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      What you want to and will do: future tense singular (will) vs 'will' (want to)

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I understand how to form the future tense using 'werden', and I can use context to decipher words that have more than one meaning.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Regular practice of sound-symbol correspondences helps to improve fluency.
      2. Some German words have multiple meanings. Context helps you work out which meaning is intended.
      3. The present tense of 'werden' with an infinitive at sentence end forms the future, meaning ‘will do’ or ‘going to do’.
      4. 'Werden' is irregular. The 'ich' form of 'werden' is 'werde', 'du' form 'wirst', 'sie, er, es' form 'wird'.
      5. The German 'will' comes from 'wollen' and means 'want'. Do not confuse this with the future tense.

      Keywords

      • Future tense - tense used to refer to future time, e.g., 'I will do'

      • Werden - irregular verb meaning 'to become', used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive to form the future tense in German

      Common misconception

      The German 'Ich will' means 'I will'.

      The German 'will' comes from 'wollen' and means 'want'. Do not confuse this with the future tense. 'Ich werde' means 'I will'.

      Teacher tip

      Increase the challenge in Task C3 by asking students to make up their own statements or questions.

      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 and English.

      Correct Answer:links,left
      Correct Answer:rechts,right
      Correct Answer:wenig,little
      Correct Answer:nah,near
      Correct Answer:immer noch,still
      Correct Answer:ich will,I want

      Q2.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:stattfinden,to take place, taking place
      Correct Answer:besuchen,to visit, visiting
      Correct Answer:ankommen,to arrive, arriving
      Correct Answer:Arzt (m),doctor
      Correct Answer:Tierarzt (m),vet
      Correct Answer:Lehrer (m),teacher

      Q3.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:dauern,to last, lasting
      Correct Answer:Bild (n),picture
      Correct Answer:mitkommen,to come along, coming along
      Correct Answer:Kleid (n),dress
      Correct Answer:Rock (m),skirt
      Correct Answer:Bodensee (m),Lake Constance

      Q4.
      The modal verb 'sollen' means __________ and is used to express obligation, expectation or probability.

      'must, have to'
      Correct answer: 'should, ought to'
      'can, be able to'

      Q5.
      How many of the two sounds in the sound-symbol correspondence [kn] are pronounced in German?

      one
      Correct answer: two
      neither of them

      Q6.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:gewinnen,to win, winning
      Correct Answer:Wort (n),word
      Correct Answer:beantworten,to answer, answering
      Correct Answer:Alltagsstress (m),everyday stress
      Correct Answer:Erfahrung (f),experience

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      'Werden' is an irregular verb meaning 'to become', and is used with a 2nd verb in the to form the future tense in German.

      Correct Answer: infinitive

      Q2.
      Fill in the missing word in the following translation: 'Ich __________ im Sommer nach Spanien fahren.' (I will be travelling to Spain in the summer.)

      will
      Correct answer: werde
      wird
      wirst

      Q3.
      What is the correct translation of the following question: 'When will you go the the cinema?'

      Wann du wirst ins Kino gehen?
      Wann du ins Kino gehen wirst?
      Correct answer: Wann wirst du ins Kino gehen?

      Q4.
      The German word 'Karte' (f) has more than one meaning. What does it mean in the following context? 'Ich werde heute ins Museum gehen. Ich habe meine Karte.'

      menu
      Correct answer: ticket
      card
      map

      To help you plan your 8 German lesson on: What you want to and will do: future tense singular (will) vs 'will' (want to), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...