Mein Alltag jetzt und früher: '-chen' and '-lein', 'wenn' and 'als'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use the perfect and present tenses, along with ‘wenn’ and ‘als’, to compare past and present routines and activities.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- German [ch] can be soft or hard. The sound [ei] is pronounced like ‘frei’.
- The suffixes -chen and -lein are added to make diminutive nouns. They often gain an umlaut and are always neuter.
- 'Wenn' means ‘when’, ‘whenever’ of ‘if’ and is used for repeated actions or conditions in the present or future.
- 'Als' means ‘when’ to refer to a specific past event or point in time.
- Both 'als' and 'wenn' trigger word order 3, sending the finite verb to the end of the sentence or clause.
Keywords
Wenn - conjunction meaning ‘if’ or ‘when’ which triggers word order 3
Als - conjunction meaning ‘when’, referring to specific past events, which triggers word order 3
Word order 3 - (WO3) after certain conjunctions, the verb is sent to the end of the sentence or clause
-chen, -lein - suffixes added to nouns to make diminutive or ‘little’ forms
Common misconception
We use 'wann' to say what we did, do or will do 'when'.
'Wann' is a question word and means 'when' in questions and indirect questions. Use 'als' for 'when' when referring to specific past events or points in time and 'wenn' for repeated actions or conditions in the present or future.
Teacher tip
Suffixes '-chen' and '-lein' are required knowledge at Higher tier only, but may be of interest and fun for all students, and a useful way to revisit the sounds [ch] and [ei]. Word order 3 after conjunctions with single verb structures is Foundation tier and Higher tier with 2-verb structures.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the German and English.
to depend, depending
to raise, increase
to establish, detect, determine
to imagine, imagining
to prevent, preventing
to give in, hand in, submit
Q2.Which of the following words have a hard [ch] sound?
Q3.Match the German and English.
order, tidiness
product
choice
system
at, to the front
back
Q4.Which of the following conjunctions send the verb to the end of the clause?
Q5.Which time phrases can only refer to the past?
Q6.What is the finite (conjugated) verb in the following sentence? 'Ich will bald zurückkommen.'
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which suffixes can be added to nouns to form diminutive or 'little' forms?
Q2.What gender are the diminutive forms of nouns, e.g., 'Hündchen', 'Kirchlein'?
Q3.'Wir waren in der Straßenbahn, __________'. Which clause could complete this sentence?
Q4.If we start a sentence with 'als' or 'wenn', what word order do we have in the middle of the sentence?
Q5.Translate the following sentence into German: 'When I was younger.'
Q6.Translate the following sentence into German: 'When I have to get up early.'
To help you plan your 10 German lesson on: Mein Alltag jetzt und früher: '-chen' and '-lein', 'wenn' and 'als', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 German lesson on: Mein Alltag jetzt und früher: '-chen' and '-lein', 'wenn' and 'als', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 German lessons from the Popular culture: der Alltag unit, dive into the full secondary German curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.