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Year 7

Famous German speakers: present tense weak verbs, singular persons

I can understand and summarise short texts in the present tense about German-speaking public figures.

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New
New
Year 7

Famous German speakers: present tense weak verbs, singular persons

I can understand and summarise short texts in the present tense about German-speaking public figures.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. German only has one present tense.
  2. Weak verbs use a regular pattern of verb endings in the present tense.
  3. Singular present tense weak verb endings are 1st person '-e', 2nd person '-st' and 3rd person '-t'.
  4. 'Werden' is a frequently used irregular verb meaning 'to become, becoming'.

Keywords

  • Werden - to become, becoming

  • Present tense - describes what is happening now or habitual events in the present, e.g., 'I do', 'I am doing'

  • Weak verb - a verb that follows a regular pattern of changes

Common misconception

You translate the English present continuous with a form of 'sein', e.g., 'Ich bin machen ...'.

There is only one present tense in German. 'Ich mache' means 'I do' and 'I am doing'.


To help you plan your year 7 german lesson on: Famous German speakers: present tense weak verbs, singular persons, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use Tasks B2a-2g as running dictation texts that are placed around the classroom. Students work in pairs to collect information and relay it in German back to their partner.
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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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6 Questions

Q1.
Put the numbers in order, from 0-6.
1 - null
2 - eins
3 - zwei
4 - drei
5 - vier
6 - fünf
7 - sechs
Q2.
Which of these words are infinitives?
Correct answer: machen
sieben
zehn
Correct answer: sitzen
Correct answer: tanzen
Q3.
Match the subject pronoun to its present tense verb ending.
Correct Answer:ich,-e
tick

-e

Correct Answer:du,-st
tick

-st

Correct Answer:er, sie, es,-t
tick

-t

Q4.
Fill in the gap to complete the following sentence: 'Ich Mathematik.' (I learn maths.)
Correct Answer: lerne
Q5.
Which of the verbs below could be in the 3rd person singular present tense?
Correct answer: mag
Correct answer: tanzt
hast
Correct answer: spricht
spielst
Q6.
Translate the following sentence into German: 'I am living with friends.'
Correct Answer: Ich wohne mit Freunden., Ich lebe mit Freunden., Ich lebe mit Freundinnen., Ich wohne mit Freundinnen.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which English translations are correct for 'Ich mache'?
Correct answer: I do
You do
Correct answer: I am doing
He does
She is doing
Q2.
Match the German words below to the correct English translations.
Correct Answer:liegen,to lie, lying
tick

to lie, lying

Correct Answer:bleiben,to stay, staying
tick

to stay, staying

Correct Answer:werden,to become, becoming
tick

to become, becoming

Correct Answer:brauchen,to need, needing
tick

to need, needing

Correct Answer:glauben,to believe, believing
tick

to believe, believing

Correct Answer:verstehen,to understand, understanding
tick

to understand, understanding

Q3.
What of these words best describes the role of Angela Merkel?
Correct answer: Politikerin
Mathematikerin
Lehrerin
Musikerin
Q4.
Complete the following sentence using the correct form of 'werden': 'Es jetzt dunkel.'
Correct Answer: wird
Q5.
Change the following statement to the 3rd person singular (feminine): 'Ich bin Sängerin.'
Correct Answer: Sie ist Sängerin.
Q6.
Change the following statement to the 3rd person singular (masculine): 'Ich spiele Klavier.'
Correct Answer: Er spielt Klavier.

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