Grade 7 German GETTING AROUND (IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD)- Listening and Speaking – Active Listening, Oral Expressions Notes
GETTING AROUND (IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD) — Listening & Speaking (German)
- a) identify necessary vocabulary for learning (places, directions, common verbs)
- b) listen actively to short German texts and notice grammar pieces (prepositions, cases, verbs)
- c) appreciate how vocabulary connects to grammar (e.g., which preposition + case a place requires)
1. Important vocabulary (with gender & plural) — useful for neighbourhood / directions
(show the article so learners can notice grammatical gender and form sentences correctly)
- der Markt (die Märkte) — market
- die Schule (die Schulen) — school
- das Café (die Cafés) — café
- die Bäckerei (die Bäckereien) — bakery
- der Supermarkt (die Supermärkte) — supermarket
- die Bank (die Banken) — bank
- die Straße (die Straßen) — street
- die Haltestelle (die Haltestellen) — bus stop
- der Park (die Parks) — park
- die Kirche (die Kirchen) — church
- das Krankenhaus (die Krankenhäuser) — hospital
- die Ampel (die Ampeln) — traffic light
Tip: learn the article (der / die / das) with the noun. The article decides adjective endings and case forms in sentences.
2. Key grammar: prepositions of place and movement (Wechselpräpositionen)
Some prepositions change case depending on whether there is movement (direction) or location (where). These are called Wechselpräpositionen:
- Use Accusative when there is movement toward a place (Wo gehst du hin?) → direction.
- Use Dative when stating location (Wo bist du?) → position.
Ich gehe in das (ins) Café. — I go into the café. (movement → accusative)
Er fährt durch die Straße. — He drives along the street.
Ich bin im Café. — I am in the café. (im = in + dem)
Sie wartet an der Haltestelle. — She waits at the bus stop.
Examples with common place words:
- Wohin gehst du? — Ich gehe in die Schule. (accusative: movement)
- Wo bist du? — Ich bin in der Schule. (dative: location)
- Setz dich auf den Stuhl (mov.) vs. auf dem Stuhl (loc.)
3. Important verbs and separable verbs (movement & directions)
Common verbs: gehen, laufen, fahren, kommen, nehmen.
Separable verbs used for transport or leaving/entering: einsteigen (to get on), aussteigen (to get off), umsteigen (to change/train/bus). In present simple sentences the prefix separates:
Ich steige ein. — I get in/on. | Er steigt aus. — He gets off.
Modal verbs for polite questions: können — Können Sie mir sagen, wie ich zum Markt komme?
4. Word order: questions & subordinate clauses
Direct questions: Verb comes second in main clause:
Wie komme ich zum Park? (How do I get to the park?)
In subordinate clauses the verb moves to the end:
Ich weiß nicht, wie ich zum Park komme. — note komme at the end.
5. Giving directions: imperative forms
Common imperatives for directions:
- Geh geradeaus! — Go straight on! (du)
- Gehen Sie rechts! — Turn right! (formal Sie)
- Nimm die erste Straße links. — Take the first street on the left.
- Biegen Sie an der Ampel links ab. — Turn left at the traffic light.
Note formality: use du (friends) or Sie (adults/strangers). Imperative changes with pronoun.
6. Active listening tasks — focus on grammar
Instruction for learners: when you listen, try to pick out the prepositions, verbs of motion and articles. These tell you the grammar (case and movement).
Person A: «Entschuldigung, wo ist die Bäckerei?»
Person B: «Geh geradeaus, dann links. Die Bäckerei ist neben dem Park.»
- Listen and underline the prepositions you hear.
- Is the preposition neben here showing movement or location? (Answer: location → dative)
- What article appears with Park? (dem Park) → shows dative.
«Fährst du zum Markt? Ja, ich fahre zum Markt und steige an der nächsten Haltestelle aus.»
- Which word shows direction to the market? (zum = zu + dem)
- Which separable verb is used and what does it mean? (aussteigen — to get off)
- Why is zum used instead of in den? Explain: zu is used to say 'to' a nearby place; in would be 'into'.
After listening, learners should write the key prepositions and mark them as ACC (movement) or DAT (location).
7. Short practice (fill-ins) — focus on case
Choose the correct article (accusative or dative) and fill in:
- Ich gehe in ___ (die Schule). → Ich gehe in die Schule. (movement = acc.)
- Ich bin in ___ (die Schule). → Ich bin in der Schule. (location = dat.)
- Setz dich auf ___ (der Stuhl). → Setz dich auf den Stuhl. (move → acc.)
- Das Buch liegt auf ___ (der Tisch). → Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (location → dat.)
- Wir fahren ___ (der Markt). → Wir fahren zum Markt. (zu + dem)
Answers are shown above for self-check. Encourage learners to explain why they chose accusative or dative.
8. Oral expressions / Role-play (pair work)
Activity: In pairs — one is a tourist, the other a local. Use imperative and prepositions. Focus on correct cases.
Local: «Geh geradeaus. Dann nimm die zweite Straße links. Die Schule ist neben dem Park.»
Tourist: «Danke! Kannst du mir sagen, ob ich mit dem Bus fahren muss?»
Focus-point for teacher: listen for correct article endings (den/dem), prepositions (in/auf/neben), and correct imperative usage.
9. Why vocabulary matters for grammar
Every noun has a gender and that affects the article (der/die/das) and the form it takes in accusative/dative. The preposition you choose with a place word often decides which case you must use. So learning vocabulary together with the article and typical prepositions helps you form correct sentences and understand what you hear.
Example: learn die Haltestelle (f.) with phrases like an der Haltestelle (at the stop) and an die Haltestelle (to the stop). Listening will help you notice the difference.
Teacher notes (short)
- Emphasize learning nouns with their articles and common prepositions.
- When playing recorded dialogues, ask learners to note prepositions and the article forms they hear.
- Use pair role-play to practice imperatives and direction phrases; monitor case use (acc vs dat).
- Keep sentences short and repeat key phrases to support active listening.