Year 9 - German
The environment: wo- and da-compounds
The environment: verbs of opinion
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit extends pupils' knowledge of verbs and prepositions by introducing wo- and da- compounds wo/darauf, wo/dafür, wo/damit, wo/davor and wo/darüber. Conversational particles (doch, echt, natürlich) are introduced to facilitate a discussion on environmental issues.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to form wo- and da-compounds in the context of helping the environment.
Key Notes
- Da-compounds are used to replace and refer back to inanimate (non-living) nouns which have already been mentioned.
- Use wo-compounds to ask questions with prepositions. Place the prefix wo- + preposition at the start of the question.
- For animate things (people and animals), use an object pronoun instead of a da-compound to replace the noun.
- For 'who' questions with prepositions relating to animate nouns, use a form of 'wer', not a wo-compound.
- Use dar- and wor- for da- and wo-compounds with prepositions starting with a vowel.
Vocabulary To Learn
- da, dar-: prefix added to prepositions to replace an inanimate noun
- wo, wor-: prefix added to prepositions to ask questions
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Form questions with prepositions in the same way as in English, by adding a preposition at the end, e.g., 'What is he interested in?'
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.
Da-compounds are used to replace and refer back to inanimate (non-living) nouns which have already been mentioned. Use wo-compounds to ask questions with prepositions. Place the prefix wo- + preposition at the start of the question.
2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'da, dar-'
prefix added to prepositions to replace an inanimate noun. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.
3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.
Mistake: Form questions with prepositions in the same way as in English, by adding a preposition at the end, e.g., 'What is he interested in?'. Correction: German doesn't leave prepositions hanging at the end of questions like in English. Form questions by placing the prefix 'wo-' or 'wor-' before the preposition at the start of the question.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 German guide library.