Relationships: Grammar & Phonics (AQA GCSE German): Revision Note
Exam code: 8662
To talk about the topic of 'Relationships', you need to know some important grammar - reflexive verbs and pronouns and modal verbs. Let's look at these grammar points in more detail.
Reflexive pronouns & verbs
Ich verstehe mich gut mit meiner Mutter, aber ich streite mich manchmal mit meinem Bruder.
Reflexive verbs are verbs which refer to oneself or each other, e.g. sich verstehen (mit) means 'to get on (with)' and sich streiten (mit) means 'to argue (with)'
They are very useful for talking about relationships - there are lots of reflexive verbs in the vocabulary list you have just seen
If an infinitive includes sich, it is a reflexive verb
Sich is a reflexive pronoun - we need to change both the verb and the reflexive pronoun to match the subject
We often do not use a reflexive pronoun in English translations
Here is a full example of the reflexive verb sich verstehen (mit) - 'to get on well (with)':
pronoun | verb | reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|---|
ich | verstehe | mich |
du | verstehst | dich |
er / sie / es | versteht | sich |
wir | verstehen | uns |
ihr | versteht | euch |
sie / Sie | verstehen | sich |
Here are some other useful reflexive verbs for this topic:
reflexive verb | English | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
sich streiten | to argue | Ich streite mich oft mit meinem Vater. | I often argue with my father. |
sich kümmern um | to take care of | Sie kümmert sich um ihre Oma. | She takes care of her grandmother. |
sich entschuldigen | to apologise | Er entschuldigt sich bei seiner Schwester. | He apologises to his sister. |
Sich streiten (to argue) appears in the AQA vocabulary list as streiten, but in practice it is almost always used as a reflexive verb
You will sound much more natural using sich streiten, e.g. Ich streite mich oft mit meinem Bruder rather than Ich streite oft mit meinem Bruder.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Don't forget the reflexive pronoun - leaving it out is one of the most common errors in writing and speaking tasks. Remember: the reflexive pronoun changes depending on the subject, just like the verb ending does.
Modal verbs
Ich möchte eines Tages heiraten, aber ich will keine Kinder haben.
Modal verbs express ideas such as ability, permission, obligation or desire - they show how someone relates to an action rather than simply describing it
They are particularly useful in this topic for talking about relationships and future plans
Modal verbs are used with an infinitive, which goes to the end of the sentence
Here are the six modal verbs you need to know:
modal verb | English | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
können | can / to be able to | Ich kann gut kommunizieren. | I can communicate well. |
müssen | must / to have to | Man muss seiner Familie vertrauen. | You must trust your family. |
dürfen | may / to be allowed to | Wir dürfen nicht streiten. | We are not allowed to argue. |
sollen | should / be supposed to | Du sollst deinen Eltern helfen. | You should help your parents. |
wollen | to want to | Er will seine Freundin heiraten. | He wants to marry his girlfriend. |
möchten | would like to | Ich möchte eine gute Beziehung haben. | I would like to have a good relationship. |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Don't mix up können and dürfen
In English, "can" is often used for both ability and permission, but in German these are two different verbs
Use können for what someone is able to do, and dürfen for what someone is allowed to do
Here are the present tense form of the two most useful modal verbs for this topic:
pronoun | können (can) | möchten (would like to) |
|---|---|---|
ich | kann | möchte |
du | kannst | möchtest |
er / sie / es | kann | möchte |
wir | können | möchten |
ihr | könnt | möchtet |
sie / Sie | können | möchten |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Using modal verbs is a great way to add variety to your writing and speaking
Try to use at least two different modal verbs in longer task, and always remember to send the infinitive to the end of the sentence!
Relationships: phonics
To produce the ü sound, shape your mouth as if you are going to say 'oo' (as in 'moon'), then try to say 'ee' (as in 'see') without moving your lips
In German, the letter z is never pronounced like the English [z] sound (as in 'zebra') - it is always pronounced as [ts], like the end of the English word 'cats'
This applies wherever z appears in a word - at the beginning, middle or end:
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The ü sound does not exist in English and is one of the most frequently mispronounced sounds by English speakers in the speaking exam. Practise it in isolation first, then in context - the examiner will notice the difference!
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