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      16 Bundesländer: numbers, articles following 'in', 'zu', 'nach'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I understand the format and use of cardinal and ordinal numbers in German, and can use the correct preposition to express 'to'.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Cardinal numbers (e.g., 'one') are used for counting or quantities. Ordinal numbers (e.g., ‘first’) show order.
      2. Add '-te' to numbers 1-19 and '-ste' to numbers 20 and above to create ordinal numbers, e.g., 'fünfte' ('fifth').
      3. For dates, use 'am' to say 'on the' and add '-n' to the ordinal number, e.g., 'am fünften August' (on the 5th August).
      4. Use 'in' with the dative case to say 'in' and with the accusative case to mean 'into', e.g., 'ich gehe in die Schule'.
      5. 'Nach' means 'to' with place names and most countries. Use 'zu' plus dative for places with articles, people and events.

      Keywords

      • Cardinal number - used for counting or quantities, e.g., 'zweihundert'

      • Ordinal number - shows the order of something, e.g., 'first'

      • In - preposition which means 'in' with the dative case or 'into' with the accusative case

      • Nach - preposition meaning 'to', used with most countries, place names and places without articles

      • Zu - preposition meaning 'to', used with the dative case and with people and places with articles

      Common misconception

      Always use 'zu' to mean 'to'.

      'To' is expressed in different ways in German. 'In' and 'nach' also mean 'to'. 'Zu' can also mean 'shut', 'closed' or 'off'.

      Teacher tip

      Task A1 Option 1 is aimed at Higher Tier and the audio is one continuous clip. Option 2 is Foundation Tier, where the audio is split into 5 separate clips.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Order the months in chronological order.

      1 - Januar
      2 - Februar
      3 - März
      4 - April
      5 - Mai
      6 - Juni
      7 - Juli

      Q2.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:Aktion (f),campaign

      campaign

      Correct Answer:Zucker (m),sugar

      sugar

      Correct Answer:Gericht (nt),dish, court

      dish, court

      Correct Answer:Publikum (nt),audience, public

      audience, public

      Correct Answer:Verbindung (f),connection, link

      connection, link

      Correct Answer:Veranstaltung (f),event

      event

      Q3.
      Match the German and English.

      Correct Answer:gehen um,to be, being about

      to be, being about

      Correct Answer:erleben,to experience, experiencing

      to experience, experiencing

      Correct Answer:leben,to live, living

      to live, living

      Correct Answer:schützen,to protect, protecting

      to protect, protecting

      Correct Answer:tragen,to wear, wearing

      to wear, wearing

      Correct Answer:verzichten auf,to do, doing without

      to do, doing without

      Q4.
      'Das Video handelt sich __________ Kommunikation.'. Choose the correct missing word.

      an
      für
      in
      Correct answer: um
      vor

      Q5.
      Write in English: 'Es gab eine kleine Insel.'

      Correct Answer: There was a small island.

      Q6.
      Write in German: 'Do you live in Germany?'

      Correct Answer: Wohnst du in Deutschland?

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      __________ numbers are used for __________ or quantities, and __________ numbers show __________.

      Cardinal, order, ordinal, counting
      Ordinal, order, cardinal, counting
      Correct answer: Cardinal, counting, ordinal, order
      Ordinal, counting, cardinal, order

      Q2.
      Which date is written correctly?

      am dreite Mai
      am dreiste Mai
      am dritte Mai
      am drittste Mai
      Correct answer: am dritten Mai

      Q3.
      'Wir fahren __________ Wien.'. Choose the correct word for 'to'.

      in
      in die
      Correct answer: nach
      zu
      zur

      Q4.
      Order the words to say: 'She goes to the cinema and they go to the doctor.'

      1 - sie geht
      2 - ins
      3 - Kino
      4 - und
      5 - sie gehen
      6 - zum
      7 - Arzt

      Q5.
      Write in German: 'We go to Switzerland.'

      Correct Answer: Wir gehen in die Schweiz., Wir fahren in die Schweiz.

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