New
New
Year 9

Migration: imperfect modal verbs 'konnte', 'musste', 'wollte'

Learning outcomes

I can form compound nouns using prefixes, and can use modal verbs in the imperfect tense, in the context of migration.

I can correctly pronounce short, long and final [e].

New
New
Year 9

Migration: imperfect modal verbs 'konnte', 'musste', 'wollte'

Learning outcomes

I can form compound nouns using prefixes, and can use modal verbs in the imperfect tense, in the context of migration.

I can correctly pronounce short, long and final [e].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Vowels are short if followed by more than one consonant. They are long before 'h', a single consonant, or if doubled.
  2. The prefixes 'Lieblings-' and 'Haupt- can be added to a noun to form a new compound noun.
  3. Germany is home to a large number of residents with a migration background.
  4. Remove any umlauts from the stem of a modal verb and add '-te' to form its 1st and 3rd person singular imperfect tense.
  5. Remove any umlauts from the stem of a modal verb and add '-test' to form its 2nd person singular imperfect tense.

Keywords

  • [e] - pronounced short as in 'denken' or long as in 'geben'; final [e] is pronounced 'uh' as in 'danke'

  • Prefix - a letter or group of letters added to the start of a word to change its meaning or how it is used, e.g., 'Lieblings-', 'Haupt-'

  • Modal verb - verb of necessity or possibility (must, can, want) used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, which goes to the end

Common misconception

At the end of a word, [e] sounds the same as short [e].

Final [e] sounds like 'uh', as in 'danke', 'Klasse'. Short [e] sounds more like 'eh' as in 'denken'.


To help you plan your year 9 German lesson on: Migration: imperfect modal verbs 'konnte', 'musste', 'wollte', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage learners to explore Germany’s multicultural heritage through figures like singer Namika (Moroccan roots), poet Adel Karasholi (from Syria), and footballer Mesut Özil (Turkish background). Their stories reflect identity, diversity, and belonging in modern Germany.
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Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

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.
Match the German and English.

Correct Answer:sterben,to die, dying

to die, dying

Correct Answer:Wand (f),wall

wall

Correct Answer:Hund (m),dog

dog

Correct Answer:Art (f),type

type

Correct Answer:Haustier (nt),pet

pet

Q2.
Match the German and English.

Correct Answer:Blick (m),look, view

look, view

Correct Answer:böse,evil, mean

evil, mean

Correct Answer:Bevölkerung (f),population

population

Correct Answer:Mensch (m),person, human being

person, human being

Correct Answer:Staat (m),state

state

Correct Answer:Form (f),shape

shape

Q3.
Match the German and English.

Correct Answer:ich muss,I must, have to

I must, have to

Correct Answer:du willst,you want

you want

Correct Answer:ich kann,I can

I can

Correct Answer:er muss,he must, has to

he must, has to

Correct Answer:du kannst,you can

you can

Correct Answer:du musst,you must

you must

Q4.
Complete the following sentence: 'Wir in Deutschland.' (We were in Germany.)

Correct Answer: waren

Q5.
Choose the correct word to complete the following sentence: 'Es __________ viele Leute im Stadion.' (There were many people in the stadium.)

warst
Correct answer: gab
war
hatte

Q6.
Choose the correct country to complete the following sentence, in which the speaker is saying where they come from: 'Ich komme aus der __________.'

Deutschland
Italien
Rumänien
Correct answer: Türkei
Polen

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which is the odd one out? Choose the word that has a long 'e' sound.

Wechsel
Correct answer: mehr
denken
nett

Q2.
What is the correct translation of 'favourite house'?

Liebling Haus
Lieblinghaus
Correct answer: Lieblingshaus

Q3.
Match the German and English.

Correct Answer:ich musste,I had to

I had to

Correct Answer:du musst,you must

you must

Correct Answer:er muss,he must

he must

Correct Answer:du musstest,you had to

you had to

Correct Answer:ich muss,I must

I must

Correct Answer:er musste,he had to

he had to

Q4.
Choose the correct country to complete the sentence so that the information given is accurate: 'Die meisten Ausländer in Deutschland kommen aus der Türkei, Polen, Rumänien, Italien und __________.'

Correct answer: Syrien
Spanien
Frankreich
Portugal

Additional material

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