KS3 · German · Year 8

Who is supposed to do what? Modal verbs, two-verb structures, question words

Making plans: present and future tenses

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IllumED Slides

IllumED · 1/11

Your learning goal

I can emphasise different parts of sentences by using inversion (word order two), and understand how to form sentences that use two verbs.

1 of 11

Who is supposed to do what? Modal verbs, two-verb structures, question words: 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.

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What you’ll learn

I can emphasise different parts of sentences by using inversion (word order two), and understand how to form sentences that use two verbs.

Key learning points

Both sounds are pronounced in the sound-symbol correspondence [kn]. This is different from English.
The modal verb 'sollen' expresses obligation or probability and requires a 2nd verb in the infinitive at the end.
Use inversion (word order two) to emphasise a particular element. The verb is always the 2nd idea in the sentence.
Open (wh) questions use inversion (word order two). For example: 'Wann soll ich die Tickets kaufen?'.
Use a comma before 'zu' in two-verb structures that don't involve a modal verb, e.g., 'Er hofft, das Buch zu lesen.'

Words to know

[kn]: pronounced as in 'Knie'; both sounds are pronounced, unlike the silent 'k' in English
sollen: modal verb meaning 'should, be supposed to, ought', used to express obligation, expectation or probability
word order two: inverts the subject and verb in a sentence
zu: word meaning 'to', used with a preceding comma to form two-verb sentences in German that do not involve a modal verb

Common mistakes

The 'k' in [kn] is silent.

Both sounds in [kn] must be pronounced. This is different from English. Compare English 'knee' and German 'Knie'. Remember to pronounce the 'k' in German words containing [kn].

For parents, carers and teachers

Extend Task B1 by changing the information in Mia's speech bubble; students could create their own for a greater challenge.