New
New
The environment: wo- and da-compounds
I can form wo- and da-compounds in the context of helping the environment.
Lesson 2 of 3
New
New
- Year 9
The environment: wo- and da-compounds
I can form wo- and da-compounds in the context of helping the environment.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- 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.
Keywords
Da, dar- - prefix added to prepositions to replace an inanimate noun
Wo, wor- - prefix added to prepositions to ask questions
Common misconception
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?'
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.
For a less challenging version of Task A1a, place the English words in the correct gaps and ask students to translate into German.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.When [r] comes after a long vowel or in -er, what sound does it make?
When [r] comes after a long vowel or in -er, what sound does it make?
a strong rolling sound
a sharp 'r' like in English 'red'
Q2.Why does 'darüber' have the extra 'r' after 'da-'?
Why does 'darüber' have the extra 'r' after 'da-'?
to make it shorter
to change the meaning completely
da- compounds always start with 'dar'
Q3.Which sentence correctly uses a verb with the right preposition?
Which sentence correctly uses a verb with the right preposition?
Ich freue mich für das Wetter.
Ich freue mich vor das Wetter.
Ich freue mich an das Wetter.
Q4.Match the German and the English.
Match the German and the English.
Q5.Put the words below in the correct order to say: 'I am interested in it.'
Put the words below in the correct order to say: 'I am interested in it.'
Q6.Fill in the missing word to complete the second sentence: 'Ich mag extrem schönes Wetter. Ich freue mich .'
Fill in the missing word to complete the second sentence: 'Ich mag extrem schönes Wetter. Ich freue mich .'
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is the correct German question for 'What are you looking forward to?'?
What is the correct German question for 'What are you looking forward to?'?
Was freust du dich auf?
Was bist du freuen auf?
Auf wo freust du dich?
Q2.Match each da-compound to its English meaning.
Match each da-compound to its English meaning.
Q3.Put the words below in the correct order to say: 'I am finding out about it.'
Put the words below in the correct order to say: 'I am finding out about it.'
Q4.Fill in the gap using the correct object pronoun to replace the noun in the following sentence: 'Ich kenne diese Person. Ich kenne gut.'
Fill in the gap using the correct object pronoun to replace the noun in the following sentence: 'Ich kenne diese Person. Ich kenne gut.'
Q5.Write in German: 'What is he interested in?'.
Write in German: 'What is he interested in?'.
