Learn Hardcore German: Wer zuerst kommt, bekommt Annas letzten Bleistift. - Whoever comes first gets Anna’s last pencil.

Because wer here introduces a subordinate “free relative” clause meaning “whoever.” In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end: wer … kommt. If you said Wer kommt zuerst?, that would be a direct question (verb in second position), which is not what we need here.

Why is there a comma after kommt?

German requires a comma between a dependent clause and the main clause. Wer zuerst kommt, bekommt … is “subordinate clause, comma, main clause.” The comma is mandatory.

What exactly does wer mean here?

It means whoever, not the question word “who?”. It introduces a general condition: whoever satisfies the first clause gets what’s stated in the second. You may optionally add a correlative pronoun in the main clause: Wer zuerst kommt, der bekommt …. Both are correct; adding der can sound a bit more emphatic or old-fashioned.

Why are the verbs singular: kommt / bekommt?

Wer takes third-person singular agreement, even though it refers to “whoever (any person).” So you use singular: wer kommt, wer bekommt.

Why is it bekommt and not wird?

False-friend alert: bekommen means “to receive, to get,” while werden means “to become.” So er bekommt einen Bleistift = “he gets a pencil,” not “he becomes a pencil.”

Why is there no apostrophe in Annas?

German genitive for most names just adds -s without an apostrophe: Annas. You only add an apostrophe if the name already ends in a sibilant sound (-s, -ss, -ß, -x, -z): Hans’ Auto, Max’ Jacke, Felix’ Buch. Hence: Annas is correct, not “Anna’s.”

What case is Annas and can I say von Anna instead?

Annas is the genitive singular (“Anna’s”). You can paraphrase with von: den letzten Bleistift von Anna. Both are correct; the genitive sounds a bit more compact and stylistically higher, while von is very common in speech.

Why is it Annas letzten Bleistift with -en on letzten?

The object of bekommt is in the accusative.
Bleistift is masculine.
With no article (because a possessive name is used), the adjective takes the strong ending. For masculine accusative singular, the strong ending is -en. Compare:
Nominative: Annas letzter Bleistift ist kaputt.
Accusative: Er bekommt Annas letzten Bleistift.

Is an article missing before Bleistift?

No. With a possessive proper name in front of the noun, German normally drops the article: Annas Bleistift (not “der Annas Bleistift”). If you use a von-phrase, you keep the article: der letzte Bleistift von Anna.

What’s the difference between zuerst and erst? And is it one word?

zuerst (one word) = “first (of several steps), first of all,” used for ordering: Zuerst …, dann …
erst often means “only / not until” (Ich habe erst einen Bleistift = I have only one pencil) and can sometimes mean “first” in time, but when you clearly list steps, zuerst is the safe choice here. Don’t write “zu erst”; it’s zuerst.

How do I know Bleistift is masculine?

From the dictionary article (der Bleistift), and the adjective/pronoun endings give clues:

Accusative masculine requires -en on the adjective: letzten.
The matching pronoun would be ihn: Wer zuerst kommt, bekommt ihn.

Can I say Wer zuerst kommt, der bekommt …?

Yes. This is a common correlative pattern: Wer …, der …. The der is optional; without it, the main clause simply starts with the verb (bekommt) in normal V2 order.

Could I flip the clause order?

Yes, for emphasis you can front the object and put the wer-clause second: Annas letzten Bleistift bekommt, wer zuerst kommt. Note the comma and that the main-clause verb (bekommt) stays in second position.

Why not say Wer kommt zuerst, bekommt …?

Because Wer kommt zuerst? is a direct question (V2), while your sentence needs a conditional “whoever”-clause (verb-final). Wer zuerst kommt, … is the correct free relative construction.

When would I use wen / wem / wessen instead of wer?

Use the form that matches the pronoun’s role in its own clause:

wer (nominative, subject): Wer zuerst kommt, bekommt …
wen (accusative, direct object): Wen du zuerst siehst, den grüßt du zuerst.
wem (dative, indirect object): Wem du zuerst begegnest, dem hilfst du zuerst.
wessen (genitive, “whose”): Wessen Auto zuerst ankommt, dessen Fahrer bekommt …

Are there synonyms for bekommt?

Yes:

Colloquial: kriegt (from kriegen): Wer zuerst kommt, kriegt …
More formal: erhält All three are widely understood; bekommt is neutral and standard.

Is this structure used proverbially?

Yes. The proverb Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst means “First come, first served.” Your sentence follows the same pattern, specifying the reward: bekommt Annas letzten Bleistift.