Schreib eine E-Mail: informal imperatives, present tense verbs
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can recognise and use the imperative of weak verbs to give instructions or advice in the context of technology.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- There is just one present tense in German, used to translate the simple present and the present continuous in English.
- Imperative verbs are used to give instructions or advice, or to tell someone to do something.
- To form the imperative ‘du’ form of weak verbs, remove the ‘st’ ending from the normal present tense form and the 'du'.
- To make the 'ihr' form of the imperative of weak verbs, just remove the 'ihr'. The verb stays the same.
- Verbs with stems ending in ‘-d’ or ‘-t’ add an ‘-e’ to the 'du' form of the imperative.
Keywords
Simple present - describes habitual events in the present: 'I do'
Present continuous - describes events happening right now: 'I am doing'
Imperative - a mood used to tell somebody to do something or to give instructions
Du - subject pronoun meaning 'you', informal and singular
Ihr - subject pronoun meaning 'you', informal and plural
Common misconception
To form the imperative, simply remove the subject pronoun and say the present tense verb form on its own.
To use the 'ihr' form of the imperative, simply remove the pronoun 'ihr' and say the verb form, e.g., 'Kommt!'. To use the 'du' form of the imperative, remove the pronoun 'du' but also remove the '-st' verb ending, e.g., 'Komm!'.
Teacher tip
Encourage students to notice the use of imperatives in everyday lessons. They should be able to identify an imperative on each task slide of the lesson. They might also enjoy a game of 'Simon sagt' to practise key imperatives in the 'du' and 'ihr' forms such as 'steh(t) auf!', 'schreib(t)!'.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the German and English.
constant, constantly
former
afternoon
future
every day
today
Q2.Which pronouns can mean 'you'?
Q3.'Sie arbeiten in der Schule.'. Which translations are correct?
Q4.Match the present tense verb endings for regular verbs.
e
st
en
t
Q5.Match the German and English.
to enjoy, enjoying
to use, using
to fit, fitting
to care, cultivate
to call, calling
to prepare, preparing
Q6.Translate the following sentence into German: 'You (singular, informal) write.'
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the German and English.
pen
paper
participant
opponent
technology, technique
event
Q2.Which verbs gain an 'e' before the 'st' and 't' endings in the present tense?
Q3.Translate the following sentence into German: 'They are playing on the computer.'
Q4.What do we add to verb stems ending in 'd' or 't' to form the 'du' imperative?
Q5.Translate the following sentence into German: 'Enjoy the game!' (informal, singular)
Q6.Translate the following sentence into German: 'Write an email!' (informal, plural)
To help you plan your 10 German lesson on: Schreib eine E-Mail: informal imperatives, present tense verbs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 German lesson on: Schreib eine E-Mail: informal imperatives, present tense verbs, 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 Media and technology: Technologie unit, dive into the full secondary German curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.