Since when? 'seit' with dative and present tense
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use 'seit' to say when something started or for how long it has been happening.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- Short [e] and [ä] are pronounced the same.
- In some singular nouns with short [a], the vowel changes to short [ä] in the plural.
- Using a range of skills to develop vocabulary is an important part of language learning.
- 'Seit' can mean 'since' when used with a point in time, or 'for' when used with a time span.
- Seit is followed by the dative and is used with the present tense in German, though in English we say 'have been -ing'.
Keywords
Seit - preposition meaning ‘since’ or ‘for’, followed by the dative case
Dative - case used for the indirect object in a sentence and after a dative verb or preposition
Common misconception
'Seit' is always used with the continuous past, like in English, e.g. 'I have been learning German since June'.
In German, 'seit' is used with the present tense to say 'for', e.g. 'Ich lerne seit vier Jahren Deutsch' - 'I have been learning German for 4 years', as well as 'since', e.g. 'Ich lerne seit Juni Deutsch' - 'I have been learning German since June'.
Teacher tip
For speaking Task C3, teachers may wish to add a competitive element to the task by giving pairs a time limit and the challenge to see how many different sentences they can make in that time. The pair with the most could then be asked to demonstrate some examples of their work.
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.Which of these words means 'birthday' in German?
Q2.Match the German time words to their English meanings.
Monday
day
year
weak
month
Q3.Translate the word ‘uns’ into English.
Q4.Put the words in the correct order to make a sensible German sentence.
Q5.Fill in the gap with the correct dative pronoun meaning 'them' Ich erkläre die Wahrheit.
Q6.Match the German verbs to their correct English meanings.
to bring along/ with
to explain, explaining
to call, calling, (on the phone)
to look, appear
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which two German vowel sounds are pronounced the same?
Q2.Match the German words to their English meanings.
same
once
at (the house of)
since, for
ago
Q3.Put the words in the correct order to say: 'I have been in Germany since Tuesday.'
Q4.Translate to English: Ich kenne Alex seit einem Monat.
Q5.Which sentence is correct in German to translate 'I have been working at the firm for a year.' ?
To help you plan your 8 German lesson on: Since when? 'seit' with dative and present 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? 'seit' with dative and present 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.