Breakdown of Ich nehme einen blauen Stift und unterschreibe das Formular.
und
and
ich
I
nehmen
to take
blau
blue
der Stift
the pen
unterschreiben
to sign
das Formular
the form
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Questions & Answers about Ich nehme einen blauen Stift und unterschreibe das Formular.
Why is einen used instead of ein before blauen Stift?
Because Stift is masculine, and in the accusative singular (the case used for a direct object) the indefinite article changes from ein (nominative) to einen (accusative).
Why does blauen have an -en ending?
After an indefinite article in the accusative masculine, adjectives follow the weak declension pattern. The weak ending for masculine accusative is -en, so blau becomes blauen.
Why is there no ich before unterschreibe in the second part?
German often omits the subject pronoun in a second main clause when it’s the same as in the first clause. This elliptical style avoids unnecessary repetition—you still understand that ich is the subject.
Why is unterschreibe not at the end of the clause?
Because und unterschreibe das Formular is a coordinate main clause, not a subordinate clause. Main clauses follow the verb-second rule: the finite verb stays in position two. The conjunction und doesn’t count as occupying position one, so unterschreibe comes immediately after it.
What case is das Formular, and why?
Das Formular is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of unterschreiben. Transitive verbs like unterschreiben always take an accusative object (the thing being signed).
Does nehmen always mean “to take” in a physical sense?
Not necessarily. Here Ich nehme einen blauen Stift can mean “I’ll take a blue pen” in the sense of choosing one (as in a café or meeting). It may imply grabbing it, but often it just expresses the decision: “I’ll have a blue pen.”
What’s the difference between Stift, Kugelschreiber, and Füller?
Stift is a general term for any writing instrument (pen or pencil). Kugelschreiber specifically means “ballpoint pen.” Füller (short for Füllfederhalter) is a fountain pen.
Why is the present tense used instead of a perfect tense here?
German frequently uses the simple present to describe upcoming or sequential actions (a narrative or instruction present). You could say Ich habe einen Stift genommen und habe das Formular unterschrieben to indicate completion, but the present tense is more natural for stating what you do next.
What’s the difference between ausfüllen and unterschreiben?
Ausfüllen means “to fill out” (to complete the fields of a form), whereas unterschreiben means “to sign” (to put your signature on it). They describe two separate steps.
Could you add dann or anschließend before unterschreibe, and when would you use them?
Yes. If you want to emphasise the sequence, you can say Ich nehme einen Stift und dann unterschreibe ich das Formular or … und anschließend unterschreibe ich das Formular. In casual speech the sequence is clear, so these adverbs are often omitted.