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New
Year 8

Explain likes and dislikes: 'weil' vs 'denn', word order after 'weil'

I can explain what I like and don't like, giving reasons using the correct word order with 'denn' and 'weil'.

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New
New
Year 8

Explain likes and dislikes: 'weil' vs 'denn', word order after 'weil'

I can explain what I like and don't like, giving reasons using the correct word order with 'denn' and 'weil'.

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. 'Weil' and 'denn' both mean 'because'. Both are conjunctions and connect clauses or sentences.
  2. In German there is always a comma before 'weil' or 'denn'.
  3. 'Denn' is followed by word order 1 (WO1), subject-verb word order.
  4. 'Weil' is followed by word order 3 (WO3), where the verb goes to the end of the sentence.
  5. Use 'weil' and 'denn' to give reasons for likes and dislikes.

Keywords

  • Conjunction - word that connects ideas between clauses in a sentence

  • Denn - conjunction meaning 'because', after which word order 1 (WO1) follows

  • Weil - conjunction meaning 'because', after which word order 3 (WO3) follows

  • Word order 3 (WO3) - after certain conjunctions, the verb is sent to the end of the sentence or clause

Common misconception

To give a reason in German, we use 'denn' or 'weil' and subject-verb word order, as in English.

'Denn' and 'weil' both mean 'because'. After 'denn' we use subject-verb word order (word order 1) but after 'weil' the verb goes to the end of the clause (word order 3).


To help you plan your year 8 german lesson on: Explain likes and dislikes: 'weil' vs 'denn', word order after 'weil', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Teachers may find it helpful to include short starter activities, e.g., using mini whiteboards, to practise giving reasons with 'denn' and 'weil', as part of vocabulary revisiting activities. Using 'weil' and 'denn' as a contrasting pair helps pupils gain fluency and confidence with word order 3.
Teacher tip

Equipment

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.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Hunger (m),hunger

hunger

Correct Answer:Land (nt),country, countryside

country, countryside

Correct Answer:März (m),March

March

Correct Answer:Schmerz (m),pain

pain

Correct Answer:Schweiz (f),Switzerland

Switzerland

Correct Answer:Stunde (f),hour, lesson

hour, lesson

Q2.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:dauern,to last, lasting

to last, lasting

Correct Answer:erreichen,to reach, reaching

to reach, reaching

Correct Answer:fahren,to drive, ride, go (transport)

to drive, ride, go (transport)

Correct Answer:mögen,to like, liking

to like, liking

Correct Answer:schaffen,to manage, managing

to manage, managing

Correct Answer:suchen,to look for, looking for

to look for, looking for

Q3.
Order the words to say: 'Did you find a lot of letters?'
1 - Haben
2 - Sie
3 - viele
4 - Briefe
5 - gefunden
6 - ?
Q4.
Order the words to say: 'I feel like visiting Vienna.'
1 - ich
2 - habe
3 - Lust
4 - ,
5 - Wien
6 - zu
7 - besuchen
Q5.
Write in English: 'Es gibt oben ein Bad.'
Correct Answer: There is a bathroom upstairs, Upstairs there is a bathroom, There is a bath upstairs, Upstairs there's a bathroom, There's a bathroom upstairs
Q6.
Write in German: 'The kitchen is downstairs.'
Correct Answer: Die Küche ist unten, Die Kueche ist unten

6 Questions

Q1.
''Weil' and 'denn' both mean '__________'. Write the missing word.
because
although, capital letter
Q2.
'Ich liebe Schottland, __________'. Which sentence endings are correct?
denn es schön ist.
Correct answer: weil es schön ist.
Correct answer: denn es ist schön.
weil es ist schön.
Q3.
Order the words to form a correct sentence.
1 - ich
2 - lerne
3 - Mathe
4 - , denn
5 - es
6 - ist
7 - notwendig
Q4.
Order the words to form a correct sentence.
1 - ich
2 - trinke
3 - Kaffee
4 - , weil
5 - er
6 - lecker
7 - ist
Q5.
Write in German: 'because it is wonderful'. Use 'denn'
Correct Answer: denn es ist wunderbar, denn es ist wunderbar
Q6.
Write in German: 'because it is funny'. Use 'weil'.
Correct Answer: weil es lustig ist, weil es lustig ist.

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