Studying and My Future - Vocabulary and Talking About Plans
Learn the German vocabulary for school, university and careers, and how to say what you will do with the future tense (werden + infinitive). Talk about your own plans with confidence.
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Talking about your future 🎓
Thematic Context 5 is all about **studying and the future** - school, university, careers and ambitions. You will learn the key **vocabulary** (with its article, so you know the gender) and, most usefully, how to **talk about your plans** using the **future tense**: the verb *werden* plus an infinitive at the end. Get that pattern and you can say what you will do about almost anything.
Words for school and the future 🗂️
Learn each noun WITH its article - that is how you remember its gender. (Notice that German writes every noun with a capital letter.)
Match the German to the English 🔗
- die Schule
- die Universität
- der Beruf
- die Zukunft
- school
- university
- job / career
- the future
What does it mean? 🔍
Your German exchange partner talks about their plans for "die Zukunft". What are they talking about?
- The future
- Their homework
- Their school
- A specific job
The future tense: werden + infinitive ➡️
To say what you **will** do, use the verb ***werden*** plus an **infinitive** - and send that infinitive to the **END** of the clause. - ich **werde** studieren - I will study\n- du **wirst** arbeiten - you will work\n- er / sie **wird** reisen - he / she will travel\n- wir **werden** an der Universität studieren - we will study at university\n\nTo say how long you have been doing something that is still going on, use **seit + present**: *ich lerne seit zwei Jahren Deutsch* - I have been learning German for two years.
Complete the plans ✏️
To say what you will do, use the verb _____ plus an infinitive at the end. So "I will study" is "ich _____ studieren". A polite way to say "I would" is "ich _____" [Higher]. The word for career is der _____, and the word for the future is die _____.
Which one is the future? 🧭
Which sentence uses the future tense (werden + infinitive) to talk about a plan?
- Ich werde Medizin studieren (I will study medicine)
- Ich studiere Medizin (I study medicine)
- Ich habe Medizin studiert (I studied medicine)
- Ich studiere seit einem Jahr Medizin (I have been studying medicine for a year)
Two useful patterns ⚖️
Keep these two apart - they answer different questions. One looks forward; one shows how long something has been going on.
Match each phrase to its meaning 🧩
- ich werde studieren
- du wirst arbeiten
- ich würde reisen [Higher]
- ich lerne seit zwei Jahren
- I will study
- you will work
- I would travel
- I have been learning for two years
Which talk about the future? ✅
Select the TWO sentences that talk about a future plan.
- Ich werde nach Berlin reisen (I will travel to Berlin)
- Ich werde einen Beruf finden (I will find a job)
- Gestern habe ich Deutsch gelernt (Yesterday I learned German)
- Jetzt esse ich einen Apfel (Now I am eating an apple)
Build the sentence 🪜
An interactive activity.
Say it in German 💬
An interactive activity.
Du bist dran! (Your turn) ✍️
An interactive activity.
The grade-9 habit 🌟
Two things push a German answer up. First, the **future tense** (werden + infinitive, infinitive at the **end**) is your reliable tool for any plan - use it confidently and often. Second, small details win marks: get your **umlauts** right (die Universität, die Zukunft), give every **noun a capital letter** and the correct **article**, and remember **seit + present** for ongoing study. If you can also drop in a conditional - "ich würde..." [Higher] - you show real range. Plan it, spell it, capitalise it.