VOCABULARY - AQA

• Sometimes was can be used as a relative pronoun. It also means that the verb goes
to the end of the clause. It means ‘which’ and always refers back to an action, rather
than a noun.
Ich konnte jeden Tag im Meer schwimmen, was sehr gut war.
I could swim in the sea every day, which was very good.
Wir haben jeden Abend im Restaurant gegessen, was sehr teuer war.
We ate at a restaurant every evening, which was very expensive.
Section 3: Talking about what happens
Verbs
• When you look up a verb (doing word) in a dictionary, you will find what is called the
infinitive form. In German these forms always end in –en or –n.
Eg: fahren – to travel, to go, angeln – to fish.
• To use a verb you have looked up, you will have to change the endings, depending
on who or what is doing the action. The person or thing doing the action is called the
subject.
The Present – talking about what’s happening now.
• Here are the endings for the present tense.
ich – e: Ich gehe in die Stadt I’m going into town.
du – st: Kommst du mit? Are you coming with me?
er – t: Er bleibt hier. He’s staying here.
sie – t: Sie wohnt ganz in der Nähe. She lives very near by.
es – t: Es liegt neben der Kirche. It’s next to the church.
man – t: Man trinkt viel Bier People drink a lot of beer in Germany.
in Deutschland.
wir – en: Wir fahren mit dem Rad. We’re going by bike.
ihr – t: Kommt ihr mit? Are you coming with us?
Sie – en: Bleiben Sie auch Are you staying at home as well?
zu Hause?
sie – en: Sie machen nicht viel. They don’t do a lot.
• When you answer a question about yourself, you must make sure that you use the
correct verb ending, not just repeat the ending used in the question:
Wo wohnst du? Where do you live?
Ich wohne in einem Dorf. I live in a village.
Was machst du abends? What do you do in the evenings?
Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben. I do my homework.
• When you answer a question about another person, you probably won’t need to
change the verb ending.
Wo wohnt er? Where does he live?
Er wohnt in einem Dorf. He lives in a village.
Was machen sie abends? What do they do in the evenings?
Sie machen ihre Hausaufgaben. They do their homework.
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