New
New
Year 8

Exchange gifts: verbs with indirect objects

Learning outcomes

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

I can confidently distinguish short [i], long [i], and [ie] sounds.

New
New
Year 8

Exchange gifts: verbs with indirect objects

Learning outcomes

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

I can confidently distinguish short [i], long [i], and [ie] sounds.

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Lesson details

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'.).


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

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.
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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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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

to experience, find out about

Correct Answer:klettern,to climb, climbing

to climb, climbing

Correct Answer:küssen,to kiss, kissing

to kiss, kissing

Correct Answer:steigen,to increase, climb

to increase, climb

Correct Answer:wandern,to (go on a) walk or hike

to (go on a) walk or hike

Correct Answer:vergessen,to forget, forgetting

to forget, forgetting

Q3.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Berg (m),mountain

mountain

Correct Answer:Dezember (m),December

December

Correct Answer:Jahreszeit (f),season

season

Correct Answer:Mal (nt),time

time

Correct Answer:März (m),March

March

Correct Answer:Wechsel (m),change

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?

Wo ist __________ Schuh?

Correct Answer:du,Wie findest __________ Deutsch?

Wie findest __________ Deutsch?

Correct Answer:dich,Ich frage __________.

Ich frage __________.

Correct Answer:dir,Ich antworte __________.

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

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