Grammar

Translate into German: The teacher gives the student a book. She helps her colleague, because his brother's car is broken. Without the neighbours nobody would have noticed it.

1. 01Sentence one: three noun phrases, three cases

   Die Lehrerin (nominative subject) gibt dem Studenten (dative indirect object, and note the weak masculine -n) ein Buch (accusative direct object). Geben takes a dative person and an accusative thing, and German normally puts the dative before the accusative when both are nouns.

2. 02Sentence two: a dative verb

   Sie hilft ihrer Kollegin - helfen takes the dative, so ihrer Kollegin, feminine dative. Choosing der Kollege or die Kollegin changes the ending; with the masculine it would be ihrem Kollegen, again with the weak -n. Getting this right twice in one paragraph is exactly what the AO3 descriptor means by a consistently secure grasp of grammar.

3. 03Build the genitive of possession

   Weil das Auto ihres Bruders kaputt ist. Ihres Bruders is the genitive: masculine genitive of the possessive ihr takes -es, and Bruder adds -s. The genitive phrase follows its noun in German - das Auto ihres Bruders - whereas English puts it first. Weil sends ist to the end.

4. 04Handle the preposition ohne

   Ohne die Nachbarn - ohne always takes the accusative, so die Nachbarn, plural accusative, identical to the nominative here. The fixed-case prepositions are worth learning as two chants: durch, für, gegen, ohne, um take the accusative; aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu take the dative.

5. 05Form the conditional perfect and place the pronoun

   Hätte es niemand bemerkt. Konjunktiv II perfect - hätte plus participle - with the fronted ohne-phrase forcing inversion, so hätte comes second. Es is the accusative object referring back to das Auto, neuter, and it stands directly after the finite verb, which is where short pronouns belong in German.

Result: Die Lehrerin gibt dem Studenten ein Buch. Sie hilft ihrer Kollegin, weil das Auto ihres Bruders kaputt ist. Ohne die Nachbarn hätte es niemand bemerkt.

Correct and justify: In viele deutsche Städte gibt es ein groß Problem mit teuerem Wohnraum. Die jung Leute finden keine bezahlbare Wohnungen, obwohl sie ein gutes Gehalt haben. Am besten Lösung wäre mehr sozialer Wohnungsbau.

1. 01Fix the preposition and its case first

   In vielen deutschen Städten: in answers wo here, so it takes the DATIVE. Vielen is a determiner-like word in the plural, after which the adjective is weak -en, and the noun takes the dative plural -n. Three agreements, all driven by one decision about the preposition.

2. 02Apply the mixed declension to the neuter

   Ein großes Problem. Problem is neuter, and here it is the object of gibt es, so accusative - but neuter nominative and accusative are identical, and in both ein shows no ending, so the adjective must supply the strong -es. This is precisely the cell the table emphasises.

3. 03Repair the strong dative and the spelling of teuer

   Mit teurem Wohnraum. Mit takes the dative; there is no determiner, so the adjective is strong and takes the dative masculine -em. And teuer drops its second e before an ending: teurem, not teuerem - the same contraction happens with dunkel and sauer.

4. 04Fix the two plural forms

   Die jungen Leute: after a definite article the plural adjective ending is always -en. Keine bezahlbaren Wohnungen: keine is a determiner, so the plural adjective is likewise -en. The candidate wrote bezahlbare, which would be correct only with no determiner at all.

5. 05Repair the superlative used attributively

   Die beste Lösung wäre ... . Am besten is the PREDICATIVE superlative and cannot stand before a noun. Attributively you need the superlative stem plus a normal ending after the article: die beste Lösung. Note also that gut is irregular - gut, besser, am besten - so best- is the stem, not gutest-.

Result: In vielen deutschen Städten gibt es ein großes Problem mit teurem Wohnraum. Die jungen Leute finden keine bezahlbaren Wohnungen, obwohl sie ein gutes Gehalt haben. Die beste Lösung wäre mehr sozialer Wohnungsbau.

Translate into English: „Als ich ankam, hatte die Sitzung schon begonnen. Ich habe zwei Stunden warten müssen, weil niemand mir sagen konnte, wo mein Ansprechpartner geblieben war. Um sechs bin ich einfach gegangen."

1. 01Handle als plus the separable verb

   Als ich ankam: ankommen is separable, but in a subordinate clause it stays whole and moves to the end - ankam. Als means when for a single past event. English: when I arrived.

2. 02Read the pluperfect and its aspect

   Hatte die Sitzung schon begonnen: the meeting had already begun. Beginnen is strong - beginnen, begann, begonnen - and takes haben. The pluperfect is doing real work here: it places the start of the meeting before the arrival, which is the whole point of the sentence.

3. 03Recognise the double infinitive

   Ich habe zwei Stunden warten müssen is the perfect of a modal: I had to wait for two hours. Two infinitives, no participle - müssen, not gemusst. This is the A-level active item, and rendering it as I have had to wait needing rather than had to wait is the usual overtranslation.

4. 04Unpack the nested subordinate clause

   Weil niemand mir sagen konnte, wo mein Ansprechpartner geblieben war: because nobody could tell me where my contact had got to. Konnte is last in the weil-clause after the infinitive sagen; war is last in the wo-clause after the participle. Bleiben takes sein, hence war geblieben, and wo jemand geblieben ist idiomatically means where someone has got to.

5. 05Translate the closing sentence's register

   Um sechs bin ich einfach gegangen: at six I simply left. Gehen takes sein. Einfach here is not simply in the sense of easily but in the sense of just - it carries the speaker's exasperation, and dropping it flattens the tone the whole passage has been building.

Result: When I arrived, the meeting had already begun. I had to wait for two hours, because nobody could tell me where my contact had got to. At six I simply left.

Translate into German: Although the government had promised more money for schools last year, many teachers say that nothing has changed. If the funds had arrived earlier, the situation would be different today.

1. 01Build the concessive clause with a pluperfect

   Obwohl die Regierung im vergangenen Jahr mehr Geld für Schulen versprochen hatte. Obwohl sends the whole verb complex to the end, and in a pluperfect the auxiliary hatte goes last of all, after the participle. Im vergangenen Jahr sits inside the clause, in the time slot.

2. 02Invert the main clause after the fronted subordinate clause

   ..., sagen viele Lehrerinnen und Lehrer, ... . The whole obwohl-clause is the first element, so the finite verb sagen must come immediately after the comma, with the subject behind it. Writing viele Lehrer sagen here is the single most common word-order error at A-level.

3. 03Attach the dass-clause with the right tense

   Dass sich nichts geändert habe. Dass sends the verb to the end; sich ändern is reflexive, and the pronoun sich stands right after dass because it is a short element. Habe is Konjunktiv I, marking reported speech after a verb of saying - an A-level active item, and geändert habe puts the auxiliary last.

4. 04Form the mixed conditional

   Wären die Mittel früher angekommen, ... - the wenn-less conditional from the A-level list, where the clause simply begins with the finite verb. Ankommen takes sein, so wären ... angekommen, a Konjunktiv II perfect. Die Mittel is the standard German for funds in this sense.

5. 05Complete with a present-time consequence

   ..., wäre die Lage heute eine andere. The condition is in the past but the consequence is in the present, which is why the main clause uses the simple Konjunktiv II wäre rather than a perfect. Eine andere with the mixed feminine ending; die Lage is the situation, more idiomatic here than die Situation.

Result: Obwohl die Regierung im vergangenen Jahr mehr Geld für Schulen versprochen hatte, sagen viele Lehrerinnen und Lehrer, dass sich nichts geändert habe. Wären die Mittel früher angekommen, wäre die Lage heute eine andere.

Translate into German: The minister said that the money had already been paid out and that the schools were responsible themselves. Headteachers reply that they have received nothing. If the sums had arrived on time, the equipment would have been ordered long ago.

1. 01Report the first claim with Konjunktiv I and a passive

   Der Minister sagte, das Geld sei bereits ausgezahlt worden. Sei plus participle plus worden is the past passive in Konjunktiv I - three elements in the right order, with worden last. Auszahlen is separable, so the participle is ausgezahlt.

2. 02Coordinate the second reported clause

   Und die Schulen seien selbst verantwortlich. Seien is the plural Konjunktiv I of sein, which is distinguishable from the indicative sind, so no switch to Konjunktiv II is needed here. Selbst means themselves in the emphatic sense and stands before the adjective.

3. 03Apply the collision rule to the third-person plural

   Schulleiterinnen und Schulleiter entgegnen, sie hätten nichts erhalten. The Konjunktiv I of haben in the plural would be haben, identical to the indicative, so German switches to Konjunktiv II hätten. This is the rule in action, and using it correctly is one of the clearest markers of an advanced candidate.

4. 04Build the unreal past condition

   Wären die Mittel rechtzeitig eingetroffen - the wenn-less form again, with eintreffen taking sein, so wären ... eingetroffen. Rechtzeitig is on time; die Mittel is the funds. Beginning a conditional with the verb is stylistically formal and entirely correct.

5. 05Complete with a conditional perfect passive

   ..., wäre die Ausstattung längst bestellt worden. Konjunktiv II perfect passive: wäre plus participle plus worden. Längst means long since. Note the sequence of three verb forms at the end of the clause, which is exactly the kind of complex structure the AO3 top band describes as manipulated accurately where required by the task.

Result: Der Minister sagte, das Geld sei bereits ausgezahlt worden und die Schulen seien selbst verantwortlich. Schulleiterinnen und Schulleiter entgegnen, sie hätten nichts erhalten. Wären die Mittel rechtzeitig eingetroffen, wäre die Ausstattung längst bestellt worden.

Translate into German: We hung the poster on the wall next to the door. During the discussion many pupils complained about the noise, and the teacher promised to do something about it. Nobody had thought of that beforehand.

1. 01Choose accusative for the hanging

   Wir haben das Plakat an die Wand gehängt. An is a Wechselpräposition, the question is wohin, and the poster moves onto the wall, so ACCUSATIVE: an die Wand. Note also that hängen is weak when transitive - hängen, hängte, gehängt - but strong when intransitive: das Plakat hing an der Wand.

2. 02Keep the second preposition consistent

   Neben die Tür - the poster's final position is also being specified as a destination, so neben likewise takes the accusative here. If you were describing where it now hangs, both would switch to the dative: an der Wand neben der Tür. Deciding once and applying it twice is the discipline.

3. 03Use the genitive after während

   Während der Diskussion. Während governs the genitive in written German - der Diskussion, feminine genitive. In speech you will hear während dem, but the exam register wants the genitive, and it costs nothing.

4. 04Attach the verb's own preposition

   Beschwerten sich viele Schülerinnen und Schüler über den Lärm. Sich beschweren über takes the accusative. Because während der Diskussion is fronted, the finite verb beschwerten comes second and the reflexive sich follows it immediately.

5. 05Use the prepositional adverb twice

   Der Lehrer versprach, etwas dagegen zu unternehmen. Daran hatte vorher niemand gedacht. Dagegen replaces gegen plus a thing; daran replaces an plus a thing after denken an. Both are da-words because the reference is inanimate - and daran is fronted in the last sentence, so the pluperfect hatte stands second.

Result: Wir haben das Plakat an die Wand neben die Tür gehängt. Während der Diskussion beschwerten sich viele Schülerinnen und Schüler über den Lärm, und der Lehrer versprach, etwas dagegen zu unternehmen. Daran hatte vorher niemand gedacht.