KS3 · German · Year 8
Then and now: the comparative
Then and now: imperfect tense and comparatives
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/10
Your learning goal
I can compare the present with the past using comparatives.
1 of 10
Then and now: the comparative: 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 compare the present with the past using comparatives.
Key learning points
- Care is needed with [ich] and [isch] when listening and speaking.
- Comparative statements are created by adding -er to most adjectives, e.g., 'lustiger' + 'als'.
- Some adjectives need an additional change to make the comparative, e.g., 'lang' becomes 'länger'.
- 'Gut' works like English: its comparative is 'besser', like 'good' becomes 'better' in English.
- 'Mehr' is an adverb that can be used by itself as a comparative.
Words to know
- adjective
- word that gives information about a noun
- adverb
- word that describes a verb or an adjective
- comparative
- form of adjective or adverb used to compare people, things or ideas
Common mistakes
Like in English, a word for 'more' is needed in German when making comparisons like 'more difficult' or 'more interesting'.
German adjectives form comparatives by adding -er; there is no need to include 'more', e.g., more interesting > 'interessanter'; more difficult >'schwieriger'. English does this with 1- and some 2-syllable adjectives, e.g., 'small' > 'smaller'.
For parents, carers and teachers
- Task C3 is a speaking task and, although quite straightforward, it is recommended that teachers model how to complete the task, so students are clear on what to do. The task is also adaptable, so each of the four slides can be used multiple times with students swapping roles to maximise practice.