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Year 9 - German

Famous people and their languages: perfect tense with 'sein', calendar years

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 perfect tense with 'sein' and can say calendar years in German, in the context of important people and dates.

Key Notes

  • Stress the 2nd syllable of words that start with an inseparable prefix. Borrowed words stress the 2nd or final syllable.
  • Verbs of movement or which imply a change of state form the perfect tense with 'sein', e.g., 'er ist gestorben'.
  • Verbs which require an object are transitive verbs. Verbs that don't require an object are intransitive verbs.
  • Calendar years in German are said as long numbers, e.g., 'neunzehnhundertfünf' = 1905.
  • Calendar years 2000+ are said 'zweitausend-', e.g., 'zweitausendeins' = 2001.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • stress: pronouncing one syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word
  • sein: verb meaning 'to be, being', also used as an auxiliary verb with a past participle to form the perfect tense
  • perfect tense: verb tense that describes completed actions in the past, e.g., 'I (have) said', 'she (has) played'
  • transitive verb: a verb requiring an object to make sense, e.g., 'to say', 'to tell'
  • intransitive verb: a verb which does not require an object to make sense, e.g., 'to speak', 'to live'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Stress is always placed on the first syllable in German words.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Stress the 2nd syllable of words that start with an inseparable prefix. Borrowed words stress the 2nd or final syllable. Verbs of movement or which imply a change of state form the perfect tense with 'sein', e.g., 'er ist gestorben'.

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: Stress is always placed on the first syllable in German words. Correction: Most German words place stress on the first syllable, but the 2nd syllable is stressed in words beginning with inseparable prefixes. Borrowed words stress the 2nd or final syllable.

More Lessons In This Unit

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