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Year 7

What you do at home: questions with 'wer', 'was', 'wo' and 'wie'

I can ask and answer closed and open questions about what and when I do things at home.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 7

What you do at home: questions with 'wer', 'was', 'wo' and 'wie'

I can ask and answer closed and open questions about what and when I do things at home.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Swap the verb and subject in a sentence to create a closed (yes/no) question.
  2. An open question has a question word at the start.
  3. Place a question word directly in front of the verb to change a closed question into an open one.

Keywords

  • Closed question - a question which can be answered with yes or no

  • Open question - a question which starts with a question word such as 'Wo?' and seeks information

Common misconception

Closed questions in German require a translation of ‘do you …’ or ‘are you …’ as in English.

Swap the position of the verb and the subject to create a closed question in German. Do not use translations of ‘do you …’ or ‘are you …’.

It is often beneficial to repeat speaking tasks. Students could first use a supported version of Task B2 (with vocabulary instead of picture prompts) and then repeat the task with a different partner, using the unscaffolded version.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
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except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the German words below to the correct English translations.
Correct Answer:Sänger,male singer
tick

male singer

Correct Answer:Sängerin,female singer
tick

female singer

Correct Answer:Tafel (f),board
tick

board

Correct Answer:Tisch (m),table
tick

table

Correct Answer:Flasche (f),bottle
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bottle

Correct Answer:Fenster (nt),window
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window

Q2.
Which verb ending is used for the 2nd person singular (du) present tense?
-e
-t
-en
Correct answer: -st
Q3.
Fill in the gap in the following sentence with the correct question word(s): '__________ ist mein Heft?'
Wer
Correct answer: Wo
Wie oft
Q4.
Match the beginnings of these sentences to the correct endings.
Correct Answer:Hast,du ein Beispiel?
tick

du ein Beispiel?

Correct Answer:Ist,das ein Tisch?
tick

das ein Tisch?

Correct Answer:Wo,ist der Herr?
tick

ist der Herr?

Correct Answer:Was,ist dein Lieblingsbuch?
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ist dein Lieblingsbuch?

Correct Answer:Spielst,du Musik?
tick

du Musik?

Correct Answer:Kocht,er manchmal?
tick

er manchmal?

Q5.
Fill in the gap in the following sentence to complete the translation: 'Ich rede im Unterricht.' (I often talk in lessons.)
Correct Answer: oft
Q6.
Which cognate has a similar [i] sound to the English [i]?
Musik
Correct answer: Film
Berlin

5 Questions

Q1.
Match the German verbs below to the correct English translations.
Correct Answer:gehen,to go, going
tick

to go, going

Correct Answer:hören,to listen, listening
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to listen, listening

Correct Answer:machen,to do/make, doing/making
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to do/make, doing/making

Correct Answer:sitzen,to sit, sitting
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to sit, sitting

Correct Answer:arbeiten,to work, working
tick

to work, working

Correct Answer:lernen,to learn, learning
tick

to learn, learning

Q2.
Which of these statements are correct?
Correct answer: A closed question begins with a verb.
Correct answer: An open question has a question word in front of the verb.
Correct answer: Open questions are 'wh-' questions. They begin with question words.
Remember to translate 'do you ...' or 'are you ...' in a closed question.
Q3.
Rewrite the following statement to turn it into a closed question: 'Du lernst Deutsch.'
Correct Answer: Lernst du Deutsch?, 'Lernst du Deutsch?'
Q4.
Translate the following sentence into German: 'How often do you play sport?'
Correct Answer: Wie oft spielst du Sport?, 'Wie oft spielst du Sport?'
Q5.
Translate the following sentence into German: 'Do you have a favourite book?'
Correct Answer: Hast du ein Lieblingsbuch?, 'Hast du ein Lieblingsbuch?'

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