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Die Lehrerin kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.

Die Lehrerin kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.
The teacher criticizes my essay.
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Questions & Answers about Die Lehrerin kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.

Why is it die Lehrerin and not der Lehrer?

Lehrerin is the specifically feminine form of Lehrer (teacher).

  • der Lehrer = the (male or unspecified) teacher
  • die Lehrerin = the female teacher

In German, many job titles form a feminine version by adding -in:

  • der Arzt → die Ärztin (doctor)
  • der Student → die Studentin (student)

Because Lehrerin is grammatically feminine, it always takes the article die in the nominative singular: die Lehrerin.

What grammatical role does die Lehrerin have in this sentence?

Die Lehrerin is the subject of the sentence.

  • It’s the person performing the action of criticizing.
  • As the subject, it is in the nominative case.

So:

  • Die Lehrerin (nominative subject)
  • kritisiert (verb)
  • meinen Aufsatz (accusative object / thing being criticized)
What tense is kritisiert, and does it mean “criticizes” or “is criticizing”?

Kritisiert is the present tense of the verb kritisieren.

German present tense can correspond to both forms in English:

  • Die Lehrerin kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.
    = The teacher criticizes my essay.
    = The teacher is criticizing my essay.

German does not have a separate progressive tense (no direct equivalent of “is criticizing”), so the simple present covers both meanings; context decides which English version fits best.

Why is the verb kritisiert in the second position in the sentence?

German main clauses usually follow the verb-second (V2) rule:

  1. One element in first position (here: Die Lehrerin)
  2. The finite verb in second position (here: kritisiert)
  3. The rest of the sentence (here: meinen Aufsatz)

So the basic pattern is:

  • [Subject or other element] + [conjugated verb] + [everything else]

That’s why kritisiert comes right after Die Lehrerin.

What case is meinen Aufsatz, and how can I recognize it?

Meinen Aufsatz is in the accusative case.

  • It answers “whom?” or “what?” after the verb:
    The teacher criticizes what? → meinen Aufsatz.
  • It is the direct object of the verb kritisieren.

Clues:

  • Aufsatz is masculine (der Aufsatz)
  • Masculine accusative makes mein change to meinen
  • So meinen Aufsatz = masculine singular accusative
Why is it meinen Aufsatz and not just mein Aufsatz?

The possessive mein has to agree with gender, number, and case of the noun.

  • Aufsatz is masculine: der Aufsatz
  • In this sentence, Aufsatz is a direct object → accusative case
  • Masculine singular accusative form of mein is meinen

Some forms of mein for comparison:

  • Nominative:
    • mein Aufsatz (masc.)
    • meine Zeitung (fem.)
  • Accusative:
    • meinen Aufsatz (masc.)
    • meine Zeitung (fem.)

So here we must say meinen Aufsatz, not mein Aufsatz.

Why is Aufsatz capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence.

Since Aufsatz is a noun, it is written with a capital A:

  • Aufsatz (essay)
  • Buch (book)
  • Lehrerin (teacher)

This is a general rule, not an exception.

What does the ending -in in Lehrerin tell me?

The ending -in usually marks the feminine form of a profession or role.

  • der Lehrer → die Lehrerin (teacher)
  • der Freund → die Freundin (friend)
  • der Chef → die Chefin (boss)

So Lehrerin tells you both:

  • It’s a female teacher.
  • The noun is grammatically feminine, which affects the article (die) and adjective endings.
How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “my essays” instead of “my essay”?

You would make Aufsatz plural and adjust mein accordingly:

  • Singular: Die Lehrerin kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.
    (The teacher criticizes my essay.)
  • Plural: Die Lehrerin kritisiert meine Aufsätze.
    (The teacher criticizes my essays.)

Changes:

  • Aufsatz → Aufsätze (plural, with umlaut and -e)
  • meinen (masculine singular accusative) → meine (plural accusative)
Can I change the word order, for example: Meinen Aufsatz kritisiert die Lehrerin?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct:

  • Meinen Aufsatz kritisiert die Lehrerin.

Meaning:

  • Still: The teacher criticizes my essay.
  • But the emphasis shifts more strongly onto meinen Aufsatz (“It’s my essay that the teacher criticizes”).

German allows flexible word order as long as:

  • The conjugated verb remains in second position in main clauses.
  • The cases (nominative/accusative) make clear who is doing what to whom.
How would I say this sentence in the past tense?

Two common options:

  1. Präteritum (simple past)

    • Die Lehrerin kritisierte meinen Aufsatz.
      = The teacher criticized my essay.

  2. Perfekt (present perfect)

    • Die Lehrerin hat meinen Aufsatz kritisiert.
      = The teacher has criticized my essay. / The teacher criticized my essay.

In everyday spoken German, the Perfekt form (hat kritisiert) is more common; in written narratives, Präteritum (kritisierte) is typical.

If the teacher were male, how would the sentence change?

Only the subject phrase changes from feminine to masculine:

  • Female teacher: Die Lehrerin kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.
  • Male teacher: Der Lehrer kritisiert meinen Aufsatz.

Explanation:

  • Lehrerin → Lehrer (masculine form)
  • die → der (masculine nominative article)

The rest (kritisiert meinen Aufsatz) stays the same.