Breakdown of Schreiben Sie bitte einen kurzen Satz.
Sie
you (formal)
schreiben
to write
bitte
please
kurz
shortly / short
der Satz
the sentence
Questions & Answers about Schreiben Sie bitte einen kurzen Satz.
Why is it einen kurzen Satz and not just ein kurzer Satz?
Satz (sentence) is a masculine noun (der Satz). In this sentence, it is the direct object of the verb schreiben (the thing being written), so it must be in the accusative case. In the accusative case, the masculine indefinite article becomes einen, and the adjective following it takes the -en ending.
Why does the verb schreiben come at the very beginning of the sentence?
This is the formal imperative (command) form. When you are politely telling or asking someone to do something using the formal Sie, the sentence structure always starts with the infinitive verb followed immediately by the pronoun Sie.
Could I put bitte at the beginning of the sentence instead?
Yes, you can say Bitte schreiben Sie einen kurzen Satz. Both are perfectly correct. However, tucking bitte into the middle of the sentence right after the verb and pronoun is the most standard, natural-sounding word order for everyday requests.
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