Life at School: Grammar & Phonics (AQA GCSE German): Revision Note

To talk about life at school, you can use opinion phrases to say what you think and why, comparatives to compare things such as subjects, teachers and facilities, and superlatives (Higher tier) to say what is the most or least of something. Let's look at these grammar points in more detail.

Giving opinions

Ich finde, dass die Sommerferien in Deutschland kürzer als in England sind.
I find that the summer holidays in Germany are shorter than in England.

• Being able to give and justify opinions is essential for this topic, and for every skill in the exam

• Examiners at both tiers specifically reward the use of opinion phrases followed by a reason, so it is worth building these structures into your answers as a habit

Opinion phrases

The following phrases are all high-frequency and directly useful for talking about school:

• The three dass-phrases all work the same way. Dass is a subordinating conjunction - it sends the verb to the end of the clause:

  • Ich finde, dass Biologie interessant ist. I find that biology is interesting.

  • Ich denke, dass der Lehrer zu streng ist. I think that the teacher is too strict.

  • Ich glaube, dass die Schule eine gute Kantine hat. I believe that the school has a good canteen.

• Meiner Meinung nach works differently - it does not take dass. Instead, it causes the verb to come before the subject (inversion):

  • Meiner Meinung nach ist Physik das schwierigste Fach. In my opinion, physics is the most difficult subject.

• You can also use ich finde without dass by placing an adjective directly after the noun:

  • Ich finde Mathe schwierig. I find maths difficult.

Adding a reason with weil and denn

• An opinion is always stronger when it is followed by a reason

• The two main ways to give a reason are weil and denn, both meaning 'because'

• weil sends the verb to the end:

  • Ich finde Deutsch toll, weil der Lehrer sehr freundlich ist. I find German great because the teacher is very friendly.

  • Ich mag Mathe nicht, weil die Hausaufgaben sehr schwer sind. I don't like maths because the homework is very difficult.

• denn doesn't change the word order, it stays the same as in a normal sentence:

  • Ich finde Deutsch toll, denn der Lehrer ist sehr freundlich. I find German great, as the teacher is very friendly

• Both weil and denn mean the same thing but use different word order

• Weil is more commonly expected in GCSE writing tasks; denn is a useful alternative, particularly in speaking

Comparatives

Deutsch ist interessanter als Mathe und leichter als Physik. German is more interesting than maths and easier than physics

• Use comparatives to compare two things, for example, when talking about which subjects you find more difficult, more interesting or more useful

• In German, comparatives are formed by adding -er directly to the adjective, followed by als ('than'). There are three key structures:

  • adjektiv + -er + als = more… than
    Biologie ist interessanter als Chemie. Biology is more interesting than chemistry.

  • weniger + adjektiv + als = less… than
    Biologie ist weniger interessant als Chemie. Biology is less interesting than chemistry.

  • so + adjektiv + wie = as… as
    Biologie ist so interessant wie Chemie. Biology is as interesting as chemistry.

Umlaut changes

Many short, common adjectives add an umlaut in the comparative. This is a frequent source of errors, so it is worth learning these carefully:

• Der Schultag in Deutschland ist kürzer als in England. The school day in Germany is shorter than in England.

Irregular comparatives

The words for 'better' and 'worse' are irregular:

• gut → besser als - better than

• schlecht → schlechter als - worse than
  

• Kunst ist besser als Chemie. Art is better than chemistry.

• Physik ist schlechter als Musik. Physics is worse than music.

Superlatives

Higher tier only

This grammar is only required for Higher tier.

Deutsch ist das interessanteste Fach. German is the most interesting subject.

• A superlative means 'the most + adjective' - use it to say something is the biggest, the most interesting, the best, etc

• In German, there are two superlative structures, depending on where the adjective sits in the sentence

  • After a verb, use am + adjektiv + -sten:
    Deutsch ist am interessantesten. German is the most interesting.
    Physik ist am schwierigsten. Physics is the most difficult.

  • Before a noun, use the definite article + adjektiv + -ste (with the appropriate ending for gender and case):
    Deutsch ist das interessanteste Fach. German is the most interesting subject.
    Physik ist das schwierigste Fach. Physics is the most difficult subject.

• The am …-sten form is used when the adjective follows a verb. The das/die/das …-ste form is used when the adjective directly precedes a noun and must agree with it.

Umlaut changes in superlatives

The same adjectives that take an umlaut in the comparative also take one in the superlative. Let's look at the same table from earlier:

• Ich bin einer der jüngsten Schüler in meiner Klasse. I am one of the youngest pupils in my class

• Kunst ist das einfachste Fach. Art is the easiest subject

• Mein Freund hat die schlechtesten Noten. My friend has the worst grades

• Remember, when using a superlative before a noun, you must use the correct definite article for that noun (der, die or das) depending on its gender and case.

Irregular superlatives

The words for 'best' and 'worst' are irregular:

• gut → am besten / (das) beste - the best
  Kunst ist das beste Fach. Art is the best subject.

• schlecht → am schlechtesten / (das) schlechteste - the worst
  Physik ist das schlechteste Fach. Physics is the worst subject.

Adding contrast with obwohl (higher tier only)

• obwohl (although) is a subordinating conjunction like weil - it sends the verb to the end

• Obwohl is a Foundation tier vocabulary item, but using it confidently to construct complex sentences is a strong way to demonstrate grammatical range — particularly in the writing exam, where linking contrasting ideas in a single sentence will help you access higher marks

  • Ich finde Physik interessant, obwohl es sehr schwer ist. I find physics interesting, although it is very difficult.

  • Obwohl die Regel streng ist, finde ich sie wichtig. Although the rule is strict, I find it important.

• When obwohl starts the sentence, the main clause that follows uses inversion - the verb comes before the subject

• A useful way to remember this is the verb-comma-verb rule: the verb in the obwohl clause and the verb in the main clause end up on either side of the comma

  • Obwohl er krank war, ging er zur Schule. — Although he was ill, he went to school.

Life at school: phonics

• The hard ch (ach-Laut) appears after the vowels a, o, u and au

• It sounds like the ch in the Scottish word loch, made at the back of the throat
  das Fach
  schwach
  auch
  die Sprache

• The vowel combination au is always pronounced like the 'ow' in the English word 'cow'
  die Hausaufgaben
  die Pause
  Austausch