Year 9 - German
What is important: infinitive uses, 'es ist' + adjective, 'zu' + infinitive
Desires, plans and priorities: 'möcht-' future and use of infinitive
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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 extends knowledge of the future tense for all persons, and introduces 'möcht-' , with nouns and in two-verb structures. Using the infinite with 'es ist' + adjective, zu + infinitive extends pupils' ability to give views and opinions. Prepositions with accusative and dative are revisited.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to recognise infinitives and use them correctly in two-verb structures when talking about what is important to you.
Key Notes
- The stress on cognates is often different in German compared to English, e.g., 'consequence' - 'Konsequenz'.
- Regular revisiting of vocabulary is important for developing recall.
- An infinitive is a verb in its long form, giving its general meaning, e.g., 'helfen' - 'to help'.
- In a two-verb structure with an infinitive, the infinitive is typically the second verb and is at the end of the clause.
- Some but not all two-verb structures with an infinitive use 'zu' before the infinitive; modal verbs and 'werden' do not.
Vocabulary To Learn
- stress: pronouncing one syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word
- infinitive: form of the verb giving its general meaning
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All two-verb structures with an infinitive use 'zu' before the infinitive.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
The stress on cognates is often different in German compared to English, e.g., 'consequence' - 'Konsequenz'. Regular revisiting of vocabulary is important for developing recall.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'stress'
pronouncing one syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: All two-verb structures with an infinitive use 'zu' before the infinitive. Correction: Some two-verb structures with an infinitive use 'zu' before the verb, but not all. It depends on the verb in the sentence; 'zu' is not needed following modal verbs or 'werden' meaning 'will', but is needed after the structure 'es ist' + adjective.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Christmas market: 'alle', 'jed-', 'dies-' and 'welch-' Study Guide
- Future plans: plural future tense 'werden' + infinitive, two-verb structures Study Guide
- What I would like: 'möcht-' in one- and two-verb structures Study Guide
- What is important in life: infinitive uses, verbs capitalised as nouns Study Guide
- What you did for and with others: perfect tense Study Guide
- What you do for and with others: prepositions 'ohne', 'für', 'mit', and 'von' Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 9 German guide library.