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Year 8

Since, when and for how long? 'seit' with present, 'vor' with perfect tense

Learning outcomes

I can use dative prepositions ‘seit’ and ‘vor’ to say how long ago something happened, when it started, or how long it has been going on for.

I can distinguish between the similar sounds long [e] and [ä].

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New
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Year 8

Since, when and for how long? 'seit' with present, 'vor' with perfect tense

Learning outcomes

I can use dative prepositions ‘seit’ and ‘vor’ to say how long ago something happened, when it started, or how long it has been going on for.

I can distinguish between the similar sounds long [e] and [ä].

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Long [e] and [ä] make similar sounds but knowing the difference is important for speaking and listening.
  2. The prepositions 'seit', 'vor' and 'bei' are followed by the dative case.
  3. 'Seit' means 'since' or 'for' and is used with the present tense and a unit of time in the dative.
  4. 'Vor' can mean ago and is used with the perfect tense and a unit of time in the dative.
  5. 'Bei' means 'at (the house of)', 'for' or 'with' and is followed by a noun or pronoun in the dative.

Keywords

  • Seit - preposition meaning ‘since’ or ‘for’, followed by the dative case

  • Vor - preposition meaning ‘ago’, followed by the dative case

  • Bei - preposition meaning ‘at (the house of)', ‘for’ or ‘with’, followed by the dative case

  • Dative - case used for the indirect object in a sentence and after a dative verb or preposition

Common misconception

To mean 'for' with a period of time, use 'vor' in German.

'Vor' means 'ago', e.g. vor zwei Jahren - two years ago. To mean 'for' with a period of time in the present tense, use 'seit'; in the past, add 'lang' after the time phrase, but don't use a preposition for 'for'.


To help you plan your year 8 German lesson on: Since, when and for how long? 'seit' with present, 'vor' with perfect tense, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

There is a great opportunity in LC2 for teachers to talk to students about the importance of regular vocabulary practice beyond the classroom. Teachers may also wish to suggest online resources to support their learning, of which there are several available.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A mini whiteboard and pen, together with pen and paper for making notes, would be useful, if available.

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).

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each German noun to its English meaning.

Correct Answer:der Preis,the prize

the prize

Correct Answer:das Schloss,the castle

the castle

Correct Answer:der Geburtstag,the birthday

the birthday

Correct Answer:die Aktivität,the activity

the activity

Correct Answer:der Jugendklub,the youth club

the youth club

Correct Answer:das Telefon,the telephone

the telephone

Q2.
Tick all the sentences where 'seit' could be correctly inserted into the gap.

Correct answer: Ich spiele __________ zwei Monaten Tennis.
Wir haben __________ einem Jahr in dem Jugendclub gewonnen.
Correct answer: Sie gehen __________ dem Geburtstag nicht mehr ins Schloss.
Er hat __________ einer Woche das Telefon bekommen.

Q3.
Order these words to say: We’ve been going to the youth club for two months. Start with 'wir'.

1 - wir
2 - gehen
3 - seit
4 - zwei
5 - Jahren
6 - zum
7 - Jugdenklub

Q4.
Which of these is the correct singular form of die Männer?

das Männchen
Correct answer: der Mann
der Männer
das Mann

Q5.
What does this sentence mean in English? Er hat uns alles langsam erzählt.

Correct answer: He told us everything slowly.
He gave us everything quickly.
He explained everything to them.
He helped us with the story.

Q6.
Which sentence correctly says: 'They have explained the prize to us' ?

Sie erklären den Preis uns.
Correct answer: Sie haben uns den Preis erklärt.
Sie haben ihnen unser Preis erklärt.
Sie erklärten unser Preis ihnen.

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Match the expressions to their English meanings

Correct Answer:seit einer Weile,for a while

for a while

Correct Answer:vor einem Jahr,a year ago

a year ago

Correct Answer:bei einer Firma,at a company

at a company

Correct Answer:seit dem Geburtstag,since the birthday

since the birthday

Q2.
Which of these has a vowel sound most similar to [ä]?

Correct answer: kennen
Anwalt
schauen
aufstehen

Q3.
Which of these sentences uses the preposition 'bei' correctly with the tense and dative case?

Ich habe seit einem Monat bei der Firma gearbeitet.
Ich arbeite vor einem Monat bei der Firma.
Correct answer: Ich arbeite seit einem Monat bei der Firma.

Q4.
How do you say 'three years ago' in German?

Correct Answer: vor drei Jahren, vor 3 Jahren

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