KS3 · German · Year 8
Explain likes and dislikes: 'weil' vs 'denn', word order after 'weil'
Who am I? Adjective agreement, 'weil' and 'denn'
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IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/11
Your learning goal
I can explain what I like and don't like, giving reasons using the correct word order with 'denn' and 'weil'.
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Explain likes and dislikes: 'weil' vs 'denn', word order after 'weil': 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 explain what I like and don't like, giving reasons using the correct word order with 'denn' and 'weil'.
Key learning points
- 'Weil' and 'denn' both mean 'because'. Both are conjunctions and connect clauses or sentences.
- In German there is always a comma before 'weil' or 'denn'.
- 'Denn' is followed by word order 1 (WO1), subject-verb word order.
- 'Weil' is followed by word order 3 (WO3), where the verb goes to the end of the sentence.
- Use 'weil' and 'denn' to give reasons for likes and dislikes.
Words to know
- conjunction
- word that connects ideas between clauses in a sentence
- denn
- conjunction meaning 'because', after which word order 1 (WO1) follows
- weil
- conjunction meaning 'because', after which word order 3 (WO3) follows
- word order 3 (WO3)
- after certain conjunctions, the verb is sent to the end of the sentence or clause
Common mistakes
To give a reason in German, we use 'denn' or 'weil' and subject-verb word order, as in English.
'Denn' and 'weil' both mean 'because'. After 'denn' we use subject-verb word order (word order 1) but after 'weil' the verb goes to the end of the clause (word order 3).
For parents, carers and teachers
- Teachers may find it helpful to include short starter activities, e.g., using mini whiteboards, to practise giving reasons with 'denn' and 'weil', as part of vocabulary revisiting activities. Using 'weil' and 'denn' as a contrasting pair helps pupils gain fluency and confidence with word order 3.