KS3 · German · Year 8
Opinions: verbs with indirect objects
Family and friends: verbs with indirect objects
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IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/9
Your learning goal
I can understand likes and dislikes and other opinions using verbs with direct and indirect objects.
1 of 9
Opinions: verbs with indirect objects: 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 likes and dislikes and other opinions using verbs with direct and indirect objects.
Key learning points
- Combining previously taught and new words in new contexts strengthens vocabulary knowledge.
- Indirect objects are people or things that the verb action is done 'to' or 'for', e.g., 'the book belongs to the pupil'.
- Indirect object pronouns replace indirect objects that we don't need to repeat, e.g., 'the book belongs to him/her'.
- Verbs that are always used with indirect object pronouns are called dative verbs.
- Some dative verbs translate differently into English - 'das Buch gefällt mir' - the book pleases me > I like the book.
Words to know
- indirect object pronoun (IOP)
- replaces the person, people or thing(s) that the verb action is done to, when the action is to me, for you
- dative verb
- verb that is used with an indirect object (pronoun)
Common mistakes
There is one verb meaning 'to like' in German, and that is 'mögen'.
'Mögen' is 'to like', e.g., 'ich mag Mathe' ('I like maths'). However, 'gefallen' is another verb for expressing 'liking'. Its literal meaning is 'to please', so it's used with an indirect object, e.g., 'Mathe gefällt mir' - 'I like maths'.
For parents, carers and teachers
- It helps pupils grasp 'gefallen' if we connect it to other dative verbs that work the same way and are translated more literally, e.g., gehören, helfen. Das Buch gehört mir; das Buch hilft mir, das Buch gefällt mir. The book belongs to me, the book helps me, the book pleases me - I like the book.