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      Exchange gifts: verbs with indirect objects

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use verbs with direct and indirect object pronouns to talk about things we do to and for others.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. German vowels can be long or short; vowels followed by more than one consonant are short; other vowels are long.
      2. Some German and English cognates or near-cognates have the same pronunciation of [i] ('Kilo'); others not ('Musik').
      3. Many German verbs are followed by direct objects; personal direct object pronouns are 'mich', 'dich', 'ihn', 'sie'.
      4. With certain German verbs we use indirect objects; personal indirect object pronouns are 'mir', 'dir', 'ihm', 'ihr'.
      5. Sometimes indirect object pronouns mean ‘to me’, ‘to you’, etc., but they can just mean ‘me’, ‘you’, ‘him’, ‘her’.

      Keywords

      • Indirect object pronoun (IOP) - replaces the person, people or thing(s) that the verb action is done to, when the action is to me, for you

      • Mir - indirect object pronoun (to/for) me

      • Dir - indirect object pronoun (to/for) you

      • Ihm - indirect object pronoun (to/for) him

      • Ihr - indirect object pronoun (to/for) her

      Common misconception

      The German pronoun for singular informal 'you' is always 'du'.

      German uses 'du' as subject pronoun, 'dich' as direct object pronoun, and 'dir' as indirect object pronoun. There are also two object pronouns for 'me'. E.g., 'Du fragst mich.' ('You ask me.'), 'Du antwortest mir.' ('You answer me'.).

      Teacher tip

      To identify dative verbs, i.e., a verb that requires an indirect object, it can help to prompt pupils to ask, ‘Can you do or give this to/for someone else?’. E.g., 'Ich danke ihm' - 'I thank him' = 'I give thanks to him'. Some pupils may just find it better to learn these verbs as a set.

      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.
      'Ich trage __________ Schuhe.'. Choose the correct adjective.

      bequem
      bequemer
      Correct answer: bequeme
      beqeumes
      bequemen

      Q2.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:erfahren,to experience, find out about
      Correct Answer:klettern,to climb, climbing
      Correct Answer:küssen,to kiss, kissing
      Correct Answer:steigen,to increase, climb
      Correct Answer:wandern,to (go on a) walk or hike
      Correct Answer:vergessen,to forget, forgetting

      Q3.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:Berg (m),mountain
      Correct Answer:Dezember (m),December
      Correct Answer:Jahreszeit (f),season
      Correct Answer:Mal (nt),time
      Correct Answer:März (m),March
      Correct Answer:Wechsel (m),change

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'The view from the forest is lovely.'

      1 - der
      2 - Blick
      3 - aus
      4 - dem
      5 - Wald
      6 - ist
      7 - schön

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'Es gibt drei Pflanzen.'

      Correct Answer: there are three plants, there are 3 plants

      Q6.
      Write in German: 'The air is fresh.'

      Correct Answer: die Luft ist frisch

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which of these words have a long [i] sound?

      finden
      gewinnen
      ich
      Correct answer: Musik
      Correct answer: wir

      Q2.
      Match each pronoun to the correct sentence.

      Correct Answer:dein,Wo ist __________ Schuh?
      Correct Answer:du,Wie findest __________ Deutsch?
      Correct Answer:dich,Ich frage __________.
      Correct Answer:dir,Ich antworte __________.

      Q3.
      Write in German: 'He hears me.'

      Correct Answer: er hört mich, er hoert mich

      Q4.
      Write in German: 'I help her.'

      Correct Answer: ich helfe ihr

      To help you plan your 8 German lesson on: Exchange gifts: verbs with indirect objects, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...