KS4 · German · Year 11
Mein Brückenjahr: preposition 'bei', 'beim' and 'am' with nominalised verbs
My neighbourhood: Mein Wohnort
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/12
Your learning goal
I can use 'bei' as a simple preposition and 'beim' and 'am' with nominalised verbs in the context of gap years and future adventures.
1 of 12
Mein Brückenjahr: preposition 'bei', 'beim' and 'am' with nominalised 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 use 'bei' as a simple preposition and 'beim' and 'am' with nominalised verbs in the context of gap years and future adventures.
Key learning points
- 'Bei' means 'at' or 'with' and takes the dative. When used with masculine or neuter nouns, 'bei dem' becomes 'beim'.
- To mean ‘whilst’ or ‘in the process of’ doing something, use 'beim' before a nominalised infinitive, e.g., ‘beim Lesen’.
- Use 'am' as an alternative to 'beim' to mean ‘in the process of’, but only when a single activity is being done.
- The use of 'beim' or 'am' plus the nominalised verb indicates the activity is, or was, ongoing or unfinished.
- In conversation, develop answers by adding opinions and reasons, varying the subject, and adding different time frames.
Words to know
- bei
- preposition meaning 'at (the)' or 'with (the)', followed by the dative case
- dative
- case used for the indirect object in a sentence, and after a dative verb or preposition
- nominalisation
- turning a verb into a noun
- beim
- preposition meaning 'whilst' or 'in the process of' before a nominalised infinitive
- am
- alternative preposition meaning 'in the process of' before a nominalised infinitive when a single activity is being done
Common mistakes
'Bei' always means 'at (the)' or 'with (the)'.
'Bei' can mean 'at (the)' or 'with (the)' when followed by a noun, but it can also be used to mean 'whilst' or 'in the process of' before a nominalised infinitive.
For parents, carers and teachers
- The use of 'beim' and 'am' plus nominalised infinitives to mean 'whilst' or 'in the process of' doing something is Higher-only grammar, but 'bei' as a preposition and nominalisation of infinitive verbs is relevant to both Foundation and Higher students.