Year 8 - German
Where I went: singular perfect tense 'sein' vs 'haben', 'mit' + dative
Past journeys: perfect tense with 'sein'
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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 introduces the German perfect tense with 'sein' for verbs of movement, practising it in contrast to the perfect tense with 'haben' in singular forms. 'Mit' is introduced with modes of transport allowing pupils to practise word order manner before place.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to say where you went and how you got there, using the perfect tense with 'sein'.
Key Notes
- [a] and [o] are short when followed by two consonants, but long in other words.
- 'Mit' is used with an article in the dative to describe the manner in which a person travels, e.g., 'mit dem Bus'.
- The perfect (past) tense is formed with three parts: subject, part of 'haben' or 'sein' and past participle.
- 'Sein' is used to form the perfect tense with past participles of verbs of movement to a destination.
Vocabulary To Learn
- [a]: short and long sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'sagen' and 'kalt'
- [o]: short and long sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'wo?' and 'Kopf'
- dative: case used after a dative preposition, e.g., 'mit' or 'von'
- past participle: verb form that forms the perfect tense, together with the auxiliary verb
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- To talk about the past using the perfect tense, we always use the present tense of 'haben' with a past participle.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
[a] and [o] are short when followed by two consonants, but long in other words. 'Mit' is used with an article in the dative to describe the manner in which a person travels, e.g., 'mit dem Bus'.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[a]'
short and long sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as in 'sagen' and 'kalt'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: To talk about the past using the perfect tense, we always use the present tense of 'haben' with a past participle. Correction: Some verbs require the present tense of 'sein' with a past participle when forming the past perfect tense. These are mostly verbs of movement to a destination, e.g., 'fahren' to travel, 'fliegen' to fly.
More Lessons In This Unit
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