Innovation in Language Learning

Teaching German to beginner and intermediate-level students presents numerous challenges, and mastering the verb system is one of the major difficulties. For first-year students, the problems are not limited to memorising verb forms, but also include understanding and using them in communicative contexts. Irregular verbs, verbs with separable prefixes, modal verbs, verb placement within a sentence and the use of different tenses can lead to persistent errors and may affect students’ confidence in using German.

This paper presents the teaching experience gained in teaching German verbs to first-year students at proficiency levels A1–B1, and proposes an approach aimed at moving from a predominantly formal learning of grammatical rules to their use in communicative situations. Conjugation activities and consolidation exercises are integrated with dialogues, language games, pair and group work, problem-based scenarios, and oral and written production tasks.

A central aspect of the approach is the contextualisation of the verb. Rather than students learning verb forms in isolation, these are introduced and practised in contexts closely resembling their everyday and academic communication situations. The activities are progressively adapted to the students’ level of proficiency, starting with the production of simple utterances and progressing to more complex interactions and communicative tasks.

The paper also discusses the difficulties observed in the learning process and the role of feedback, repetition and a variety of activities in consolidating grammatical competence. The experience presented supports the need for a balance between grammatical accuracy and communicative fluency, so that grammar is perceived not as an end in itself, but as a necessary tool for communication.

Keywords: German language; grammar teaching; German verbs; A1–B1; communicative approach.

References

• Fandrych, C.,  Thurmair, M. (2018). Grammatik im Fach Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache: Grundlagen und Vermittlung. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag.
• Funk, H.,  Koenig, M. (1991). Grammatik lehren und lernen. Berlin: Langenscheidt.
• Helbig, G.,  Buscha, J. (2013). Deutsche Grammatik: Ein Handbuch für den Ausländerunterricht. München: Klett-Langenscheidt.