New
New
Year 11
AQA

Flüsse in Deutschland: negation, 'sondern', 'entweder...oder', 'weder...noch'

I can use a range of negative structures and conjunctions in the context of describing places and possibilities.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Flüsse in Deutschland: negation, 'sondern', 'entweder...oder', 'weder...noch'

I can use a range of negative structures and conjunctions in the context of describing places and possibilities.

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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.' Use 'nie' to mean 'never'.
  4. Use 'sondern' to mean 'but' or 'rather' when contradicting a preceding negative.
  5. Use the conjunction 'entweder … oder ...' to mean 'either … or ...' and 'weder … noch ...' to mean 'neither … nor ...'.

Keywords

  • Nicht - word meaning 'not'

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

  • Nie - word meaning 'never'

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

  • Sondern - conjunction used after a negative, meaning ‘but’ or ‘rather’

Common misconception

'Aber' and 'sondern' mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably.

Use 'aber' to contradict a preceding statement that does not contain a negative. Use 'sondern' to mean 'but' or 'rather' following a negative statement.


To help you plan your year 11 German lesson on: Flüsse in Deutschland: negation, 'sondern', 'entweder...oder', 'weder...noch', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The use of the conjunction 'sondern' and compound conjunctions 'entweder ... oder ...' and 'weder ... noch ...' are only required at Higher tier, but teachers of mixed classes might find them a useful and relatively straightforward learning point for many students.
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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.
Write the German word for 'job interview'.
Correct Answer: Vorstellungsgespräch, Vorstellungsgespraech
Q2.
'Was ist __________ Fluss?'. Choose the correct missing words.
Correct answer: der kälteste
die kälteste
das kälteste
ein kälteste
eine kälteste
Q3.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:einladen,to invite, inviting

to invite, inviting

Correct Answer:empfehlen,to recommend, recommending

to recommend, recommending

Correct Answer:holen,to get, fetch

to get, fetch

Correct Answer:steigen,to climb, climbing

to climb, climbing

Correct Answer:verschwinden,to disappear, disappearing

to disappear, disappearing

Correct Answer:wagen,to dare, daring

to dare, daring

Q4.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Bad (nt),bath, bathroom

bath, bathroom

Correct Answer:Gast (m),guest

guest

Correct Answer:Seifenoper (f),soap opera, series

soap opera, series

Correct Answer:Lehre (f),teaching, doctrine

teaching, doctrine

Correct Answer:Ohrhörer (mpl),earbuds

earbuds

Correct Answer:Aufenthalt (m),stay, residence

stay, residence

Q5.
Write in English: 'Der Kuchen schmeckt gut.'
Correct Answer: the cake tastes good, the cake tastes nice
Q6.
Write in German: 'I found the source.'
Correct Answer: ich habe die Quelle gefunden, ich fand die Quelle

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
'Der Fluss ist __________ breit.'. Choose the correct missing word.
Correct answer: nicht
nichts
Correct answer: nie
kein
Q2.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:nicht nur ... sondern auch ...,not only ... but also ...

not only ... but also ...

Correct Answer:entweder ... oder ...,either ... or ...

either ... or ...

Correct Answer:weder ... noch ...,neither ... nor

neither ... nor

Q3.
'Ich mag den Film, er ist zu lang.'. Write the correct word for 'but'.
Correct Answer: aber
Q4.
'Er kommt nicht heute, morgen.'. Write the correct word for 'but'.
Correct Answer: sondern

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