The teaching of German modal particles: didactic strategies in GFL

ABSTRACT German modal particles (henceforth MPs) have been receiving increasingly attention, particularly in the context of teaching German as a foreign language (GFL). Difficulties concerning the proper acquisition of MPs can be overcome by didactic strategies such as: contextual analysis, from which MPs are directly dependent of; the nuclear function of each MP; the distinction between them and their homonyms; the intentions and expectations of the interlocutors; and contrastive analysis of its functional equivalents in Portuguese. Therefore, MPs can only be effectively analyzed if their grammatical and pragmatic aspects are considered. In this work, strategies and didactic materials (movies and comics) that may help teachers present MPs in GFL classes for Brazilians are suggested, focusing on the acquisition of communicative skills in German language.