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Year 9 - German

Why? Two-verb structures with 'um ... zu', imperfect modals 'durfte', 'sollte'

Positive experiences: word order and prepositions

Unit Summary

This unit revisits a broad range of known grammar and vocabulary and introduces 'um...zu' +infinitive. New imperfect modals sollte and durfte are practised, together with further consolidation of Time-Manner-Place word order. Prepositions and cases for movement and location are consolidated.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to answer the question 'why' using 'um ... zu', 'weil' or 'denn' clauses and you can use modal verbs in the imperfect and present tenses to discuss helping others in the past and present.

Key Notes

  • Remove any umlauts from the stem of a modal verb and add -te for 1st and 3rd person singular imperfect tense.
  • Remove any umlauts from the stem of a modal verb and add -test to form its 2nd person singular imperfect tense.
  • 'Um ... zu', meaning 'in order to', is used with an infinitive to answer the question 'why'.
  • 'Denn' (word order 1) and 'weil' (word order 3) both mean 'because' and can start clauses to answer the question 'why'.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • um ... zu: structure meaning 'in order to' with an infinitive
  • modal verb: verb of necessity or possibility ('must', 'can', 'want') used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, which goes to the end
  • 2-verb structure: clause containing a conjugated verb and a 2nd verb in the infinitive
  • imperfect tense: German single-word past tense used mainly to narrate past events in writing, e.g., 'war', 'hatte', 'gab'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • To answer the question 'why' you have to use 'weil' or 'denn', which mean 'because'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Remove any umlauts from the stem of a modal verb and add -te for 1st and 3rd person singular imperfect tense. Remove any umlauts from the stem of a modal verb and add -test to form its 2nd person singular imperfect tense.

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

structure meaning 'in order to' with an infinitive. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: To answer the question 'why' you have to use 'weil' or 'denn', which mean 'because'. Correction: The structure 'um ... zu' followed by an infinitive verb means 'in order to' and can be used to give a reason or say why something is done. This structure is the same for any tense.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 9 German guide library.