Choose exam board for KS4 Computer Science (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 English
Choose exam board for KS4 French
Choose exam board for KS4 Geography
Choose exam board for KS4 German
Choose exam board for KS4 History
Choose tier for KS4 Maths
Choose exam board for KS4 Music
Choose exam board for KS4 Physical education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Religious education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Spanish

Plans for the week ahead: modal verbs in present tense (future meaning)

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can use a range of two-verb structures to express my plans for the week ahead.

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The SSC [d] often corresponds to an English 't' or 'th' spelling. The SSC [t] often corresponds to English 'd'.
  2. Modal verbs require a 2nd verb in the infinitive, placed at the end of the sentence.
  3. Some verbs use 'zu' in two-verb structures, e.g., 'Er vergisst, Wasser zu trinken.' A comma separates the verb phrases.

Keywords

  • [d] - pronounced as in 'und' and ‘Kinder’

  • Modal verb - verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in infinitive e.g., must, can, want

  • Zu - preposition meaning 'to', also used in two-verb structures

Common misconception

If there are two verbs in a German sentence, the infinitive stays with the subject of the action.

If there are two verbs in a German sentence, the infinitive goes to the end of the sentence. This is different word order to English and is called the ‘two-verb rule’.

Teacher tip

Task B4 could be completed on mini-whiteboards, sentence by sentence, as a fast-paced assessment for learning activity.

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

Loading...

Some of our videos, including non-English language videos, do not have captions.

Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which question word would you use to fill this gap to find out when the band is playing: __________ spielt die Band?

mit wem
Correct answer: wann
wie viele

Q2.
Match the German and the English.

Correct Answer:Morgen,morning

morning

Correct Answer:Mittwoch,Wednesday

Wednesday

Correct Answer:Montag,Monday

Monday

Correct Answer:Nachmittag,afternoon

afternoon

Correct Answer:normalerweise,normally

normally

Q3.
Match the German and the English.

Correct Answer:Jacke (f),jacket

jacket

Correct Answer:Verein (m),club

club

Correct Answer:Einzelkind (nt),only child

only child

Correct Answer:Grund (m),reason

reason

Correct Answer:Klasse (f),class

class

Correct Answer:Fußball (m),football

football

Q4.
Fill in the correct word for 'to': Ich fahre Deutschland

Correct Answer: nach

Q5.
Put the words in the correct order starting with the time phrase.

1 - am
2 - Dienstag
3 - brauche
4 - ich
5 - ein
6 - Buch

Q6.
Fill in the correct word for 'to' in this sentence: Ich gehe meinem Freund.

Correct Answer: zu

5 Questions

Q1.
Say the German word 'Band' out loud. Which English letter does the final 'd' sound like?

d
Correct answer: t
g

Q2.
Put the words in the correct order. Start with 'er'

1 - er
2 - kann
3 - heute
4 - kaum
5 - helfen

Q3.
Put this sentence in the correct order. Start with 'ich'

1 - ich
2 - will
3 - fast
4 - jedes Buch
5 - lesen

Q4.
Fill in the gap to make the sentence mean ' We leave the football alone. 'wir den Fußball im Garten liegen'

Correct Answer: lassen

Q5.
Fill in the word for 'will' in this sentence. Er nach Hause gehen

Correct Answer: wird

To help you plan your 8 German lesson on: Plans for the week ahead: modal verbs in present tense (future meaning), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...