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      Thoughts and opinions: opinion verbs with 'dass', word order

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use opinion verbs with the conjunction 'dass' and correct word order to say what I think on several everyday topics.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Use the verbs 'denken' (to think), 'glauben' (to believe), and 'meinen' (to have the opinion) to say what you think.
      2. In German, there is always a comma after an opinion verb; e.g., 'Ich denke, Sport ist lustig.'.
      3. Generally, the conjunction 'dass' (that) is used after opinion verbs; e.g., 'Ich denke, dass ...'.
      4. The conjunction 'dass' is followed by word order 3 (WO3), where the verb goes to the end of the sentence or clause.

      Keywords

      • Opinion verb - verb commonly used to express thoughts, beliefs, or feelings, e.g., 'denken', 'glauben', 'meinen'

      • Dass - conjunction 'that', often used after an opinion verb and followed by word order 3 (WO3)

      • Word order 3 (WO3) - after certain conjunctions, e.g., 'dass', the verb is sent to the end of the sentence or clause

      Common misconception

      After an opinion verb (e.g., 'denken') and the conjunction 'dass', we use normal subject-verb word order.

      To say 'I think that ...' in German, we use the conjunction 'dass', which triggers word order 3 (WO3); e.g., 'Ich denke, dass Rapmusik toll ist.'.

      Teacher tip

      This lesson will substantially expand pupils' communicative range and progress can be consolidated using register routines to elicit pupils' thoughts and opinions on a wide range of topics.

      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 meanings.

      Correct Answer:Gesicht,face
      Correct Answer:Haare,hair
      Correct Answer:Mund,mouth

      Q2.
      Match the German words to their English meanings.

      Correct Answer:Schloss,castle
      Correct Answer:breit,broad, wide
      Correct Answer:langsam,slow
      Correct Answer:verbringen,to spend, spending (time)
      Correct Answer:rund,round
      Correct Answer:als,as

      Q3.
      Which of the following verbs is typically used with an indirect object (i.e., in the dative case)?

      sehen
      Correct answer: gefallen
      verbringen
      machen

      Q4.
      Match each article and adjective pair to the correct noun.

      Correct Answer:ein anderer,Jugendclub
      Correct Answer:eine andere,Aktivität
      Correct Answer:ein anderes,Hobby

      Q5.
      Match the German verbs to the correct English meanings.

      Correct Answer:fehlen,to lack, to be missing
      Correct Answer:gefallen,to please, be pleasing
      Correct Answer:gehören,to belong, belonging
      Correct Answer:mögen,to like, liking
      Correct Answer:denken,to think, thinking
      Correct Answer:glauben,to believe, believing

      Q6.
      Order the words below to make a correct German sentence.

      1 - ich
      2 - verbringe
      3 - gern
      4 - Zeit
      5 - mit
      6 - dir

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Match each German word to its English meaning.

      Correct Answer:Meinung,opinion
      Correct Answer:Schloss,castle
      Correct Answer:fehlen,to be missing
      Correct Answer:Schüler,pupil
      Correct Answer:Telefon,telephone

      Q2.
      Put the words below in the correct order to form a grammatically-correct sentence in German.

      1 - ich
      2 - denke,
      3 - dass
      4 - Rapmusik
      5 - cool
      6 - ist

      Q3.
      Match each opinion phrase in German to its English meaning.

      Correct Answer:Ich denke, dass ...,I think that ...
      Correct Answer:Ich glaube, dass ...,I believe that ...
      Correct Answer:Ich meine, dass ...,I am of the opinion that ...

      Q4.
      Which sentence uses the wrong word order after 'dass'?

      Ich glaube, dass der Schüler Zeit hat.
      Ich meine, dass die Nase breit ist.
      Correct answer: Ich denke, dass Rapmusik ist cool.
      Ich denke, dass das Schloss alt ist.

      To help you plan your 8 German lesson on: Thoughts and opinions: opinion verbs with 'dass', word order, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...