KS3 · German · Year 9
A new place: time-manner-place, imperfect modal verbs
Places and projects: imperfect modal verbs
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IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/10
Your learning goal
I can understand and talk about past journeys using correct word order and imperfect modal verbs.
1 of 10
A new place: time-manner-place, imperfect modal verbs: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
Original teaching resources
The original illustrated PowerPoint is available as well as the IllumED text slides. It retains the publisher’s design and credits.
Download original PowerPoint ↓What you’ll learn
I can understand and talk about past journeys using correct word order and imperfect modal verbs.
Key learning points
- The sound-symbol correspondences [eu] and [äu] have the same sound, which is different from [au].
- Adverbs in a sentence follow the order time, manner, place (TMP); this word order applies in all tenses.
- Any adverb can start a sentence for emphasis. Where this occurs, use word order two (WO2) and TMP for remaining adverbs.
- Use imperfect modal verbs in speech and writing to say what you and others wanted, were able or had to do.
Words to know
- time, manner, place (TMP)
- order of adverbs in a German sentence - time before manner before place, abbreviated to TMP
- word order two (WO2)
- inverts the subject and verb in a sentence, when an adverb starts the sentence
- modal verb
- verb of necessity or possibility (‘must’, ‘can’, ‘want’) used with a 2nd verb in infinitive, which goes to the end
- imperfect tense
- German single-word past tense used mainly to narrate past events in writing, e.g., ‘war’, ‘hatte’, ‘gab’
Common mistakes
The imperfect tense is used in written, but not usually in spoken German.
The imperfect tense forms of 'sein', 'haben' and 'es gibt' are widely used in spoken German, along with imperfect modal verbs which, combined with a 2nd (infinitive) verb, are used to say what you and others wanted, were able or had to do.
For parents, carers and teachers
- This lesson's context is the island of Föhr. Teachers may want to encourage pupils to find out about Germany's more than 50 islands; beaches may not be what Germany is famed for, yet they offer stunning coastlines, unique wildlife, and a different side of German culture that pupils may not know.