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Year 8 - German

Plans for this weekend: present tense (future meaning), 'nach' vs 'zu' (dative)

Making plans: present and future tenses

Unit Summary

This unit revisits and consolidates the present tense, including modal verbs and two-verb structures before introducing the future tense in singular persons. It also addresses the distinction between the German 'ich will' vs the English 'I want to'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use the present tense plus a future time phrase to discuss plans for the weekend, and can correctly use 'nach' or 'zu' to say where you plan to go.

Key Notes

  • At the start or in the middle of German words, [d] sounds like English 'd'. At the end, it sounds like 't'.
  • Use time phrases, e.g., 'am Montag', with the present tense to refer to future plans.
  • Emphasis on whatever is first in the sentence. You can use inversion (word order 2) to create this emphasis.
  • 'Nach' means 'to' with place names, continents and most countries. 'Zu' means 'to' when used with places with articles.
  • Use zu with people, professions and events, e.g., 'Ich gehe zu Oma.'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [d]: pronounced as in 'und', 'Kinder'
  • time phrase: word or multi-word phrase that describes when something happens, e.g., 'am Montag'
  • nach: word meaning 'to', used with place names, continents and most countries, never followed by the definite article
  • zu: word meaning 'to', used with places that need articles and with people, professions and events, followed by the dative case

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • You can only begin an inversion sentence (word order two) with a time phrase, nothing else.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

At the start or in the middle of German words, [d] sounds like English 'd'. At the end, it sounds like 't'. Use time phrases, e.g., 'am Montag', with the present tense to refer to future plans.

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

pronounced as in 'und', 'Kinder'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: You can only begin an inversion sentence (word order two) with a time phrase, nothing else. Correction: The emphasis is on whatever comes first in the sentence when using inversion (word order 2). It is acceptable to put the object of the sentence before the verb. For example, 'Den Kaffee trinken wir heute'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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