Year 8 - German
What you want to and will do: future tense singular (will) vs 'will' (want to)
Making plans: present and future tenses
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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 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 understand how to form the future tense using 'werden', and you can use context to decipher words that have more than one meaning.
Key Notes
- Regular practice of sound-symbol correspondences helps to improve fluency.
- Some German words have multiple meanings. Context helps you work out which meaning is intended.
- The present tense of 'werden' with an infinitive at sentence end forms the future, meaning 'will do' or 'going to do'.
- 'Werden' is irregular. The 'ich' form of 'werden' is 'werde', 'du' form 'wirst', 'sie, er, es' form 'wird'.
- The German 'will' comes from 'wollen' and means 'want'. Do not confuse this with the future tense.
Vocabulary To Learn
- future tense: tense used to refer to future time, e.g., 'I will do'
- werden: irregular verb meaning 'to become', used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive to form the future tense in German
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The German 'Ich will' means 'I will'.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Regular practice of sound-symbol correspondences helps to improve fluency. Some German words have multiple meanings. Context helps you work out which meaning is intended.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'future tense'
tense used to refer to future time, e.g., 'I will do'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: The German 'Ich will' means 'I will'. Correction: The German 'will' comes from 'wollen' and means 'want'. Do not confuse this with the future tense. 'Ich werde' means 'I will'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Future plans: future tense 'werden' + infinitive vs 'planen' + 'zu' + infinitive Study Guide
- Plans for the week ahead: modal verbs in present tense (future meaning) Study Guide
- Plans for this weekend: present tense (future meaning), 'nach' vs 'zu' (dative) Study Guide
- Who is supposed to do what? Modal verbs, two-verb structures, question words Study Guide
- Who should do what? Meanings of 'sollen', 'müssen', 'dürfen' Study Guide
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