Since when and for how long? 'seit' with present, 'vor' with perfect tense
Lesson details
Learning outcome
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.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- Long [e] and [ä] make similar sounds but knowing the difference is important for speaking and listening.
- The prepositions 'seit', 'vor' and 'bei' are followed by the dative case.
- 'Seit' means 'since' or 'for' and is used with the present tense and a unit of time in the dative.
- 'Vor' can mean ago and is used with the perfect tense and a unit of time in the dative.
- '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'.
Teacher tip
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.
Equipment
A mini whiteboard and pen, together with pen and paper for making notes, would be useful, if available.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each German noun to its English meaning.
the prize
the castle
the birthday
the activity
the youth club
the telephone
Q2.Tick all the sentences where 'seit' could be correctly inserted into the gap.
Q3.Order these words to say: We’ve been going to the youth club for two months. Start with 'wir'.
Q4.Which of these is the correct singular form of die Männer?
Q5.What does this sentence mean in English? Er hat uns alles langsam erzählt.
Q6.Which sentence correctly says: 'They have explained the prize to us' ?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the expressions to their English meanings
for a while
a year ago
at a company
since the birthday
Q2.Which of these has a vowel sound most similar to [ä]?
Q3.Which of these sentences uses the preposition 'bei' correctly with the tense and dative case?
Q4.How do you say 'three years ago' in German?
To help you plan your 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...
To help you plan your 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.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 German lessons from the Last year or this year: present and perfect tenses unit, dive into the full secondary German curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.