Breakdown of Ich schreibe eine neue Anzeige für mein altes Auto.
ich
I
ein
a, an (eine)
das Auto
the car
alt
old
neu
new
schreiben
to write
mein
my
für
for
die Anzeige
the advertisement / the ad
Questions & Answers about Ich schreibe eine neue Anzeige für mein altes Auto.
Why is it eine neue Anzeige and not just eine neu Anzeige?
Anzeige is a feminine noun (die Anzeige), and in this sentence it is the direct object, which means it is in the accusative case. When an adjective comes right after the feminine indefinite article eine in the accusative case, we add the ending -e to the adjective. So, neu becomes neue.
Why does the adjective in mein altes Auto end in -es?
Auto is a neuter noun (das Auto). In the accusative case, the possessive article mein doesn't take an ending to show the neuter gender. Because of this, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting! We add the neuter accusative ending -es to alt, making it altes.
Why is mein altes Auto in the accusative case? Is it the direct object?
It is not the direct object, but it is in the accusative case because it comes right after the preposition für. The word für always forces the noun phrase following it into the accusative case, regardless of its role in the rest of the sentence.
Why does Ich schreibe translate to "I am writing" instead of "I write"?
German doesn't have a separate continuous tense like the English "am doing" or "is doing" structure. Ich schreibe translates to both "I write" (as a general habit) and "I am writing" (action happening right now). The context of the sentence makes "I am writing" the most natural translation here.
Learn Ich schreibe eine neue Anzeige für mein altes Auto and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free