This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within English to German translation: gold structures for GCSE German. Revise English to German translation: gold structures in Writing and Translation into German for GCSE German with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- Read the whole English sentence before you write a single word of German — understand the meaning first
- Get the key message across — an imperfect but meaningful sentence scores more than a blank
- Apply the gold structure check: V2? Verb bracket? Correct article and case? weil verb-final?
- Check every umlaut and ß: für, möchte, würde, größer, schön, Fußball, Straße
- After a modal verb, the infinitive MUST go to the end: Ich muss die Hausaufgaben machen.
- Professions after werden take NO article in German: Ich werde Arzt. (not ein Arzt)
❌ Common error: Translating "I am becoming a teacher" as Ich bekomme ein Lehrer.
✓ Correct: Ich werde Lehrer.
Why it costs marks: bekommen means "to get or receive" — it does NOT mean "to become". "To become" is werden. This false-friend trap is one of the most common translation errors at Foundation. Note also that professions after werden take no article in German (Lehrer, not ein Lehrer).
Practice questions for English to German translation: gold structures
In the AQA English-to-German translation, how is the task marked?
Translate this sentence into German: **My sister plays football at the weekend.**