Breakdown of Er lernt seit einem Jahr eine neue Fremdsprache.
lernen
to learn
neu
new
das Jahr
the year
seit
since, for (time)
die Fremdsprache
the foreign language
Questions & Answers about Er lernt seit einem Jahr eine neue Fremdsprache.
Why is the present tense lernt used here when the English translation says "has been learning"?
In German, if an action started in the past and is still happening right now, you use the present tense along with seit (since/for). English uses the present perfect continuous ("has been learning"), but German simply uses the present tense to show the action is still ongoing.
Why is it einem Jahr and not ein Jahr?
The preposition seit always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. Because das Jahr (the year) is a neuter noun, its indefinite article changes to the dative form einem.
Why does neue end in an -e in eine neue Fremdsprache?
Fremdsprache is a feminine noun, and in this sentence, it is the direct object (accusative case). When using the indefinite article eine with a feminine accusative noun, the adjective that follows it must take an -e ending.
Could I change the word order and say Er lernt eine neue Fremdsprache seit einem Jahr?
People would understand you, but it sounds unnatural to a native speaker. In German, expressions of time (seit einem Jahr) almost always come before the direct object (eine neue Fremdsprache). A helpful rule of thumb to remember is "Time before Object".
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