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An exchange: present tense, 'haben' and 'sein', formal 'Sie' vs 'du', cases

An exchange: present tense, 'haben' and 'sein', formal 'Sie' vs 'du', cases

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Why this why now

This unit draws on pupils' prior knowledge of 'haben' and 'sein' and subject pronouns (singular and plural wir and sie (they). Pupils build on this as they learn the formal 'Sie' (you) vs the informal 'du' within the context of an exchange visit to a German speaking family.. Pupils also learn additional colloquial expressions with haben used frequently in the context of home life. Previous learning of core question forms, and the alphabet is reactivated, as pupils apply this in a realistic context to find out the meaning of unknown words.

Prior knowledge requirements

  • Pupils know the singular personal pronouns and the plural 'wir' and 'sie'
  • Pupils know the present tense of 'sein' and 'haben' and of a range of weak and strong verbs.
  • Pupils know a range of high-frequency nouns, their genders and the use of nominative and accusative cases.
  • Pupils know the German alphabet.
  • Pupils know most German sound-symbol correspondences.

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Why this why now

This unit draws on pupils' prior knowledge of 'haben' and 'sein' and subject pronouns (singular and plural wir and sie (they). Pupils build on this as they learn the formal 'Sie' (you) vs the informal 'du' within the context of an exchange visit to a German speaking family.. Pupils also learn additional colloquial expressions with haben used frequently in the context of home life. Previous learning of core question forms, and the alphabet is reactivated, as pupils apply this in a realistic context to find out the meaning of unknown words.

Prior knowledge requirements

  • Pupils know the singular personal pronouns and the plural 'wir' and 'sie'
  • Pupils know the present tense of 'sein' and 'haben' and of a range of weak and strong verbs.
  • Pupils know a range of high-frequency nouns, their genders and the use of nominative and accusative cases.
  • Pupils know the German alphabet.
  • Pupils know most German sound-symbol correspondences.

An exchange: present tense, 'haben' and 'sein', formal 'Sie' vs 'du', cases

This unit explores the use of the formal 'Sie' (you) vs the informal 'du'. It equips pupils with the knowledge to structure richer sentences, using infinitive clauses with 'zu', and how to apply their previous knowledge of question forms, gender and cases to add new words to their vocabulary.

4 lessons in unit

  1. 1

    An exchange: present 'haben' and 'sein', 'Sie' (formal) vs 'du'

    I can use the informal 'du' and formal 'Sie' correctly when talking to friends or adults on an exchange trip.
  2. 2

    An exchange: 'haben' and 'sein', 'Sie' vs 'du', infinitive clauses with 'zu'

    I can distinguish between and use 'du', 'Sie' (you) and 'sie' (they), and use two-verb structures with 'zu' plus infinitive.
  3. 3

    Ask the meaning of unknown words: nouns, gender, articles, nominative case

    I can identify the nominative case and ask about the meaning of unknown words in German so that I can add new words to my vocabulary.
  4. 4

    Ask for spelling: the alphabet, nouns, articles and the accusative case

    I can ask how to spell a word in German and distinguish between nominative articles with 'sein' and accusative articles with other verbs, and use them in speaking and writing.

Learn how you can make the best use of Oak resources

A step-by-step guide to getting started

Get more out of Oak