Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll und teile es nachher mit allen.

I am writing the minutes today and will share them with everyone afterwards.

Breakdown of Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll und teile es nachher mit allen.

• und: and
• ich: I
• mit: with
• heute: today
• es: it
• schreiben: to write
• teilen: to share
• nachher: afterwards
• alle: everyone
• das Protokoll: the minutes

Questions & Answers about Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll und teile es nachher mit allen.

What does Protokoll mean here? Is it the same as English protocol?

No. Das Protokoll in this context means “the minutes” or “the written record of a meeting.”
English “protocol” usually means rules of procedure or etiquette, which in German would be das Protokoll only in very specific, formal contexts. In everyday office talk, Protokoll schreiben = to take/write the minutes.

Why is it das Protokoll? What gender and case is this?

Protokoll is a neuter noun, so its article in the nominative and accusative singular is das.
In this sentence, das Protokoll is the direct object of schreibe, so it’s in the accusative case:

• ich – subject (nominative)
• schreibe – verb
• das Protokoll – direct object (accusative)

Could I also say Ich schreibe heute Protokoll without das?

Yes, that’s possible and idiomatic.

• Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll. – I am writing the (specific) minutes of this meeting.
• Ich schreibe heute Protokoll. – I’m on minutes duty today / I’m the one taking minutes (more role-focused, a bit more colloquial).

Both are correct; with the article you emphasize the concrete document, without it you emphasize the task/role.

What does the es refer to in und teile es nachher mit allen?

Es is a pronoun referring back to das Protokoll.

Because Protokoll is neuter (das Protokoll), the corresponding 3rd-person singular pronoun is es:

• das Protokoll → es
  So teile es = “share it”, where “it” = the minutes.

Why is it mit allen and not mit alle?

The preposition mit always takes the dative case.
Alle here is a pronoun meaning “everyone” / “all (people)” in the plural, and the dative plural form is allen (with -en ending):

• Nominative: alle (Alle sind da. – Everyone is here.)
• Dative: mit allen (Ich spreche mit allen. – I speak with everyone.)

So mit allen is “with everyone” in the correct case.

Could I say an alle instead of mit allen? What’s the difference?

Yes, but it changes the nuance:

• Ich teile es nachher mit allen.
  → I will share it with everyone (they all have access / are included).

• Ich schicke es nachher an alle.
  → I will send it to everyone (direction: from me to them).

Mit focuses on sharing/being included together.
An (with verbs like schicken, senden, verteilen) focuses on sending or distributing to a group.

What’s the difference between teilen (etwas mit jemandem) and mitteilen?

• (etwas) mit jemandem teilen = to share something with someone

  • Ich teile das Protokoll mit allen. – I share the minutes with everyone (e.g. send a file, give access).

• jemandem etwas mitteilen = to inform someone of something / to communicate something

  • Ich teile allen mit, dass das Meeting ausfällt. – I inform everyone that the meeting is cancelled.

So with a document like das Protokoll, teilen … mit is the natural choice for “sharing” (e.g. posting, emailing, giving access), not mitteilen.

Can I change the position of heute? For example: Ich schreibe das Protokoll heute?

Yes, both are correct:

• Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll. (neutral; very common)
• Ich schreibe das Protokoll heute. (slightly more emphasis on today, as opposed to some other time)

You can also say:

• Heute schreibe ich das Protokoll.

All are grammatically fine. In practice, Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll is the most neutral-sounding version.

Can I also move nachher in the second part? For example: und teile es mit allen nachher?

Yes:

• … und teile es nachher mit allen. (more natural; adverb nachher comes early, pronoun es stays close to the verb)
• … und teile es mit allen nachher. (also possible; puts a bit more emphasis on the “afterwards” part)

What you normally don’t say is:

• ✗ … und teile nachher es mit allen.

In German, unstressed pronouns like es usually stay right after the verb, before most other elements in the sentence.

Why is the present tense (schreibe, teile) used, even though it’s about something that will happen later today?

German often uses the present tense to talk about the near future, especially when there is a time expression like heute or nachher:

• Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll. – I’ll write the minutes today.
• Ich teile es nachher mit allen. – I’ll share it with everyone later.

You could also say:

• Ich werde heute das Protokoll schreiben und es nachher mit allen teilen.

That’s also correct but sounds more formal or slightly heavier; the simple present is very natural here.

Why isn’t there a comma before und?

You have two coordinated parts:

• Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll
• (ich) teile es nachher mit allen

They’re joined by und. In modern German, a comma before und in such a case is optional.

Without comma (as in the example) is very common and perfectly correct:

• Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll und teile es nachher mit allen.

Adding a comma would only be likely if the clauses are very long or the writer wants to create a pause:

• Ich schreibe heute das Protokoll, und teile es nachher mit allen. (grammatically allowed, but not needed here)

How does the verb-second (V2) rule work in this sentence?

In main clauses, German keeps the finite verb in second position:

1. Ich – first element (subject)
2. schreibe – finite verb (2nd position)
3. heute das Protokoll – the rest (middle field)

Second part:

1. (ich) – subject is understood from the first clause
2. teile – finite verb (2nd position of the clause)
3. es nachher mit allen – the rest

If you move heute to the front, the verb still stays second:

• Heute schreibe ich das Protokoll und teile es nachher mit allen.