New
New
Year 7

Where people go: 'zu' vs 'nach', present tense (future meaning)

Learning outcomes

I understand the different uses of 'nach' and 'zu' meaning 'to' and can use them to say where people are going.

I can use my knowledge of phonics to correctly pronounce places in German-speaking countries.

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New
New
Year 7

Where people go: 'zu' vs 'nach', present tense (future meaning)

Learning outcomes

I understand the different uses of 'nach' and 'zu' meaning 'to' and can use them to say where people are going.

I can use my knowledge of phonics to correctly pronounce places in German-speaking countries.

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. 'Der Bodensee' (Lake Constance) is a lake that borders Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
  2. 'Nach' means 'to' with place names, continents and most countries, and is never followed by a definite article ('the').
  3. 'Zu' means 'to' when used with places with articles, e.g., 'Ich gehe zu dem Park.'. The article is in the dative case.
  4. Use 'zu' with people, professions and events, e.g., 'Ich gehe zu dem Lehrer.'.
  5. 'Zu' and 'dem' can be shortened to 'zum'. 'Zu' and 'der' can be shortened to 'zur'.

Keywords

  • Nach - word meaning 'to', used with place names, continents and most countries, never followed by the definite article

  • Zu - word meaning 'to', used with places that need articles and with people, professions and events

  • Zum - word created when 'zu' is combined with the dative definite article 'dem' (m, nt)

  • Zur - word created when 'zu' is combined with the dative definite article 'der' (f)

Common misconception

'Zu' always means 'to'.

'Zu' can also mean 'too', 'closed', 'off' and 'shut'! Context is important when translating into English.


To help you plan your year 7 german lesson on: Where people go: 'zu' vs 'nach', present tense (future meaning), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Reinforce 'fahren' meaning 'to go' with transport, so that students' use of language when talking about travelling to countries is accurate. Give students their own dice to give them more independence and room for creativity in Task B2.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Six-sided dice (optional)

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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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these words means 'you' in general?
du
ihr
Correct answer: man
Sie
Q2.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:gesund,healthy

healthy

Correct Answer:glücklich,happy

happy

Correct Answer:krank,ill, sick

ill, sick

Correct Answer:ruhig,calm, quiet

calm, quiet

Correct Answer:traurig,sad

sad

Q3.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Abend (m),evening

evening

Correct Answer:Nachmittag (m),afternoon

afternoon

Correct Answer:Wochenende (nt),weekend

weekend

Correct Answer:Fleisch (nt),meat

meat

Correct Answer:Gemüse (nt),vegetables

vegetables

Correct Answer:Hausaufgaben (fpl),homework

homework

Q4.
Sort the words below into the correct order to form the following sentence: 'Do you have enough money for a ticket?'
1 - hast
2 - du
3 - genug
4 - Geld
5 - für
6 - eine
7 - Karte
Q5.
Translate the following sentence into English: 'Wir gehen in den Wasserpark.'
Correct Answer: We go to the water park., We're going to the water park., We are going to the water park
Q6.
Translate the following sentence into German: 'I read with friends.'
Correct Answer: Ich lese mit Freunden.

5 Questions

Q1.
In English, 'der Bodensee' is called .
Correct Answer: Lake Constance
Q2.
Which of these is not a meaning of the word 'zu'?
Correct answer: also
closed
off
shut
to
Q3.
'Ich fahre __________ Deutschland'. Choose the correct missing word.
Correct answer: nach
zu
zum
zur
in
Q4.
'Ich gehe Naturwissenschaftsmuseum.'. Write the correct missing word.
Correct Answer: zum, zu dem
Q5.
Translate the following sentence into German: 'I go to the art gallery.'
Correct Answer: Ich gehe zur Kunstgalerie., Ich gehe zu der Kunstgalerie.

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