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Year 7

Improve your lifestyle: modal 2-verb structures and pronoun 'man'

Learning outcomes

I can differentiate between uses of 'können' and 'dürfen' to express 'can', and discuss healthy lifestyles with others using modal verbs and 'man'.

I can distinguish and pronounce consonantal and vocalic [r].

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New
New
Year 7

Improve your lifestyle: modal 2-verb structures and pronoun 'man'

Learning outcomes

I can differentiate between uses of 'können' and 'dürfen' to express 'can', and discuss healthy lifestyles with others using modal verbs and 'man'.

I can distinguish and pronounce consonantal and vocalic [r].

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. [r] is consonantal at the start of a syllable, after a consonant or a short vowel, e.g., 'reden'. It is a rolling sound.
  2. [r] is vocalic after a long vowel and in '-er', e.g., 'Markt', 'aber'. It often sounds barely there.
  3. Translate 'can' as in ability with 'können', but use 'dürfen' for permission, i.e., 'may I ... ?'.
  4. 'Man' is a pronoun used to refer to people in general and is often translated as 'you' or 'one'.

Keywords

  • [r] - pronounced as in 'reden' or 'Uhr'

  • Können - modal verb meaning 'to be able to, can', used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, which comes at the end of the sentence

  • Dürfen - modal verb meaning 'to be allowed to, may', used with a 2nd verb in the infinitive, which comes at the end of the sentence

  • Man - 3rd person singular subject pronoun meaning 'you' or 'one', used to refer to people in general

Common misconception

Always use 'können' to translate 'can' into German.

'Can' is often used with two different meanings in English - ability or permission. Use 'können' to express ability (e.g., 'Kannst du schwimmen?') and 'dürfen' to express permission (e.g., 'Darfst du schwimmen?').


To help you plan your year 7 german lesson on: Improve your lifestyle: modal 2-verb structures and pronoun 'man', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Give students more independence in Task D2 by providing them with their own dice to roll.
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Equipment

6-sided dice (optional) for Task D2.

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Licence

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.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Kino (nt),cinema
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cinema

Correct Answer:Klassenzimmer (nt),classroom
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classroom

Correct Answer:Konzert (nt),concert
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concert

Correct Answer:Krankenhaus (nt),hospital
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hospital

Correct Answer:Geschäft (nt),shop
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shop

Correct Answer:Stadt (f),town, city
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town, city

Q2.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:Hut (m),hat
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hat

Correct Answer:Keks (m),biscuit
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biscuit

Correct Answer:Leute (pl),people
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people

Correct Answer:Lied (nt),song
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song

Correct Answer:Ort (m),place
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place

Correct Answer:Obst (nt),fruit
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fruit

Q3.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:benutzen,to use, using
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to use, using

Correct Answer:bekommen,to get, receive
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to get, receive

Correct Answer:lesen,to read, reading
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to read, reading

Correct Answer:nehmen,to take, taking
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to take, taking

Correct Answer:reden,to talk, talking
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to talk, talking

Correct Answer:springen,to jump, jumping
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to jump, jumping

Q4.
Which of these pronoun means 'you' (in general)?
du
Correct answer: man
ihr
Sie
Q5.
Sort the words below into the correct order to form the following sentence: 'Can you play a computer game?'
1 - kannst
2 - du
3 - ein
4 - Computerspiel
5 - spielen
6 - ?
Q6.
Translate the following sentence into English: 'Ich weiß nichts über den Film.'
Correct Answer: I know nothing about the film.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these words includes a vocal [r] sound?
Beruf
hören
Correct answer: Schwester
sprechen
trinken
Q2.
There are two sets of opposites below. Which word does not have an opposite below?
gesund
glücklich
krank
Correct answer: ruhig
traurig
Q3.
Match the German and English.
Correct Answer:dürfen,to be allowed, may
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to be allowed, may

Correct Answer:darfst,you are allowed, may
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you are allowed, may

Correct Answer:müssen,to have to, must
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to have to, must

Correct Answer:musst,you have to, must
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you have to, must

Correct Answer:wollen,to want
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to want

Correct Answer:willst,you want
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you want

Q4.
Which of these sentences mean 'I can't cook.'?
Correct answer: Ich darf nicht kochen.
Ich muss nicht kochen.
Ich will nicht kochen.
Correct answer: Ich kann nicht kochen.
Ich koche nicht.
Q5.
Translate the following sentence into English: 'Er kann die Karten nicht kaufen.'
Correct Answer: He cannot buy the tickets., He can't buy the tickets.
Q6.
Translate the following sentence into German: 'May I speak?'
Correct Answer: Darf ich sprechen?

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