Learn Hardcore German: Die Anweisung der Lehrerin ist klar: Bitte leise arbeiten. - The teacher’s instruction is clear: please work quietly.

Anweisung means instruction in the sense of something you are told to do, often by a person with some authority (like a teacher, boss, or supervisor).

Comparison with similar words:

Anweisung – instruction/order, with a slight feeling of authority or obligation.
- Die Anweisung der Lehrerin = the teacher’s instruction.
Befehl – command, often much stronger and more military or harsh.
- Befehl feels stricter and less polite.
Instruktion – instruction, but more formal/technical and less common in everyday speech.
Anleitung – guidance/manual/how‑to.
- Anleitung is more about explaining how to do something, like a user guide, not so much a command.

So here Anweisung fits well because it is about what the teacher tells the students to do in class.

Why is it die Anweisung der Lehrerin and not die Anweisung von der Lehrerin?

Der Lehrerin is in the genitive case, showing possession/relationship:

die Anweisung der Lehrerin = the teacher’s instruction.

Using von + dative is possible, but a bit less elegant in written German:

die Anweisung von der Lehrerin – understandable, more colloquial, slightly heavier.

Genitive (without von) is the standard written form for “X’s Y”:

das Buch des Schülers = the student’s book
die Anweisung der Lehrerin = the teacher’s instruction

So the sentence uses the genitive structure, which is more natural in this written style.

What case is der Lehrerin, and how can I recognize it?

Der Lehrerin here is feminine genitive singular.

Clues:

Anweisung often takes a genitive attribute when you say whose instruction it is.
die Lehrerin (nominative singular, feminine) → genitive singular is der Lehrerin.
The pattern for a regular feminine noun is:
- Nominative: die Lehrerin
- Accusative: die Lehrerin
- Dative: der Lehrerin
- Genitive: der Lehrerin

Dative and genitive look the same for feminine nouns, so you need the context: after a noun like Anweisung, you expect a genitive to express “of the teacher”.

Why is there a colon after klar?

The colon introduces what the instruction actually is.

Structure:

Die Anweisung der Lehrerin ist klar: → main clause, general statement
Bitte leise arbeiten. → the specific instruction

In German, a colon is used:

before direct speech:
- Sie sagte: Morgen haben wir frei.
before an explanation or example:
- Ich habe ein Ziel: jeden Tag Deutsch zu lernen.

Here, the second part is essentially the content of the instruction, so a colon is appropriate.

Why is Bitte leise arbeiten in that form? Why not Arbeitet leise, bitte or Bitte arbeitet leise?

Bitte leise arbeiten is an infinitive construction and is very common in instructions, notices, and classroom language. It’s like English:

Please work quietly.

In German, you can express instructions in different ways:

Infinitive + object/adverb, often on signs or formal instructions:
- Bitte leise arbeiten.
- Nicht rauchen.
- Handys ausschalten.
Imperative (direct):
- Arbeitet leise, bitte. (to a group, informal)
- Arbeiten Sie bitte leise. (formal, to one or more people)

In this sentence, Bitte leise arbeiten makes it sound like a general instruction, not like the teacher is directly shouting a command at someone. It’s a bit more neutral and “instruction‑like” than a direct imperative.

Is Bitte leise arbeiten a full sentence? There is no verb in the finite form.

Yes, in context it functions as a complete sentence, even though it doesn’t have a finite (conjugated) verb.

German often uses infinitive sentences especially in:

instructions
notices
rules
headlines

Examples:

Nicht stören.
Türen geschlossen halten.
Bitte nicht fotografieren.

These are understood as commands or requests. Grammatically they’re not full finite clauses, but in real usage they are complete utterances and are written with a period.

Why is arbeiten not capitalized? Sometimes I see capitalized verbs like das Arbeiten.

In Bitte leise arbeiten, arbeiten is used as a verb (infinitive), so it is written with a lowercase initial.

Verbs are capitalized only when they are turned into nouns (substantivized), usually with an article or determiner:

das Arbeiten = the act of working
beim Arbeiten = while working
das Lesen, beim Schwimmen, etc.

Here, arbeiten is just “to work” in an instruction, not a noun. So: arbeiten, not Arbeiten.

What exactly does leise mean, and why is it placed before arbeiten?

Leise means quiet or quietly, depending on the context. It describes doing something without much noise.

leise sprechen = to speak quietly/softly
leise Musik = quiet/soft music

In leise arbeiten, leise is an adverb modifying the verb arbeiten: “to work quietly”.

Position:

In German, adverbs of manner (how something is done) often stand directly before the verb in such infinitive instructions:
- Bitte langsam sprechen.
- Vorsichtig fahren.
- Leise arbeiten.

So Bitte leise arbeiten corresponds to Please work quietly.

Why is it die Lehrerin and not something else? How do I know the gender of Anweisung and Lehrerin?

Lehrerin is always feminine: it’s the female form of Lehrer (teacher).
- masculine: der Lehrer
- feminine: die Lehrerin
Anweisung is also grammatically feminine, so you say die Anweisung.

Gender in German is largely lexical and must be learned with the noun:

die Anweisung (feminine)
der Lehrer (masculine)
die Lehrerin (feminine)
das Buch (neuter)

A helpful habit: always learn new nouns with their article:

die Anweisung, die Lehrerin

Could I also say Die Anweisungen der Lehrerin sind klar: Bitte leise arbeiten.? What changes?

Yes, that is correct, just slightly different in meaning:

Die Anweisung der Lehrerin ist klar …
→ There is one specific instruction, and it is clear.
Die Anweisungen der Lehrerin sind klar …
→ The teacher’s instructions (plural) in general are clear.

You would use the plural if you are talking about a set of rules or several things she told the class to do, of which “Bitte leise arbeiten” is one example.

Why is it ist klar and not klar ist?

Standard word order in a simple statement is:

Subject – Verb – Rest

So:

Die Anweisung der Lehrerin (subject)
ist (verb)
klar (predicate adjective)

→ Die Anweisung der Lehrerin ist klar.

You could say Klar ist die Anweisung der Lehrerin, but that is a marked word order used for emphasis or stylistic effect, similar to English “Clear is the teacher’s instruction”, which sounds poetic or unusual. The normal neutral form is ist klar at the end.

What role does Bitte play here, and could it go somewhere else in the sentence?

Bitte adds politeness to the instruction, like “please” in English. Without Bitte, it would sound more like a bare command:

Leise arbeiten. – “Work quietly.” (neutral, but more like a direct order)
Bitte leise arbeiten. – “Please work quietly.” (more polite)

You can move Bitte in other structures:

Bitte arbeitet leise.
Arbeitet bitte leise.
Arbeiten Sie bitte leise.

In the infinitive style of instructions, Bitte typically comes first:

Bitte leise arbeiten.
Bitte nicht rauchen.