New
New
Life at home: building sentences, present tense singular
Learning outcomes
I can use weak verbs in the present tense in singular persons to translate or write a letter to a penfriend in German.
I can pronounce the long and short [u] correctly.
Lesson 5 of 6
New
New
- Year 7
Life at home: building sentences, present tense singular
Learning outcomes
I can use weak verbs in the present tense in singular persons to translate or write a letter to a penfriend in German.
I can pronounce the long and short [u] correctly.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- [u] can be either short (followed by 2 or more consonants) or long (followed by a single consonant or 'h').
- 'Buch' is an exception, with a long [u] before 2 consonants.
- There is only one present tense in German: 'ich lerne' means 'I learn' and 'I am learning'.
Keywords
[u] - pronounced as in 'du' or 'Punkt'
Present tense - describes habitual events in the present or what is happening now: 'I do' or ‘I’m doing’
Common misconception
There are two present tenses in German, as in English.
There is only one present tense in German. 'Ich lerne' means 'I learn' and 'I am learning'.
An alternative version of Task C1 would be to provide an English letter to translate into German.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the German words below to the correct English translations.
Match the German words below to the correct English translations.
Q2.Match the singular persons below to the correct present tense verb endings.
Match the singular persons below to the correct present tense verb endings.
Q3.What is the adverb in the following sentence? 'Ich zeichne im Klassenzimmer.'
What is the adverb in the following sentence? 'Ich zeichne im Klassenzimmer.'
zeichne
ich
Q4.Which verbs add a '-t' to the stem in the 2nd person singular present tense, instead of '-st'?
Which verbs add a '-t' to the stem in the 2nd person singular present tense, instead of '-st'?
reden
sein
haben
Q5.Which verbs add '-e-' to the verb stem in the 2nd and 3rd person singular present tense, before the verb ending?
Which verbs add '-e-' to the verb stem in the 2nd and 3rd person singular present tense, before the verb ending?
tanzen
kochen
wohnen
Q6.Translate the following sentence into German: 'I play music every day.'
Translate the following sentence into German: 'I play music every day.'
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Select the words with a long [u]:
Select the words with a long [u]:
unten
Q2.Which translations of 'er nutzt' are correct?
Which translations of 'er nutzt' are correct?
she uses
she is using
Q3.Put the words below into word order 1 (subject, verb, adverb, noun).
Put the words below into word order 1 (subject, verb, adverb, noun).
Q4.Match the German words below to the correct English translations.
Match the German words below to the correct English translations.
