Learn Hardcore German: Was auch immer du suchst, schlag es zuerst nach; danach fragen wir die Lehrerin. - Whatever you are looking for, look it up first; afterwards we will ask the teacher.

Was auch immer means “whatever / no matter what,” emphasizing that the specific identity doesn’t matter.
Was alone means “what/that which,” without the “no matter what” idea.
Was immer also exists and usually means the same as was auch immer; it sounds a bit more formal or literary.
A very common paraphrase is Egal, was (du suchst).

Examples:

Was auch immer du suchst, … = No matter what you’re looking for, …
Was du suchst, … = What you’re looking for (neutral, not necessarily “whatever”).

Why is the verb at the end in Was auch immer du suchst?

German puts the finite verb at the end in subordinate clauses. Was auch immer introduces a kind of relative clause (a “free relative”), so you get verb-final order: … du suchst (not suchst du).

Why is schlag split from nach in schlag es zuerst nach?

Because nachschlagen is a separable-prefix verb. In main-clause finite forms and imperatives, the prefix goes to the end:

Present: Ich schlage es nach. / Du schlägst es nach.
Imperative: Schlag es nach!
With zu/infinitive: es nachzuschlagen
Simple past: Ich schlug es nach.

Why is it schlag and not schlägst or schlage?

This is the singular “du”-imperative. You take the stem and drop the -st: du schlägst → imperative: schlag!
Strong verbs with a → ä in the present do not keep the umlaut in the “du”-imperative here: it’s schlag!, not schläg!
Schlage! is grammatically possible but sounds formal/old-fashioned in everyday speech; schlag! is the normal form.

What does es refer to in schlag es zuerst nach, and do I need it?

Es is a “resumptive” pronoun (a correlating pronoun) that points back to the clause Was auch immer du suchst. It stands in for “that thing.”
You normally need it because nachschlagen takes a direct object: etwas nachschlagen.
A more explicit alternative is: Schlag das, was du suchst, zuerst nach.

Where should zuerst go? Can I say schlag zuerst es nach?

The natural order is: verb – unstressed pronoun – adverbs – separated prefix.
So: Schlag es zuerst nach. is the idiomatic order.
Schlag zuerst es nach is unidiomatic.
You can add politeness/fillers: Schlag es bitte zuerst nach.

Why danach and not dann?

Danach means “after that/afterwards” and explicitly links to a preceding action.
Dann means “then” (often just a time-sequencing adverb). In this sentence, Dann would be fine too: Dann fragen wir die Lehrerin.
Spelling tip: it’s danach (one word), not “dannach.”

Why is it danach fragen wir … and not danach wir fragen … or wir fragen danach …?

German main clauses are verb-second (V2). If you put danach in first position, the finite verb must come second: Danach fragen wir …
Danach wir fragen … breaks V2 word order.
Be careful: Wir fragen die Lehrerin danach changes the meaning to “We ask the teacher about it,” because nach etwas fragen = “to ask about something.” In our sentence, danach is temporal (“after that”), so fronting it avoids that ambiguity.

Why die Lehrerin and not der Lehrerin? Which case does fragen take?

Jemanden fragen takes a direct object in the accusative: die Lehrerin (Acc. sg. = same form as Nom. for feminine).
To express the topic, you add nach: jemanden nach etwas fragen (“ask someone about something”).
Examples:
- Wir fragen die Lehrerin. (We ask the teacher.)
- Wir fragen die Lehrerin nach der Bedeutung. (We ask the teacher about the meaning.)

Is the semicolon correct here? Could I use a comma or a period instead?

Yes, the semicolon is correct: Schlag es zuerst nach; danach … It separates two closely related main clauses more clearly than a comma.
A period is also fine: Schlag es zuerst nach. Danach …
In German, a comma between main clauses without a conjunction is generally allowed, especially when they’re short and closely linked: Schlag es zuerst nach, danach fragen wir die Lehrerin. The semicolon is a stylistic choice for clarity.

Can I say Was immer du suchst or Wonach auch immer du suchst instead?

Was immer du suchst: yes, same meaning; slightly more formal/literary than was auch immer.
Wonach (auch immer) du suchst: also possible; it mirrors the English “whatever you’re looking for” with the preposition “for.” It’s useful if you want to keep the “nach” with the verb, but here suchen can take a direct object (etwas suchen), so was … suchst is perfectly natural.
Related patterns: Wer auch immer … (whoever), Wo auch immer … (wherever), Wann auch immer … (whenever), Wie auch immer … (however).

Why use nachschlagen here instead of nachsehen, nachschauen, or nachlesen?

Nachschlagen: consult a reference work (dictionary, encyclopedia, grammar). That’s the most precise fit here.
Nachsehen / nachschauen: “check (somewhere)”—more general, often colloquial; not limited to books (could be a website, calendar, etc.).
Nachlesen: read up on something in a text (often to review details). All are separable: sieh es nach, schau es nach, lies es nach—but they differ in nuance.

Could es change to ihn or sie to match the gender of the thing searched for?

Not in this construction. The antecedent is the neuter free relative was (auch immer) …, so the resumptive pronoun is neuter es.
If you name a specific noun, the pronoun matches that noun:
- Schlag das Wort zuerst nach. Schlag es zuerst nach. (neuter)
- Schlag die Regel zuerst nach. Schlag sie zuerst nach. (feminine) But with Was auch immer du suchst, keep es.

Is zuerst the same as erst or erstmal?

Zuerst = “first (of several steps), first of all” in a sequence—clear and unambiguous.
Erst often means “only/not until,” but in the common pattern Erst …, dann … it can mean “first …, then …” in informal style. Alone, Schlag es erst nach can be ambiguous (“only look it up (not before) / look it up first” depending on context).
Erstmal / erst einmal is colloquial for “first (for now).” In instructions, zuerst is the safest, clearest choice.

Is Fragen wir die Lehrerin here a suggestion (“Let’s ask the teacher”) or just a statement?

Here it’s a statement in the present (“After that, we ask / we’ll ask the teacher.”). German present often expresses future context.

A true “let’s …” imperative is usually Lass uns die Lehrerin fragen! (or Lasst uns … for plural).
There is also a “wir-imperative” type (Fragen wir die Lehrerin!), used more in Austrian/Swiss standard and in formal styles; it needs an exclamation mark and a suggestive context. In your sentence with a semicolon, it reads as a plan/statement, not a suggestion.