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Year 9 - German

Childhood experiences: imperfect plural forms of 'sein' and 'haben'

Past lives and experiences: imperfect modal verbs, perfect tense

Unit Summary

This unit revisits the perfect tense with sein, introducing change of state verbs, and teaches the formation of past participles of separable verbs. Imperfect modal verbs (singular) are introduced as pupils learn about past lives and experiences within the cultural context of migration in Germany.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to form the imperfect tense plural forms of the verbs 'haben' and 'sein', and use them in the context of childhood experiences.

Key Notes

  • Some sound-symbol correspondences are written differently, but sound the same, e.g., [äu] and [eu].
  • Notice verb endings and use surrounding context to help identify the subject of a sentence using a form of 'you'.
  • The 'wir', 'sie/Sie' imperfect tense forms of 'haben' are both 'hatten'. For 'sein' they are both 'waren'.
  • The 'ihr' imperfect tense form of 'haben' is 'hattet'. For 'sein' it is 'wart'.
  • The subject pronoun 'sie' can mean 'she, it' or 'they'. With a capital letter, 'Sie' is formal 'you'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • sound-symbol correspondence: relationship between letters and their sounds, abbreviated to SSC
  • hatten: 1st and 3rd person plural imperfect tense form of 'haben', meaning 'had'
  • hattet: 2nd person plural imperfect tense form of 'haben', meaning 'had'
  • waren: 1st and 3rd person plural imperfect tense form of 'sein', meaning 'were'
  • wart: 2nd person plural imperfect tense form of 'sein', meaning 'were'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The subject pronoun 'sie' always means 'she'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Some sound-symbol correspondences are written differently, but sound the same, e.g., [äu] and [eu]. Notice verb endings and use surrounding context to help identify the subject of a sentence using a form of 'you'.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'sound-symbol correspondence'

relationship between letters and their sounds, abbreviated to SSC. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The subject pronoun 'sie' always means 'she'. Correction: The subject pronoun 'sie' means 'she' when used with a 3rd person singular verb ending or 'they' when used with a 3rd person plural verb ending. If written as 'Sie' and is used with a 3rd person plural verb ending, it can mean 'you (formal)'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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