Learn Hardcore German: Meine Lehrerin empfiehlt, die Lernzeit zu begrenzen und ein klares Limit pro Tag zu setzen. - My teacher recommends limiting study time and setting a clear limit per day.

Lehrerin is the feminine form of Lehrer (teacher). The ending -in usually marks a female person in a profession or role.
Meine is the possessive pronoun mein in the feminine nominative singular form, agreeing with Lehrerin:
- masculine nominative: mein Lehrer
- feminine nominative: meine Lehrerin
Meine Lehrerin is the subject of the sentence (the one doing the recommending), so it appears in the nominative case.

What form of the verb is „empfiehlt“, and why is it used here?

Why is there a comma after „empfiehlt“?

In German, a „zu + infinitive“ construction that functions like a clause is often set off by a comma.
Everything after the comma – „die Lernzeit zu begrenzen und ein klares Limit pro Tag zu setzen“ – is the content of what she recommends (a kind of subordinate clause).
So the structure is:
- Main clause: Meine Lehrerin empfiehlt, …
- Infinitive clause: die Lernzeit zu begrenzen und ein klares Limit pro Tag zu setzen.
In standard written German, this comma is required.

What is the function of „zu“ in „zu begrenzen“ and „zu setzen“?

zu + infinitive forms an infinitive clause, similar to English “to limit / to set” (not always, but often).
Verbs like empfehlen, versuchen, planen, hoffen often take such a zu + infinitive structure to express what someone recommends, tries, plans, hopes, etc.
Here:
- zu begrenzen = to limit
- zu setzen = to set
The teacher recommends doing these actions; that’s why you see the infinitive forms with zu.

Why is the word order „die Lernzeit zu begrenzen“ and not „zu begrenzen die Lernzeit“?

In zu + infinitive clauses, the non-verbal parts (objects, adverbs, etc.) usually come before zu + verb, just like in a normal German clause where the verb is at the end:
- normal clause: Ich begrenze die Lernzeit. (verb at the end)
- infinitive clause: die Lernzeit zu begrenzen
„zu begrenzen die Lernzeit“ is ungrammatical in standard German.
Pattern to remember:
- [object/adverbs/etc.] + zu + [infinitive]
- e.g. das Buch zu lesen, jeden Tag zu lernen

What case are „die Lernzeit“ and „ein klares Limit“ in, and why?

Both are in the accusative case:

die Lernzeit
- feminine noun (die Zeit) → feminine accusative singular is also die
- It is the direct object of begrenzen: to limit what? → die Lernzeit
ein klares Limit
- neuter noun (das Limit)
- neuter accusative singular indefinite article: ein
- adjective ending in neuter accusative with ein = -es → klares
- It is the direct object of setzen: to set what? → ein klares Limit

So the structure is:

Why is it „ein klares Limit“ and not „ein klarer Limit“ or just „ein klar Limit“?

Limit is neuter: das Limit.
With ein
- neuter noun in the accusative singular, the adjective takes -es:
  - ein klar-es Limit
Pattern (accusative singular):
- masculine: einen klaren Plan
- neuter: ein klares Limit
- feminine: eine klare Regel
You can’t say „klar Limit“; in German, attributive adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case, so the ending -es is required here.

What does „pro Tag“ mean exactly, and how is it used?

pro Tag = per day.
pro is a preposition (from Latin) commonly used in German for “per” (per week, per person, etc.).
It is used without an article:
- pro Tag (per day)
- pro Woche (per week)
- pro Person (per person)
Alternatives with slightly different style/nuance:
- jeden Tag = every day
- am Tag = in/over the course of the day
- ein tägliches Limit setzen = set a daily limit

What exactly is „Lernzeit“, and why is it written as one word?

Lernzeit is a compound noun:
- lernen (to learn) → the stem Lern-
- die Zeit (time)
- → die Lernzeit = the time for learning / study time
German very often combines nouns (or verb stems + nouns) into a single word to create specific concepts:
- Lernmaterial (learning material)
- Arbeitszeit (working time)
- Freizeit (free time)
So „Lernzeit“ as one word is normal German spelling.

Why do we repeat „zu“ in „zu begrenzen und … zu setzen“? Could we omit the second „zu“?

The standard, clear form is exactly what you see:
- … die Lernzeit zu begrenzen und ein klares Limit pro Tag zu setzen.
Both begrenzen and setzen belong to the zu-infinitive clause, and in careful written German, each infinitive usually gets its own „zu“, especially when each one has its own object (die Lernzeit vs. ein klares Limit).
In some informal contexts, native speakers may drop the second zu in similar structures, but this can sound sloppy or ambiguous.
For learners, it is safer and more idiomatic to repeat „zu“ for each verb in a list:
- … zu kochen und zu essen (to cook and eat)
- … zu lesen und zu schreiben (to read and write)

Why is it „die Lernzeit begrenzen“ and „ein Limit setzen“, and not the other way around?

This is about collocations—which verbs typically go with which nouns:

Lernzeit begrenzen
- begrenzen = to limit, to restrict
- You usually begrenzen something that can have an upper boundary: time, money, speed, etc.
- So die Lernzeit begrenzen (to limit study time) is natural.
ein Limit setzen
- ein Limit setzen = to set / establish a limit
- You setzen (set) rules, boundaries, limits, goals:
  - Regeln setzen, Grenzen setzen, ein Ziel setzen, ein Limit setzen
You could say things like ein Limit begrenzen in special contexts, but it would sound strange here.
The sentence combines two natural, common pairings:
- Lernzeit begrenzen
- (ein) Limit setzen

Could I add „mir“ and say „Meine Lehrerin empfiehlt mir, …“? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:
- Meine Lehrerin empfiehlt mir, die Lernzeit zu begrenzen und ein klares Limit pro Tag zu setzen.
Here mir is a dative pronoun (to me), making it explicit who she is giving the recommendation to.
In the original sentence, the indirect object is simply not stated. It’s understood from context that she is probably recommending this to me / us / the class.
Adding mir is grammatically correct and just makes the recipient of the advice explicit. The core meaning of the recommendation itself doesn’t change.