Learn Hardcore German: Die Laterne wurde bereits repariert, doch der Schatten bleibt. - The lantern has already been repaired, yet the shadow remains.

It’s the simple past passive: wurde is the Präteritum form of werden, used together with the past participle repariert to mean was repaired. This construction shifts the focus from the doer (someone) to the object (the lantern).

How do you form the passive voice in German?

You combine a conjugated form of werden with the past participle (Partizip II) of the main verb. For example:

Present: Die Laterne wird repariert. (“The lantern is being repaired.”)
Simple past: Die Laterne wurde repariert. (“The lantern was repaired.”)
Perfect passive: Die Laterne ist repariert worden. (“The lantern has been repaired.”)

Why might you say Die Laterne ist bereits repariert worden instead of Die Laterne wurde bereits repariert?

Both mean the lantern has been repaired, but the first is Perfekt passive (more common in speech), and the second is Präteritum passive (more common in writing or formal style).

What is bereits, and how is it different from schon?

Bereits is an adverb meaning already, very similar to schon. Bereits tends to sound a bit more formal or neutral, while schon is more colloquial. In most contexts, you can use them interchangeably.

Why is bereits placed between wurde and repariert?

German adverbs of time (like bereits) usually sit in the Mittelfeld (middle field) of a main clause—after the finite verb (wurde) and before the past participle (repariert).

What does doch mean here, and why is there a comma before it?

In this sentence, doch is a coordinating conjunction meaning but or however, introducing a contrast (“…was repaired, but the shadow remains”). In German, coordinating conjunctions such as doch, aber, sondern and denn that link two main clauses require a comma before them.

Could we replace doch with aber, jedoch, or dennoch? Are there differences?

Yes.

aber is the neutral “but.”
doch adds a bit of emphasis or surprise.
jedoch and dennoch also mean “however/nevertheless” but are more formal.
All are grammatically correct:
Die Laterne wurde bereits repariert, aber der Schatten bleibt.

Why is bleibt in the present tense even though the first clause is past tense?

German often mixes tenses to distinguish a past action (the repair) from a present state or ongoing situation (the shadow still remains now).

Why is der Schatten in the nominative case?

In der Schatten bleibt, der Schatten is the subject of the verb bleiben, and subjects in German are always in the nominative case.

Why does the verb bleibt come immediately after der Schatten instead of at the end of the clause?

Because each independent (main) clause follows the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. Only subordinate clauses push the finite verb to the end.