne seit vier Jahren Deutsch' - 'I have been learning German for 4 years', as well as 'since', e.g. 'Ich lerne seit Juni Deutsch' - 'I have been learning German since June'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 German guide library.