New
New
Year 8

Future plans: 'zu' + infinitive, 'werden' + infinitive

Learning outcomes

I can use a variety of vocabulary and a range of two-verb structures to express future plans.

I can apply my knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences to improve my spoken fluency.

New
New
Year 8

Future plans: 'zu' + infinitive, 'werden' + infinitive

Learning outcomes

I can use a variety of vocabulary and a range of two-verb structures to express future plans.

I can apply my knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences to improve my spoken fluency.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Regularly practise reading aloud to improve your fluency and knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences.
  2. We can use the present tense with a future time phrase to refer to future plans, e.g., 'Ich spiele morgen Tennis.'
  3. We can form the future tense in German by using the present tense of 'werden' plus an infinitive.
  4. In two-verb structures, the second verb is in the infinitive at the end of the sentence, preceded by a comma and 'zu'.
  5. There is no 'zu' in two-verb structures using 'werden' or modal verbs (e.g., 'wollen', 'sollen').

Keywords

  • SSC - abbreviation for 'sound-symbol correspondence', the relationship between letters and their sounds

  • Werden - auxiliary verb meaning 'to become', used to form the future tense

  • Two-verb structure - a sentence made up of two verb phrases

  • Zu - preposition meaning 'to', used before the infinitive in most two-verb structures

Common misconception

Always add 'zu' before the infinitive in two-verb structures.

Some verbs, like 'werden' and modal verbs, do not require 'zu' before the infinitive in two-verb structures.


To help you plan your year 8 German lesson on: Future plans: 'zu' + infinitive, 'werden' + infinitive, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Extend practice of tenses in Tasks C4a and C4b by asking students to adapt their sentences into the past or present tenses.
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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).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which sentence uses the future tense?
Ich gehe alleine.
Correct answer: Ich werde alleine gehen.
Ich will nach Spanien fahren.
Ich bin gegangen.
Q2.
Match the subject pronouns to their object pronouns (e.g., 'I' - 'me').
Correct Answer:ich,mich

mich

Correct Answer:wir,uns

uns

Correct Answer:ihr,euch

euch

Q3.
Put the words below into the correct order to translate the following sentence: 'She begins to explain the truth.'
1 - sie
2 - beginnt
3 - die
4 - Wahrheit
5 - zu
6 - erklären
Q4.
What does the German word 'Stadtteil' mean?
side of the city
Correct answer: part of town
university building
out of town
Q5.
Put the words below in the correct order to translate the following sentence: 'I will go to Germany.'
1 - ich
2 - werde
3 - nach
4 - Deutschland
5 - fahren
Q6.
Translate the following question into German: 'What will she allow?'
Correct Answer: was wird sie erlauben

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which sentence uses the present tense with a future time phrase?
Ich werde etwas erzählen.
Correct answer: Ich spiele morgen.
Ich werde morgen in Spanien sein.
Q2.
Complete the following sentence: 'Wir die Wahrheit erklären.' (We will explain the truth.)
Correct Answer: werden
Q3.
Which sentence correctly uses 'zu' with an infinitive?
Ich werde zu erzählen.
Correct answer: Sie beginnt, die Wahrheit zu erzählen.
Er soll zu erklären.
Q4.
Put the words below in the correct order to say: 'She will say the truth to them.'
1 - sie
2 - wird
3 - ihnen
4 - die
5 - Wahrheit
6 - sagen

Additional material

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