Definite Articles (the)
Nom
der (m) · die (f) · das (n) · die (pl) Acc
den · die · das · die Dat
dem · der · dem · den (+ -n on plural noun) Gen
des · der · des · der (+ -s/-es on m/n nouns) Cambridge International A Level German 9717
🇩🇪 Cambridge A Level German Reference Sheet 2026
All four cases, all seven tenses + Konjunktiv I/II, full adjective declensions, word order rules and exam technique — your complete Cambridge A Level German 9717 reference for 2026.
4 Cases 7 Tenses + Konjunktiv Adjective Endings Word Order
Our reference sheets are free to download — save this one as PDF for offline revision.
Aligned with the latest 2026 syllabus and board specifications. This sheet is prepared to match your exam board’s official specifications for the 2026 exam series.
All the Core Cambridge A Level German Grammar in One Sheet
Cambridge A Level German (9717) demands case mastery, full tense range including Konjunktiv I and II, accurate adjective declensions and confident word order. This reference sheet brings every grammar rule, theme and exam-paper technique into one place for 2026 examinations.
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All four cases with prepositional governance
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All 7 tenses + Konjunktiv I (indirect speech) + Konjunktiv II
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Full adjective declension tables (weak, mixed, strong)
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Word order, separable verbs, exam technique
The Four Cases — Endings & Articles
German cases drive every sentence — internalise the article tables first.
Indefinite Articles (a/an) & 'kein'
Nom
ein (m) · eine (f) · ein (n) · — / keine (pl) Acc
einen · eine · ein · keine Dat
einem · einer · einem · keinen + -n Gen
eines + -s · einer · eines + -s · keiner Personal Pronouns
Nom
ich · du · er/sie/es · wir · ihr · sie/Sie Acc
mich · dich · ihn/sie/es · uns · euch · sie/Sie Dat
mir · dir · ihm/ihr/ihm · uns · euch · ihnen/Ihnen Case Use Summary
Nominative
Subject of the verb; complement of sein/werden/bleiben Accusative
Direct object; after acc-only and two-way prepositions of motion Dative
Indirect object; after dat-only verbs and prepositions; two-way prepositions of location Genitive
Possession ('of'); after genitive prepositions; in formal time/place expressions Prepositional Governance — Full Charts
Memorise these mnemonics — they decide your case ending.
Accusative-Only Prepositions
DOGFU: durch, ohne, gegen, für, um (also: bis, entlang) Dative-Only Prepositions
BAMSVZ: bei, aus, mit, seit, von, zu (also: nach, gegenüber, außer) Two-Way (Wechsel-) Prepositions
Acc for motion towards (wohin?); Dat for location (wo?).
an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen Ich gehe in die Schule (acc — motion) vs Ich bin in der Schule (dat — location) Genitive Prepositions
(an)statt, trotz, während, wegen, außerhalb, innerhalb, oberhalb, unterhalb, diesseits, jenseits In modern speech these are often replaced by dative — but A Level rewards genitive accuracy.
All Seven Tenses + Konjunktiv
Cambridge rewards Konjunktiv I in indirect speech and Konjunktiv II in hypothetical writing.
Present, Imperfect, Perfect, Pluperfect, Future, Future Perfect
Present (sagen)
ich sage, du sagst, er sagt, wir sagen, ihr sagt, sie sagen Imperfect (Präteritum)
Weak: -te endings (sagte, sagtest...) · Strong: stem-change + -, -st, -, -en, -t, -en (gehen → ging) Perfect
haben/sein (present) + past participle (ge-…-t weak; ge-…-en strong) Pluperfect
haben/sein (imperfect) + past participle Future
werden + infinitive Future perfect
werden + past participle + haben/sein Konjunktiv I — Indirect Speech
Used in formal reported speech (news, journalism).
Formation
Infinitive stem + -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en (sage, sagest, sage...) Use
Er sagte, er sei krank (He said he was ill — neutral reporting) When Konjunktiv I form is identical to indicative, switch to Konjunktiv II to avoid ambiguity.
Konjunktiv II — Hypothetical / Polite
Common forms
wäre (sein), hätte (haben), würde + infinitive (most other verbs) Past Konjunktiv II
hätte/wäre + past participle — Wenn ich Zeit gehabt hätte... (If I had had time...) Conditional sentences
Wenn + Konj II, (dann) Konj II — Wenn ich reich wäre, würde ich reisen Modals in Konj II
könnte (could), möchte (would like), sollte (should), müsste (would have to) Passive Voice — Vorgangs- vs Zustandspassiv
Vorgangspassiv (process)
werden + past participle — Das Haus wird gebaut (The house is being built) Zustandspassiv (state)
sein + past participle — Das Haus ist gebaut (The house is built — finished state) Tense range
Apply werden in any tense: wurde gebaut (was being built), ist gebaut worden (has been built), wird gebaut werden (will be built) Adjective Declensions — Three Tables
Endings depend on what comes BEFORE the adjective. Practise until automatic.
Weak Endings — after definite article (der/die/das)
Nom/Acc(n,f)/Acc(pl)
-e (der gute Mann · die gute Frau · das gute Kind · die guten Kinder) All other slots
-en Pattern: -e/-en. The article does the heavy lifting.
Mixed Endings — after ein/kein/possessive
Nom m / Nom & Acc n
Use strong ending (-er, -es) because ein doesn't show case clearly: ein guter Mann · ein gutes Kind All other slots
Same as weak (-e or -en) Strong Endings — no article (or with quantifiers like viel, wenig)
Adjective takes the case ending the article would have taken Nom
guter (m) · gute (f) · gutes (n) · gute (pl) Acc
guten · gute · gutes · gute Dat
gutem · guter · gutem · guten Gen
guten · guter · guten · guter Comparative & Superlative
Comparative
+ -er (schneller); often umlaut: alt → älter; than = als Superlative
+ -(e)st + adjective ending: am schnellsten / der schnellste · gut → besser → am besten · viel → mehr → am meisten Word Order & Sentence Structure
Cambridge rewards correct V2, sub-clause word order and TMP — these are make-or-break.
Main Clauses — V2 Rule
The conjugated verb is ALWAYS in 2nd position; subject moves after the verb if another element comes first Heute gehe ich ins Kino. Morgen werde ich arbeiten. Subordinate Clauses — Verb-Final
Subordinating conjunction (weil, dass, obwohl, wenn, als, ob, da, damit) sends conjugated verb to the end Ich glaube, dass er morgen kommt. Weil ich müde war, blieb ich zu Hause. TMP / TeKaMoLo Rule for Adverb Order
TMP (English-style)
Time → Manner → Place TeKaMoLo (German)
Temporal → Kausal → Modal → Lokal Ich fahre morgen mit dem Auto nach Berlin Separable Verbs
Main clause
Prefix to the END: Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf Subordinate clause
Reattaches at the end: Ich weiß, dass er aufsteht Perfect tense
ge- goes between prefix & root: aufgestanden, eingekauft Double Infinitive Construction
Modal + infinitive in perfect tense — both infinitives at end, NO ge- Ich habe arbeiten müssen (I had to work) — not 'gemusst' In sub-clause double infinitive: hat-form moves BEFORE both infinitives — ...weil ich habe arbeiten müssen.
Pronouns & Conjunctions
Relative clauses and connectives lift writing into the top band.
Relative Pronouns (declined)
Match gender/number of antecedent; case is determined by the relative clause.
Nom
der · die · das · die Acc
den · die · das · die Dat
dem · der · dem · denen Gen
dessen · deren · dessen · deren Der Mann, der dort steht, ist mein Lehrer. Coordinating Conjunctions (no word-order change)
und, aber, oder, denn, sondern (ADUSO) Subordinating Conjunctions (verb-final)
weil, dass, obwohl, wenn, als, während, bis, bevor, nachdem, ob, da, damit, sobald, solange, falls Correlative Conjunctions
entweder...oder · weder...noch · sowohl...als auch · nicht nur...sondern auch · je...desto/umso Cambridge A Level German Themes (Papers 2 & 3)
Build vocabulary and arguments around each — examiners reward range and currency.
Youth
Schulstress, psychische Gesundheit, soziale Medien, Drogen, Identität, Generationenkonflikt Family & Society
Familienformen, Gleichberechtigung, Scheidung, alternde Gesellschaft, Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie Education & Work
Schulsystem (Gymnasium, Realschule), duale Ausbildung, Numerus clausus, Jugendarbeitslosigkeit, Gender Pay Gap Technology
Künstliche Intelligenz, Datenschutz (DSGVO), Fake News, Digitalisierung, Internetkriminalität Environment
Klimawandel, Energiewende, erneuerbare Energien, Verkehrswende, Umweltverschmutzung, Recycling Politics
Bundesrepublik, Föderalismus, Parteien (CDU/SPD/Grüne/FDP/Linke/AfD), EU, Migration, Populismus German-Speaking Culture & History
Weimarer Republik, NS-Zeit & Holocaust, Nachkriegszeit, deutsche Teilung, Mauerfall 1989, Wiedervereinigung, DDR-Erinnerung, Migration & Integration, Literatur (Goethe, Brecht, Grass), Kino Exam Technique — Papers 1, 2, 3, 4
Cambridge German papers mirror the French/Spanish structure.
Paper 1 — Speaking
Two sub-themes plus general conversation in German.
Prepare 2-minute presentations on each chosen sub-theme; anticipate follow-up questions Use a range of tenses + Konjunktiv II at least once; vary connectives, justify opinions Paper 2 — Reading & Writing
Comprehension + 2 essays + translation into German.
Reading: skim → reread for inference → answer in own words Translation: prioritise case accuracy, word order, separable verbs and idiom Essays: clear plan, intro with thesis, 2–3 developed arguments + counterargument, judged conclusion Paper 3 — Essay
Extended discursive essay in German on a Cambridge theme.
Plan 5–8 minutes; aim for ~ 250–400 words; deploy full tense range, the passive, and Konjunktiv II at least twice Include data and examples from across the German-speaking world (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Paper 4 — Texts & Films
Literary/film analysis on prescribed set works (rotating list).
Know plot, characters, themes, narrative voice/cinematography, historical context Quote in German; analyse rather than summarise; address the question directly How to Use This Reference Sheet
Boost your Cambridge exam confidence with these proven study strategies from our tutoring experts.
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Read German News Daily
Deutsche Welle, Tagesschau and Süddeutsche Zeitung build vocabulary across the Cambridge themes. Note 5 useful expressions per article.
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Drill Cases Until Automatic
Make 20 sentence cards mixing acc, dat, gen and two-way prepositions. Drill weekly — case errors are the #1 mark drainer.
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Practise Konjunktiv II
Write 5 'Wenn ich... wäre/hätte...' sentences a day. Konjunktiv II in essay writing is a top-band marker.
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Watch Set Films Twice
Once for plot, once with the script. Build a quote bank organised by character and theme — these power Paper 4 essays.
Reference Sheet FAQ
Quick answers about this free PDF and how to use it for exam revision and active recall.
Is the Cambridge A Level German Reference Sheet 2026 free to download as a PDF?
Yes. This Tutopiya formula sheet is free to use and you can download it as a PDF from this page for offline revision. There is no payment or account required for the PDF download.
What German topics and equations does this formula sheet cover?
This page groups key German formulas in one place for revision. Master Cambridge A Level German (9717) with this 2026 reference sheet. Covers all four cases with prepositional governance, all 7 tenses + Konjunktiv I/II, full adjective declensions, word order, and exam technique fo… Always cross-check with your official syllabus and past papers for your exam session.
Can I use this instead of the official exam formula booklet in the exam?
No. In the exam you must follow only what your exam board allows in the hall—usually the official formula booklet or data sheet where provided. This page is a revision and teaching aid, not a replacement for board-issued materials.
Who is this formula sheet for (Post-Secondary)?
It is written for students preparing for assessments at Post-Secondary in German, including classroom revision, homework support, and independent study. Teachers and tutors can also share it as a quick reference.
How should I revise with this formula sheet?
Work through past paper questions, quote the correct formula before substituting values, and check units and notation every time. Pair this sheet with timed practice and mark schemes so you see how examiners expect working to be set out.
Where can I get more help with German revision?
Explore Tutopiya’s study tools, past paper finder, and revision checklists linked from our tools hub, or book a trial lesson with a subject specialist for personalised support alongside this formula reference.
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Practice essay writing, set works analysis and oral exam technique with a native or near-native Cambridge A Level German tutor. We focus on case accuracy, word order, Konjunktiv II and top-band exam strategy.
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This reference sheet aligns with Cambridge Assessment International Education International A Level German (9717) syllabus content for 2026 examinations.
Always include Konjunktiv II at least twice in extended writing — accurate use is a top-band marker.