Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.

Tomorrow we are writing a class test.

Breakdown of Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.

• wir: we
• morgen: tomorrow
• schreiben: to write
• die Klassenarbeit: the test

Questions & Answers about Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.

Why is the present tense (schreiben) used for a future event (“tomorrow”) instead of a future tense like English “will write”?

German very often uses the present tense for near future events when there is a clear time expression:

• Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.
  = Tomorrow we (will) write a test.

The word morgen already shows it’s in the future, so a special future tense is not required. You can also say:

• Morgen werden wir eine Klassenarbeit schreiben.

That’s grammatically correct but sounds a bit heavier or more formal; in everyday speech the simple present is preferred here.

Why does the sentence start with Morgen schreiben wir… instead of Wir schreiben morgen…?

Both word orders are correct:

• Wir schreiben morgen eine Klassenarbeit. (more neutral)
• Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit. (emphasizes tomorrow)

German main clauses follow the verb‑second rule:

1. Some element in first place (here: Morgen)
2. The conjugated verb in second place (schreiben)
3. The subject and the rest (wir eine Klassenarbeit)

So when you move Morgen to the front, schreiben must move in front of wir to stay in the second position: Morgen schreiben wir …

Does Morgen here mean “tomorrow” or “morning”? How can I tell the difference?

In this sentence it clearly means “tomorrow”.

German has:

• morgen (lowercase, adverb) = tomorrow
• der Morgen (capitalized noun) = the morning

At the beginning of a sentence, both are written with a capital M by spelling rules, so you need context:

• Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.
  = Tomorrow we’re writing a test. (time adverb)
• Morgens schreiben wir viele Klassenarbeiten.
  = In the mornings we write many tests. (adverb from the noun der Morgen)

Here, “writing a test” is something planned on a specific day in the future, so it must be tomorrow, not “in the morning”.

Why is it eine Klassenarbeit and not die Klassenarbeit?

Eine is the indefinite article (“a/an”), and die is the definite article (“the”).

• eine Klassenarbeit = a test / a class test (not referring to a specific known one)
• die Klassenarbeit = the test (a specific one everyone already knows about)

In many school contexts, English would still say “the test” (“Tomorrow we have the test”), but German tends to use the indefinite form for the event itself:

• Wir schreiben morgen eine Klassenarbeit.
  (We’re writing a test tomorrow.)

What gender is Klassenarbeit, and how do I know?

Klassenarbeit is feminine: die Klassenarbeit.

Clue: it ends with -arbeit. The word Arbeit (“work”) is feminine: die Arbeit. In compound nouns, the last part usually decides the gender:

• die Klassenarbeit (from die Klasse
  • die Arbeit → feminine)
• plural: die Klassenarbeiten

So you say:

• eine Klassenarbeit (feminine accusative singular)

Why is it eine Klassenarbeit schreiben? Doesn’t schreiben just mean “to write”?

Literally, schreiben = “to write”, but in school and exam contexts, German uses schreiben to mean “to sit / take / write a test or exam.”

Common patterns:

• eine Klassenarbeit schreiben = to write/take a class test
• eine Prüfung schreiben = to sit/take an exam
• eine Klausur schreiben = to sit/take an exam (often at university)

So Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit is the normal idiomatic way to say “Tomorrow we have a test / we’re taking a test.”

Why is there no preposition, like “an” or “for”, before eine Klassenarbeit?

The verb schreiben here takes a direct object in the accusative:

• Was schreiben wir? – eine Klassenarbeit.
  (What are we writing? – a test.)

Because eine Klassenarbeit answers the question “what?”, it’s a direct object, and no preposition is needed.

In English you often say “have a test” or “sit for a test”, but in German the verb schreiben covers that meaning directly.

Is Morgen werden wir eine Klassenarbeit schreiben also correct? What’s the difference?

Yes, it is correct:

• Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.
• Morgen werden wir eine Klassenarbeit schreiben.

Both can mean “Tomorrow we will write a test.”

Differences in feel:

• Present tense (schreiben) with a time word (morgen) is the most natural for planned future events.
• Futur I (werden … schreiben) is used:
  • for emphasis on the future,
  • for predictions or assumptions,
  • in more formal contexts or when you want to be very explicit.

In everyday speech about fixed schedules (timetables, tests, meetings), the simple present is preferred.

Why is the verb in Morgen schreiben wir… after Morgen, but in English it’s “Tomorrow we are writing…” with the subject right after “tomorrow”?

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

• The conjugated verb must be in second position, no matter what comes first.

English usually keeps subject–verb order:

• Tomorrow we are writing a test. (Adverb – Subject – Verb)

German:

• Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.
  (Adverb – Verb – Subject – Object)

If you start with wir, the verb still stays second:

• Wir schreiben morgen eine Klassenarbeit.
  (Subject – Verb – …)

So the verb moves according to the V2 rule, not the subject.

Could I also say Wir schreiben eine Klassenarbeit morgen? Is that wrong?

It’s not wrong, but it’s less natural than:

• Wir schreiben morgen eine Klassenarbeit. (most typical)

German tends to follow the informal rule “Time – Manner – Place” in the middle of the sentence. Time words like morgen usually come before the object:

• Wir schreiben morgen eine Klassenarbeit. ✅
• Wir schreiben eine Klassenarbeit morgen. (possible, but sounds marked or unusual in many contexts)

The second version might be used for special emphasis (e.g. contrasting with “not today, but tomorrow”), but as a learner, the safer standard word order is:

Wir schreiben morgen eine Klassenarbeit.

Why is Klassenarbeit written as one word and not Klassen Arbeit?

German almost always writes compound nouns as one word:

• Klasse (class) + Arbeit (work) → Klassenarbeit (class test)

Some other examples:

• Haus
  • Aufgabe → Hausaufgabe (homework)
• Universität
  • Bibliothek → Universitätsbibliothek (university library)

Writing Klassen Arbeit would be incorrect; they must be joined into a single noun.

Is there any special pronunciation I should know for Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit?

A few key points:

• sch in schreiben = “sh” in ship
• ei in schreiben / eine / eine = like English “eye”
  • schreiben ≈ “SHRYE-ben”
• g in Morgen is a hard “g” (like “go”)
• r is often a softer/“swallowed” sound in many accents, especially in syllables like -er, -en

Approximate breakdown:

• Morgen → MOR-gen
• schreiben → SHRYE-ben
• wir → veer (with a German v/f-like sound for w)
• eine → EYE-nuh
• Klassenarbeit → KLAH-sen-ar-bite (with ei again like “eye”)

Stresses: MÓRgen SCHRÉIben wir ÉIne KLÁSSenarbèit (main strong stresses on MOR, SCHREI, EIn(e), KLASS, -beit). You don’t need to be perfect, but getting sch and ei right helps a lot.

Who does wir refer to? Is this formal, informal, or something special in school context?

wir is just the first‑person plural pronoun = “we”. It’s neutral in terms of formality.

In a school context, it usually means:

• the class including the speaker:
  • a student speaking to classmates: “Morgen schreiben wir eine Klassenarbeit.”
  • a teacher including themselves and the students in the activity.

It’s not formal or informal by itself; that depends more on the situation and on how people say du vs. Sie, not on wir.