Lesson 5 - Fliegen
Continuing with our theme of travel, we will move towards the fascinating world of air travel. Germans love to travel by air, as well as by train. Lufthansa is the major German airline along with their partner Airwings. Flying on a plane through Europe is an enjoyable experience with larger planes and great service. Many people are also familiar with Frankfurter Flughafen - the 4th largest airport in Europe.
The grammar topic for this lesson is the comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs. This might seem frightening when you look at the names, but in reality, this is a fairly straight forward topic. Comparative and the superlative is very similar in English compared to German. Think: Good, better, best - tall, taller, tallest. That is what we are covering.
Objectives:
1. Students will create sentences focusing on air travel vocabulary.
2. Students will compare various object using the comaprative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs.
The grammar topic for this lesson is the comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs. This might seem frightening when you look at the names, but in reality, this is a fairly straight forward topic. Comparative and the superlative is very similar in English compared to German. Think: Good, better, best - tall, taller, tallest. That is what we are covering.
Objectives:
1. Students will create sentences focusing on air travel vocabulary.
2. Students will compare various object using the comaprative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs.
Activity 1 - Fliegen Vokabeln
The vast majority of people, who travel to Europe, will use flight as their main method of transportation. As a result, those learning German will first encounter the language en route. This vocabulary selection focuses on the words necessary to travel via planes abroad.
Nouns
der Abflug, -ü e - departure die Aktentasche, -n - briefcase die Angestellte, -n - employee die Bordkarte, -n - boarding pass der Brieffreund, -e - pen pal die Einkaufstasche, -n - shoppying bag das Fenster, - - window der Flug, -ü e - flight der Fluggast, -ä e - flight passenger der Flughafen, -ä - airport der Flugschein, -e - flight ticket der Flugsteig, -e - gate (airport) der Gang, -ä e - aisle die Haltestelle, -n - stop die Handtasche, -n - purse das Paket, -e - package der Pilot, - en - pilot (male) die Pilotin, -nen - pilot (female) der Reisepass, -ä e - passport der Rucksack, -ä e - backpack, knapsack die Tasche, -n - bag das Taxi, -s - taxi der Weg, -e - way, path |
Verbs
ab°fleigen (ist abgeflogen) - to take off (plane) ab°holen - to pick up sich beeilen - to hurry kennen lernen - to get to know landen - to land rollen - to roll tragen (trägt, getragen) - to carry übernachten - to stay overnight Adjectives and Adverbs pünktlich - punctual schwer - heavy |
Activity 1 - Games
Practice your new vocabulary words by clicking on the link below. There is a crossword and arcade games to play. Kreuzworträtsel |
Activity 1 - Quiz
Once you have practiced the vocabulary for the unit, work on the quiz. For this quiz, you will be translating sentences from English to German and from German to English. Each translation is worth 2 points for a total of 10. Fliegen Quiz |
Activity 2 - Comparative and Superlative of Adjectives and Adverbs
It is common in language to use adjectives and adverbs to demonstrate the differences between two objects. The forms used to express these differences is the comparative and superlative. It is likely that these forms are not discussed frequently in English classes, but they are very useful to know. The German and English forms are very similar to one another with the structures using suffixes. There are a few irregular forms, like there is in English. Thankfully, there are relatively few of these in number.
English
When using the comparative, we use the er ending. For example: The girl is tall (positive sentence). The boy is taller (comparative). For the superlative, we add the est ending. For example: The girl is tall (positive). The boy is taller (comparative). The Mann is the tallest (superlative).
Creating the Comparative
Just like in English, er is added to the end of the adjective or adverb. The form without the ending is called the positive. Once er is added, the form is known as the comparative. An umlaut is added to 1 syllable words with an a, o, or u.
groß - größer (tall - taller)
schön - schöner (pretty - prettier)
alt - älter (old - older)
Using the English Example:
Das Mädchen ist groß. Der Junge ist größer.
Creating the Superlative
The superlative is just slightly different from the English version. In this case, you will add sten to the end of the adjective. You will continue to use an additional umlaut when there is a 1 syllable word with an a, o, or u. With the superlative you will also add the word am prior to the adjective. The am stands for "The". So you will not be using a form of der, die, or das. One final note, when the adjective or adverb ends in a d, t, z, s, ß, or ss, you will add an extra e before the sten. The exception to this rule is groß. Look at the examples below.
groß - größer - am größten (no extra e is added) - tall - taller - the tallest
schön - schöner - am schönsten - pretty - prettier - the prettiest
alt - älter - am ältesten - old - older - the oldest
Continuing the English example:
Das Mädchen ist groß. Der Junge ist größer. Der Mann ist am größten.
Comparing Like Items
When you want to say that something is as ---- as, you use the phrase so --- wie. In German wie means like (similar). So to say the girl is as tall as the boy, you would say in German: Das Mädchen ist so groß wie der Junge.
Comparing Two Different Items
When you want to say something is better, larger, faster, etc. than something else, you will use the comparative (er form) followed by the word als. So to say the girl is taller than the boy, you would say: Das Mädchen ist größer als der Junge.
Exceptions
Just like in English, there are exceptions to the rule. We do not say that something is good, gooder, and the goodest. We say instead that something is good, better, and the best. There are three adjectives that we will learn as the exceptions. Luckily they are the exceptions in English, so they are easier to remember.
gut - besser - am besten (good - better - the best)
viel - mehr - am meisten (many - more - the most)
gern - lieber - am liebsten (like - prefer - prefer the most)
Please note that in English, with adjectives or adverbs that are more than 1 syllable, we often add the words more or most. For example: beautiful, more beautiful, the most beautiful. In German these extra words are not added. Instead, they would say: hübsch, hübscher, am hübschsten.
Important Note
Do NOT place adjectives before nouns. As with all articles, adjectives are declined as well. This is something we cover in German 3, so for now keep your sentences incredibly simple. We will not say the tallest boy is here. Instead, we will keep to Der Junge ist am größten. The boy is the tallest.
English
When using the comparative, we use the er ending. For example: The girl is tall (positive sentence). The boy is taller (comparative). For the superlative, we add the est ending. For example: The girl is tall (positive). The boy is taller (comparative). The Mann is the tallest (superlative).
Creating the Comparative
Just like in English, er is added to the end of the adjective or adverb. The form without the ending is called the positive. Once er is added, the form is known as the comparative. An umlaut is added to 1 syllable words with an a, o, or u.
groß - größer (tall - taller)
schön - schöner (pretty - prettier)
alt - älter (old - older)
Using the English Example:
Das Mädchen ist groß. Der Junge ist größer.
Creating the Superlative
The superlative is just slightly different from the English version. In this case, you will add sten to the end of the adjective. You will continue to use an additional umlaut when there is a 1 syllable word with an a, o, or u. With the superlative you will also add the word am prior to the adjective. The am stands for "The". So you will not be using a form of der, die, or das. One final note, when the adjective or adverb ends in a d, t, z, s, ß, or ss, you will add an extra e before the sten. The exception to this rule is groß. Look at the examples below.
groß - größer - am größten (no extra e is added) - tall - taller - the tallest
schön - schöner - am schönsten - pretty - prettier - the prettiest
alt - älter - am ältesten - old - older - the oldest
Continuing the English example:
Das Mädchen ist groß. Der Junge ist größer. Der Mann ist am größten.
Comparing Like Items
When you want to say that something is as ---- as, you use the phrase so --- wie. In German wie means like (similar). So to say the girl is as tall as the boy, you would say in German: Das Mädchen ist so groß wie der Junge.
Comparing Two Different Items
When you want to say something is better, larger, faster, etc. than something else, you will use the comparative (er form) followed by the word als. So to say the girl is taller than the boy, you would say: Das Mädchen ist größer als der Junge.
Exceptions
Just like in English, there are exceptions to the rule. We do not say that something is good, gooder, and the goodest. We say instead that something is good, better, and the best. There are three adjectives that we will learn as the exceptions. Luckily they are the exceptions in English, so they are easier to remember.
gut - besser - am besten (good - better - the best)
viel - mehr - am meisten (many - more - the most)
gern - lieber - am liebsten (like - prefer - prefer the most)
Please note that in English, with adjectives or adverbs that are more than 1 syllable, we often add the words more or most. For example: beautiful, more beautiful, the most beautiful. In German these extra words are not added. Instead, they would say: hübsch, hübscher, am hübschsten.
Important Note
Do NOT place adjectives before nouns. As with all articles, adjectives are declined as well. This is something we cover in German 3, so for now keep your sentences incredibly simple. We will not say the tallest boy is here. Instead, we will keep to Der Junge ist am größten. The boy is the tallest.
Activity 2 - Adjectives Assignment
For this assigment, you will be working with a Google Doc. Click on the link below and it will force you to make a copy. Be sure to add the assignment name and your name to the document before sharing it with me. For this assignment, you will be filling in the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. The positive will be provided. Once this document is graded, it will be an excellent document for you to keep and use as a reference. Watch out for those irregular forms! Adjectives Assignment |
Activity 2 - Quiz
For this quiz, you will be given an adjective or adverb. You will provide the comparative for one section and the superlative in another. Be sure to provide your name and e-mail address, so that your assignment can be graded and the results sent to your e-mail. Each form is worth 1 point each for a total of 10 points. Be sure to pay attention to irregular forms and when you must add an umlaut to a word and/or an e before the sten ending. Am must be included with the superlative to count as a full point. Comparative and Superlative Quiz |
Activity 2 - Comparative and Superlative Project
As a part of this lesson, you will be demonstrating your understanding of the comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs. You will be creating a set of three sentences that use the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of the adjective or adverb. Be as creative as you would like to be with these sentences. You will need to create 5 sets of sentences (or a total of 15 sentences). That means you will use 5 different adjectives for this project. Example sentences will be provided below.
As a second part of the project, you will need to illustrate 2 sets of sentences. These illustrations can be taken from the internet (with proper credit provided) or illustrated on your own. It is up to you, but the meaning of the sentences should be understood by the pictures. A rubric has been provided to help you understand the requirements.
You will need to create a Google Doc. Be sure to title the document and provide your name, so that your project can be graded.
For example:
Ich fahre meinen Volkswagen schnell. (positive)
Ich fahre mein BMW schneller. (comparative)
Ich fahre meine Porsche am schnellsten (superlative)
Die Katze ist laut.
Der Hund ist lauter.
Der Löwe ist am lautesten.
Comparative and Superlative Project Rubric
As a part of this lesson, you will be demonstrating your understanding of the comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs. You will be creating a set of three sentences that use the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of the adjective or adverb. Be as creative as you would like to be with these sentences. You will need to create 5 sets of sentences (or a total of 15 sentences). That means you will use 5 different adjectives for this project. Example sentences will be provided below.
As a second part of the project, you will need to illustrate 2 sets of sentences. These illustrations can be taken from the internet (with proper credit provided) or illustrated on your own. It is up to you, but the meaning of the sentences should be understood by the pictures. A rubric has been provided to help you understand the requirements.
You will need to create a Google Doc. Be sure to title the document and provide your name, so that your project can be graded.
For example:
Ich fahre meinen Volkswagen schnell. (positive)
Ich fahre mein BMW schneller. (comparative)
Ich fahre meine Porsche am schnellsten (superlative)
Die Katze ist laut.
Der Hund ist lauter.
Der Löwe ist am lautesten.
Comparative and Superlative Project Rubric
Summary - Lesson 5
For this lesson, we covered the vocabulary for flying. We discussed the plane, documents for air travel, and different words associated with an airplane or airport. The grammar topic focuses on the comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs. Like English, the endings are very simliar. For comparative you will add an er ending and for the superlative you will add sten to the end of the adjective or adverb. With both forms, it is important note the syllables. If the word is only 1 syllable - umlauts will be added to a, o, or u. For the superlative, those adjectives ending in a d, t, z, s, ß, or ss will add en extra e before the sten. Am is added before the superlative form. Do not forgot those irregular forms!
From here we will now journey to a section that is a bit more difficult (mainly because it is a form of verbs we do not use frequently in English). We will learn about reflexive sentences. As well our vocabulary continues with the theme of travel, this time focusing on camping vocabulary. So grab your tent and head to the next lesson. Letzte Lektion ist gut. Diese Lektion ist besser. Aber nächste Lektion ist am besten!
From here we will now journey to a section that is a bit more difficult (mainly because it is a form of verbs we do not use frequently in English). We will learn about reflexive sentences. As well our vocabulary continues with the theme of travel, this time focusing on camping vocabulary. So grab your tent and head to the next lesson. Letzte Lektion ist gut. Diese Lektion ist besser. Aber nächste Lektion ist am besten!