New
New
Year 11
AQA

Deutsche Geschichte: negation, inversion

Learning outcomes

I can apply my knowledge of vocabulary, negation and word order to understand and respond to a text about the Stasi.

I can use my knowledge of German pronunciation and punctuation to support my intonation when reading aloud in German.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Deutsche Geschichte: negation, inversion

Learning outcomes

I can apply my knowledge of vocabulary, negation and word order to understand and respond to a text about the Stasi.

I can use my knowledge of German pronunciation and punctuation to support my intonation when reading aloud in German.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Use 'nicht' before definite articles to mean ‘not the’ and 'kein' instead of the indefinite article to mean 'not a, no'.
  2. Place 'nicht' before adjectives, adverbs, possessives and proper nouns. Place 'nicht' after verbs and whole phrases.
  3. Use 'nichts' to mean 'nothing' or 'not anything', e.g., 'ich sehe nichts'.
  4. Use word order two if starting a sentence with something other than the subject, e.g., an adverb.
  5. Use your knowledge of German pronunciation and punctuation to support your intonation when reading aloud.

Keywords

  • Nicht - word meaning 'not'

  • Nichts - word meaning 'nothing' or 'not anything'

  • Kein - word used instead of the indefinite article to mean 'not a', 'no', 'not any'

  • Word order two (WO2) - subject and another element (time, place, object) swap places; verb stays in 2nd position, creating inversion of the subject and verb

  • Intonation - rise and fall of the voice in speaking

Common misconception

Intonation doesn't make much difference when reading aloud.

Using correct intonation can also help you correctly pronounce German sounds and help you communicate clearly, such as pausing briefly when you see commas or full stops, or the rising pitch of your voice when asking questions.


To help you plan your year 11 German lesson on: Deutsche Geschichte: negation, inversion, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A useful independent learning task to add more context prior to the lesson would be for students to do some research on the Stasi.
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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.
Which word means 'on the way'?
aufregend
damals
inzwischen
notwendig
Correct answer: unterwegs
Q2.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:irgendwann,sometime, some day

sometime, some day

Correct Answer:irgendwie,somehow

somehow

Correct Answer:irgendwo,somewhere

somewhere

Correct Answer:insgesamt,in all, altogether, in total, overall

in all, altogether, in total, overall

Correct Answer:insbesondere,especially, particularly

especially, particularly

Correct Answer:äußerst,very, extremely

very, extremely

Q3.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Bühne (f),stage

stage

Correct Answer:Erfolg (m),success

success

Correct Answer:Fach (nt),subject

subject

Correct Answer:Griechenland (nt),Greece

Greece

Correct Answer:Tanz (m),dance

dance

Correct Answer:Vergangenheit (f),past

past

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'The forest next to the village is thick.'
1 - der
2 - Wald
3 - neben
4 - dem
5 - Dorf
6 - ist
7 - dicht
Q5.
Write in English: 'Der Besucher bestellt einen Kaffee.'
Correct Answer: the visitor orders a coffee
Q6.
Write in German: 'I am describing the letter.'
Correct Answer: ich beschreibe den Brief

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Using the correct stress, rhythm, and pitch when reading aloud or speaking is called .
Correct Answer: intonation, intonating
Q2.
'Die Stasi hat __________ gesagt.'. Choose the correct missing word.
nicht
Correct answer: nichts
kein
keine
Q3.
Order the words to form a sentence, starting with the adverb.
1 - jeden
2 - Tag
3 - hat
4 - er
5 - schlechte
6 - Laune
Q4.
Write in German: 'The war was not easy.'
Correct Answer: der Krieg war nicht einfach

Additional material

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