Childhood, family, friends, and peer group

Question 1

useful phrases about childhood

Answer 1

Ich bin in … geboren (I was born in)

Er war ein stures Kind (he was a stubborn child)

Wir durften nich alleine zur Schule gehen (we weren’t allowed to go to school on our own)

Ich musste keine Hausaufgaben machen (I didn’t have to do any homework)

Mit … Jahren konnte ich … (at … years old I could …)

Er wollte … werden (he wanted to be a …)

Question 2

using tenses to talk about family

Answer 2

in the speaking exam, include as many tenses as possible when discussing your family

• who your family consists of in the present
• description of an occasion with a family member in the past
• family plans in the future
• something you would like to change about your family

Question 3

useful phrases about friends

Answer 3

Freunde finde ich sehr wichtig (I find friends very important)

Wir kommen gut miteinander aus (we get on well with each other)

Ich kenne meine beste Freundin seit der Grundschule (I have known my best friend since primary school)

Die ideale Freundin/Freund sollte meiner Meinung nach … (The ideal friend, in my opinion, should be…)

Question 4

strategies for translating into German (3)

Answer 4

• use the opposite word with a negative
• change an adjective into a phrase involving a verb (e.g. er mag Sport)
• use a word similar to English (e.g. sporty is aktiv in German, which has a very similar meaning)

Question 5

justifying opinions

Answer 5

-always justify opinions by adding a weil or dass clause to the reason

• you could use an um… zu.. clause (in order to/to)
  (e. g. Man muss ehrlich sein, um Probleme unter Freunden zu vermeiden)

-or start with a justification:
damit man eine gute Freundschaft bildet, muss man offen und treu sein