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Year 9 - German

Famous lives: 'als' as 'when' with the past tense

Past lives: perfect and imperfect tenses

Unit Summary

This unit revisits past tenses. The perfect tense is consolidated as variations on past participle formation are practised. The imperfect tense (war, hatte, es gab) is revisited, with question formation and word order 3 conjunctions. Pupils learn how to say calendar years in German.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to say calendar years in German, recognise pairs of nouns and verbs, and correctly use the conjunction 'als' to talk about past events.

Key Notes

  • For calendar years in German, say the hundred or thousand, but leave out the 'und', e.g., 2001 - 'zweitausend(und)eins'.
  • Add -er or -ung to the stem of some verbs to create related nouns, e.g., 'forschen' - 'der Forscher' - 'die Forschung'.
  • Add -in to some masculine people nouns to create the feminine form, e.g., 'der Entdecker', 'die Entdeckerin'.
  • The conjunction 'als' means 'when' for a one-off past event. It triggers word order three, sending the verb to the end.
  • Use 'wenn' to mean 'when' for present or future events. The question word is 'wann'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • als: conjunction meaning 'when', which triggers word order three, sending the verb to the end of the clause
  • word order three: after certain conjunctions, the verb is sent to the end of the sentence or clause

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is only one way of saying 'when' in German.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

For calendar years in German, say the hundred or thousand, but leave out the 'und', e.g., 2001 - 'zweitausend(und)eins'. Add -er or -ung to the stem of some verbs to create related nouns, e.g., 'forschen' - 'der Forscher' - 'die Forschung'.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'als'

conjunction meaning 'when', which triggers word order three, sending the verb to the end of the clause. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: There is only one way of saying 'when' in German. Correction: Use 'wenn' to mean 'when' for present or future events. The question word is 'wann'. The conjunction 'als' means 'when', for a one-off past event. It sends the verb to the end of the clause, like 'weil'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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