Learn Hardcore German: Das bunte Plakat macht Werbung für ein zusätzliches Tutorium gegen Prüfungsangst. - The colorful poster advertises an additional tutorial against exam anxiety.

Das bunte Plakat is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence – it is the thing doing the action (it "makes advertising").

Plakat is neuter: das Plakat
In the nominative singular, neuter is das.
So: das Plakat → das bunte Plakat.

Den and dem would put it in the accusative or dative, which would be wrong for the subject:

den = masculine accusative (not neuter)
dem = masculine/neuter dative

Here we simply need nominative neuter → das.

Why is it bunte Plakat but zusätzliches Tutorium? Why are the adjective endings different?

This is about adjective endings with definite vs. indefinite articles.

Das bunte Plakat
- das = definite article, nominative, singular, neuter
- With a definite article in nominative singular, the adjective ending is usually -e:
  - der rote Wagen
  - die kleine Katze
  - das bunte Plakat
ein zusätzliches Tutorium
- ein = indefinite article, accusative, singular, neuter (after für)
- With ein in neuter accusative, the adjective ending is -es:
  - ein neues Auto
  - ein schwieriges Thema
  - ein zusätzliches Tutorium

So:

das bunte Plakat (definite article → bunte)
ein zusätzliches Tutorium (indefinite article → zusätzliches)

Why is it Plakat and not just the loanword Poster?

Both exist in German, but they have slightly different flavors:

das Plakat
- Often used for advertising posters, public notices, event ads on walls, billboards.
- More formal or neutral, often used in media, news, official contexts.
das Poster
- More like a decorative poster, e.g. a band poster in your bedroom, a movie poster on your wall.
- Feels a bit more informal and “home” oriented.

In this sentence, it’s about something that advertises a course, so Plakat is the more natural word.

Why does the sentence say macht Werbung instead of using a single verb like wirbt?

German has both:

Werbung machen für etwas = to advertise something
für etwas werben = to advertise for something

So you could also say:

Das bunte Plakat wirbt für ein zusätzliches Tutorium …

Differences:

macht Werbung für is a very common, neutral, everyday phrase.
wirbt (für) is slightly more compact, perhaps a bit more formal or “elevated”, but still common.

Both are correct. The version with macht Werbung just uses a noun (die Werbung) plus a general verb (machen), which is a very typical German style.

Why is it für ein zusätzliches Tutorium and not für einem zusätzlichen Tutorium?

Because of the preposition für:

für always takes the accusative case.

So we need:

ein zusätzliches Tutorium in accusative singular neuter.

Forms of ein (neuter, singular):

Nominative: ein Tutorium
Accusative: ein Tutorium (same article)
But the adjective ending shows the case: zusätzliches

If it were dative, we would need:

für einem – but that is impossible because für never takes dative.

So:

für ein zusätzliches Tutorium = correct (accusative after für)

What exactly is a Tutorium in German? Is it the same as “tutoring”?

Not exactly. Tutorium is a term especially used in universities:

It is usually a small group session that goes with a lecture.
Often led by a tutor (a more advanced student or assistant), not by the main professor.
Students ask questions, practice tasks, review material from the main lecture.

English equivalents depend on context:

tutorial
exercise class
recitation
possibly support class or study group

It is not usually one-on-one private tutoring (that would be more like Nachhilfe in German).

Why is it gegen Prüfungsangst? Doesn’t gegen mean “against” in an oppositional sense?

Yes, gegen literally means “against”, but in German it is also commonly used in the sense of:

“as a remedy/prevention against”

Examples:

ein Medikament gegen Kopfschmerzen = medicine for headaches / against headaches
eine Impfung gegen Grippe = a vaccination against flu
ein Kurs gegen Stress = a course to help with stress

Here:

ein Tutorium gegen Prüfungsangst = a tutorial that is meant to help with / combat / reduce exam anxiety.

So gegen here is natural and idiomatic.

Why is there no article before Prüfungsangst? Why not gegen die Prüfungsangst?

In German, abstract, uncountable concepts are often used without an article when speaking in general:

Er hat Angst. = He is afraid.
Sie hat Prüfungsangst. = She has exam anxiety.
Sie kämpft gegen Ungerechtigkeit. = She fights against injustice.

So:

gegen Prüfungsangst = against exam anxiety (in general)

Using an article would slightly change the nuance:

gegen die Prüfungsangst can sound more like a specific or well-known exam anxiety, or “the” exam anxiety of a group, but it’s less common and usually not needed here.

The article-less form is the default when talking about such conditions in general.

How is the compound noun Prüfungsangst formed, and can I make similar words?

Prüfungsangst = Prüfung (exam) + Angst (fear, anxiety).

German very often creates compound nouns like this:

Prüfungsangst = fear of exams
Höhenangst = fear of heights
Zahnarztangst = fear of the dentist
Spinnenangst is understandable, but the usual phrase is Angst vor Spinnen (fear of spiders).

Typical pattern: [cause/trigger] + Angst

So yes, you can often build similar compounds, though you still need to learn which ones are really idiomatic.

Why is the word order macht Werbung für ein zusätzliches Tutorium … and not something like für ein zusätzliches Tutorium macht das bunte Plakat Werbung?

The given word order is:

Das bunte Plakat (subject)
macht (finite verb, 2nd position)
Werbung (object)
für ein zusätzliches Tutorium (prepositional phrase)
gegen Prüfungsangst (prepositional phrase)

This is the most neutral and natural order: subject – verb – object – extra information.

However, your alternative is also grammatically correct:

Für ein zusätzliches Tutorium gegen Prüfungsangst macht das bunte Plakat Werbung.

Putting für ein zusätzliches Tutorium … at the beginning:

Emphasizes what the poster is advertising, rather than the poster itself.
Is more stylistic, maybe suitable in written or rhetorical contexts.

German allows some flexibility in word order as long as:

The finite verb stays in 2nd position in main clauses.

Why is Tutorium neuter (das Tutorium), and is that true for other -um words?

Many (not all, but many) nouns ending in -um in German are neuter:

das Museum
das Studium
das Zentrum
das Publikum
das Datum (though plural is Daten)

So das Tutorium fits this pattern and therefore:

Nominative: das Tutorium
Accusative: das Tutorium
with ein: ein Tutorium, ein zusätzliches Tutorium

If I leave out zusätzliches, what changes grammatically?

If you remove zusätzliches, the structure simplifies:

für ein Tutorium gegen Prüfungsangst

Grammatically:

Still accusative after für.
Tutorium is neuter, so ein stays the same.
There is simply no adjective anymore, so no adjective ending is needed.

So:

für ein zusätzliches Tutorium → with an adjective (ending -es)
für ein Tutorium → without an adjective, same case, just simpler.

Only the meaning changes slightly:

zusätzliches emphasizes that the tutorial is additional, on top of something else.