Ich bin Ingenieurin: imperfect modals
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use modal verbs in the imperfect tense to talk about work and studying.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- [o] and [ö] are long when followed by no consonants or only one consonant.
- To form the imperfect of singular modal verbs, remove -en and add -te for ‘ich’, -test for ‘du’, -te for ‘sie/er/es’.
- To form the imperfect of plural modal verbs, remove -en and add -ten for ‘wir’, -tet for ‘ihr’, -ten for ‘sie’.
- In sentences with modal verbs, the second verb is in the infinitive at the end of the sentence.
Keywords
Imperfect tense - verb tense used most often for modal verbs when they describe past events
Modal verb - verb of necessity or possibility used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, e.g., must, can, want
Common misconception
Modal verbs must add ge- in the imperfect tense.
Modal verbs are normally used in the imperfect to describe past events. The imperfect is a different tense from the perfect and is formed differently.
Teacher tip
Cycle 3 contains Higher grammar. Task C2 Option 2 is, however, for Foundation pupils. Foundation pupils could move straight to their version of this task after Cycle 2. Question 2 of the starter quiz, and questions 2 and 4 of the exit quiz are Higher-only.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the German with the English.
study, studies
bird
personal, personally
employee, co-worker
grandma
to study, studying (at university)
Q2.Match the German with the English.
(I, she, he, it) were, would be
school leaving exam, A levels
higher education
speech, talk
to originate, develop
as soon as
Q3.How would you pronounce [o] in the words in the following sentence? 'Bertolt kocht oft tolle Gerichte.'
Q4.How would you pronounce [ö] in the words in the following sentence? 'Der König hat viele schöne Vögel.'
Q5.Match the German with the English.
to be allowed, may
to be able to, can
to have to, must
to want to
to ought to, be supposed to, should
Q6.How would you say 'I wanted' in the imperfect tense in German?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the German with the English.
to open, opening
to take care of, be concerned about
airport
technology
Q2.Match the German with the English.
to solve, solving
employer
salary, pay, earnings, wages
technical
unusual, unusually
Q3.Match the modal verb to its meaning.
(you) were allowed to
(I) had to
(she) wanted to
(you) were supposed to
(you) had to
(I) was supposed to
Q4.Match the verb forms to the correct pronouns.
du
wir
ich
ihr
Q5.Sort the words below into the correct order to translate the following sentence into German: 'My grandfather wanted to marry my grandmother.'
Q6.How would you say 'you (singular, informal) were allowed to' in German?
To help you plan your 10 German lesson on: Ich bin Ingenieurin: imperfect modals, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 German lesson on: Ich bin Ingenieurin: imperfect modals, 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.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 German lessons from the Popular culture: tolle Lebenserfahrungen unit, dive into the full secondary German curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.