E6 E - Grammar choices in real communication
aiMOOCE6 E - Grammar choices in real communication
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E6 E - Grammar choices in real communication
Mini description: Choose the grammar that matches your meaning: routine, now, finished past, or a plan. You work with short real-life situations, pictures, listening and speaking.
Course profile: English as a first foreign language, Class 6, E level, Baden-Württemberg.
Start with the picture. What can you say about the students? What do they usually do at school? What are they doing now? Try two short English sentences.
Media task: Watch only as much as you need. Listen for the difference in meaning between a routine and an action happening now.
Einleitung
Grammar helps you show when and how something happens. In this course, meaning comes first. Ask: Is it usual? Is it happening now? Did it finish in the past? Is it a plan?
The four main choices are:
- simple present: routines, facts and things that happen regularly
- present progressive: actions happening now or around now
- simple past: finished actions in the past
- going-to future: plans and intentions
You do not need difficult grammar words to communicate well. First understand the situation. Then choose a form that makes your meaning clear.
I can ...
I can ...
- understand short messages about routines, actions now, past events and plans.
- choose a familiar grammar form for the meaning I want.
- speak in a short dialogue without reading every sentence.
- retell a short event and give a short plan.
- write a short connected text and check whether the time meaning is clear.
Before you start: quick check
Choose a good sentence for each situation. Do not look up rules first.
| Situation | Your first idea |
|---|---|
| Every Tuesday | I play / I am playing basketball. |
| Look! Right now | The dog runs / The dog is running. |
| Yesterday after school | We visit / We visited Sam. |
| Our plan for Saturday | We are going to make / We made pizza. |
Check yourself: If you can explain the meaning of your choice, you are ready.
Help ladder
Try English first: Read the situation again and choose the sentence that fits the meaning.
Hint: Look for a time clue: usually, now, yesterday, tomorrow, this weekend.
German help: Frage zuerst nach der Bedeutung: regelmäßig, gerade jetzt, abgeschlossen in der Vergangenheit oder geplant?
Example: “Mia usually walks to school.” → routine.
Solution strategy: Say the meaning in one word first: routine / now / past / plan. Then build the English sentence.
Notice → understand
Notice the meaning
Read these four fictional messages:
| Speaker | Message | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Mia | I usually meet Ben at the gate. | routine |
| Ben | I’m waiting for Mia now. | happening now |
| Jay | We missed the bus yesterday. | finished past |
| Aisha | We’re going to cycle tomorrow. | plan |
Notice: The time meaning changes the grammar choice.
Four useful patterns
| Meaning | Useful pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| routine / fact | simple present | I walk to school. / She walks to school. |
| happening now | am / is / are + verb-ing | We are waiting now. |
| finished past | past form | We walked home yesterday. |
| plan | am / is / are going to + verb | I am going to meet Sam tomorrow. |
Important: These are communication tools, not four boxes for every possible English sentence. Context matters.
Video input: present or happening now?
While watching, listen for two ideas:
- something that happens regularly
- something happening at the time of speaking
After watching, say one example of each in your own words.
Picture input: what is happening?
Speak: Describe the picture with two present progressive sentences. Then add one possible routine sentence about sport at school.
Hint: now → “They are ...”; routine → “They usually ...”
Vocabulary in context
| Word or phrase | Meaning in this course | Example |
|---|---|---|
| usually | often as a routine | I usually walk home. |
| right now | at this moment | I am doing my homework right now. |
| yesterday | the day before today | We played outside yesterday. |
| last week | a finished past time | She visited her cousin last week. |
| tomorrow | the day after today | We are going to meet tomorrow. |
| plan | something you intend to do | Our plan is to cook together. |
Listening input: a finished past event
Listening focus: You do not need every word. Listen for actions that are finished. Write down two past forms you hear.
German help on request: Achte auf abgeschlossene Handlungen und Zeitangaben. Du musst nicht alles übersetzen.
Future plan input
Focus: Listen for how speakers talk about plans and arrangements. In this course, use going to as your main future pattern when you talk about an intention or plan.
Practise
Meaning first: four mini situations
Complete the sentence in your notebook.
| Situation | Start |
|---|---|
| Every Friday, Leo ... | plays ... |
| Look! Leo ... | is playing ... |
| Last Friday, Leo ... | played ... |
| Next Friday, Leo ... | is going to play ... |
Then change Leo to a person you invent. Keep the time meaning clear.
Pronunciation: make it understandable
Clear meaning is more important than sounding like a native speaker.
Say these short chunks slowly, then naturally:
- works every day – keep the final sound in works
- is working now – connect is + working smoothly
- played yesterday – make the past ending audible
- going to meet – keep the important words clear
Partner feedback: Can your partner hear the time meaning? If yes, that is successful communication.
Read: four messages, one afternoon
All names and details are fictional.
12:10 – Mia: I usually eat lunch in the school yard.
12:12 – Ben: I’m sitting in the library now. It’s quiet here.
15:40 – Jay: I finished my project after lunch.
15:45 – Aisha: I’m going to meet my cousin at five.
Reading task: Match each message to routine, now, finished past or plan. Then explain one choice in English.
Use
Speaking: free mini-dialogue
Work with a partner. Choose one situation: after school, sports, hobbies, a class project or a weekend plan.
Speak for about one minute. Include:
- one routine
- one thing happening now
- one finished past event
- one plan
Do not write a full script. Use notes with keywords only.
Retell: yesterday in three steps
Tell a short event from yesterday. Use three or four connected sentences. You may use first, then and after that.
Example start: “Yesterday I met Sam after school. First, we ...”
Short presentation
Give a 30–45 second mini-presentation: My week – one routine, one recent event, one plan.
Use your own ideas or fictional information. Speak clearly. You do not need a perfect accent.
Short writing output
Write 6–8 connected sentences with the title My time line. Include a routine, something happening today, one finished past event and one plan.
After writing, underline the words that show time or context. Check whether a reader can follow your meaning.
Sprachmittlung: say what matters
A German school note says: „Die Medien-AG trifft sich heute nicht. Morgen findet sie wieder um 14 Uhr statt.“
Your English-speaking friend asks what they need to know. Give the useful information in simple English. Do not translate word for word.
Possible solution: “The media club isn’t meeting today. It meets again tomorrow at 2 p.m.”
Feedback → use again
Feedback in three questions
Give kind, useful feedback:
- Is the time meaning clear?
- Does the grammar fit that meaning?
- Can you understand the message without guessing?
Then choose one sentence and improve it.
Use again: repair the message
A fictional message says: “Yesterday I play football and now I watched a film.”
Repair it so the time meaning is clear.
Hint: yesterday → finished past; now → happening now.
German help: Passe die Verbform an die Zeitbedeutung an.
Example idea: “Yesterday I played ...”
Solution: “Yesterday I played football, and now I am watching a film.”
Can-do check
Mark one answer for each statement: Yes / almost / not yet.
| I can ... | Yes | almost | not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| choose simple present for a routine | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| use present progressive for an action happening now | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| use simple past for a finished past event | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| use a future pattern for a plan | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| explain my grammar choice with the meaning | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
If you tick almost or not yet, go back to one media example and try one new sentence.
Next course
Continue with E6 E - Short stories and plans to use the same grammar choices in longer speaking and writing.
Media and safe learning
The pictures in this course come from Wikimedia Commons and have open licences or CC0 status. Check the file page for author and licence details when you reuse a file. The embedded videos come from BBC Learning English and British Council LearnEnglish Teens. They are linked, not re-uploaded.
Students in class.png – Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Hand watch clock face.jpg – Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Children playing football.jpg – Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Classroom Picture 1.JPG – Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Use fictional personal data in class tasks. Recordings are optional and should stay private unless your teacher has a clear, agreed safe process. Do not upload personal recordings just because an activity mentions speaking. If you use AI, check the result and rewrite it in your own words. No external AI access is needed for this course.
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
Which sentence fits a routine? (I usually walk to school.) (!I am walking to school right now.) (!I walked to school yesterday.) (!I am going to walk to school tomorrow.)
Which sentence fits something happening now? (She is talking to Ben now.) (!She talks to Ben every Monday.) (!She talked to Ben yesterday.) (!She is going to talk to Ben tomorrow.)
Which sentence fits a finished action yesterday? (We watched a film yesterday.) (!We watch a film every Friday.) (!We are watching a film now.) (!We are going to watch a film tomorrow.)
Which sentence clearly shows a plan? (I am going to meet Sam tomorrow.) (!I meet Sam every day.) (!I am meeting Sam right now.) (!I met Sam yesterday.)
What meaning does usually often signal? (A routine or repeated action.) (!An action happening at this exact moment.) (!A finished event yesterday.) (!A future plan only.)
What meaning does right now signal here? (An action happening at the moment.) (!A regular routine.) (!A finished past action.) (!A plan for next month.)
Choose the best sentence for Look! The dog ... (The dog is running.) (!The dog runs yesterday.) (!The dog ran tomorrow.) (!The dog is going to ran.)
Choose the best sentence for Last Saturday, we ... (We played basketball.) (!We play basketball now.) (!We are playing basketball every Saturday.) (!We are going to played basketball.)
Choose the best sentence for Our plan for Sunday ... (We are going to make pizza.) (!We made pizza right now.) (!We make pizza yesterday.) (!We are making pizza last week.)
What should you ask first when choosing a grammar form in this course? (What time meaning do I want to express?) (!Which sentence is the longest?) (!Which verb looks most difficult?) (!Which form has the most letters?)
Memory
| simple present | routine |
| present progressive | happening now |
| simple past | finished past |
| going to | plan |
| usually | repeated action |
| yesterday | past time |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| routine | simple present |
| happening now | present progressive |
| finished past | simple past |
| plan | going-to future |
| time clue | context |
...
Kreuzworträtsel
| routine | What is a repeated or usual action called? |
| progressive | Which word completes present ... for an action happening now? |
| yesterday | Which one-word time clue often points to a finished past event? |
| future | Which time area includes tomorrow and next week? |
| meaning | What should come before grammar choice in this course? |
| context | What helps you understand whether a sentence is about now, past or a plan? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Time clue hunt: Find six time clues in a short English text and group them as routine, now, past or plan.
- Picture talk: Choose a copyright-safe picture and say three sentences about what is happening now.
- My routine: Write four true or fictional sentences about a weekly routine.
- Yesterday card: Make a small story card with three connected simple past sentences.
Standard
- Mini dialogue: Create and perform a one-minute dialogue that moves from a routine to now, then to a past event and a plan.
- Retell a day: Retell a fictional school afternoon in five or six sentences without reading a full script.
- Voice note rehearsal: Rehearse a 30-second private voice note about your day. Recording is optional; no upload is needed.
- Meaning editor: Exchange a short text with a partner and improve two grammar choices by explaining the intended time meaning.
Schwer
- Four-time story: Write 8–10 connected sentences that naturally include routine, now, finished past and a plan.
- Micro presentation: Give a 60-second presentation using only keyword notes and answer one follow-up question.
- Sprachmittlung school message: Turn a short German school notice into a useful English message for a fictional visitor without translating word for word.
- Media grammar check: Choose a short copyright-safe or teacher-approved English clip, identify three time meanings, then create your own examples. If an AI tool is permitted, verify every suggestion and rewrite it yourself.
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Lernkontrolle
- Meaning from context: You receive four new communication situations without grammar labels. Choose a form for each and explain how the context guided you.
- Repair and explain: Correct a short message with two time-form problems and explain how your changes improve the meaning.
- Transfer to speaking: Speak for 45 seconds about a routine, a finished event and a plan; your listener notes which time meaning they understood.
- Transfer to writing: Write a short connected text for a class chat. Use at least three different time meanings and make the changes easy to follow.
- Compare messages: Two sentences use different grammar forms. Explain how the meaning changes instead of only naming the tense.
- Mediation transfer: Read a short German notice and give an English friend only the information they need, using suitable familiar grammar patterns.
Lernnachweis
For a learning record, you should show that you can:
- understand the main time meaning in a short context.
- choose simple present, present progressive, simple past or a familiar future pattern appropriately.
- speak understandably in a short dialogue or mini-presentation.
- retell a short finished event.
- write a short connected text with clear time meaning.
- use feedback to improve one grammar choice.
- use vocabulary and pronunciation so your message is easy to understand.
- work safely with fictional data and optional private recordings.
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