Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.

to be

Breakdown of Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.

• die Lehrerin: the teacher (female)
• sorgfältig: careful

Questions & Answers about Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.

Why is it Die Lehrerin and not Der Lehrer?

Lehrer is the general word for teacher and is grammatically masculine.

To refer specifically to a female teacher, German usually adds -in:

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

The article also changes:

• der for masculine singular
• die for feminine singular

So die Lehrerin clearly means a female teacher.

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What grammatical case is die Lehrerin here, and why?

Die Lehrerin is in the nominative case.

Reasons:

• It is the subject of the sentence (the person who is something).
• The verb sein (to be) almost always takes:
  • subject in the nominative
  • and the adjective or noun that describes it (the predicate).

So:

• Die Lehrerin (subject, nominative)
• ist (verb)
• sorgfältig (predicate adjective describing the subject)

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Why doesn’t sorgfältig have an ending, like sorgfältige?

In predicate position (after sein, werden, bleiben, etc.), adjectives in German do not take endings.

Examples:

• Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig. (no ending)
• Der Schüler ist fleißig.
• Das Buch ist interessant.

Adjective endings (like -e, -er, -en, -es) appear in front of a noun:

• Die sorgfältige Lehrerin (the careful teacher)
• Ein interessanter Film (an interesting film)

So:

• after sein → no ending: ist sorgfältig
• before a noun → ending: sorgfältige Lehrerin

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Can I also say Die sorgfältige Lehrerin? How is that different?

Yes, but it’s a different structure and slightly different focus.

• Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.

  • Full sentence.
  • States a fact: the teacher has the quality careful/thorough.
  • Focus on what she is like.

• Die sorgfältige Lehrerin ...

  • Just a noun phrase, not a complete sentence.
  • You still need a verb: Die sorgfältige Lehrerin erklärt die Aufgabe.
  • The focus is on identifying which teacher (the careful one).

So:

• Use ist sorgfältig when describing.
• Use die sorgfältige Lehrerin when you need an adjective before the noun to identify or characterize someone within a larger sentence.

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What’s the difference between sorgfältig and vorsichtig? Both can mean “careful”.

They overlap in English, but the nuance is different:

• sorgfältig

  • Means thorough, meticulous, precise.
  • Focus on doing work properly and paying attention to details.
  • Example: Sie schreibt sehr sorgfältig. (She writes very carefully/neatly.)

• vorsichtig

  • Means cautious, careful to avoid danger or risk.
  • Focus on avoiding harm, mistakes, or danger.
  • Example: Sei vorsichtig! (Be careful!)

In Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig, we understand she prepares or does her work thoroughly, not that she is especially cautious about danger.

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Could I change the word order and say Sorgfältig ist die Lehrerin?

Yes, but it sounds marked and is used for emphasis or in more literary/poetic style.

• Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.

  • Neutral, normal word order.
  • Standard way to say it.

• Sorgfältig ist die Lehrerin.

  • Emphasizes the adjective sorgfältig.
  • Implies something like: Careful, that’s what the teacher is.

In everyday spoken German, stick with Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.
Fronting sorgfältig is more stylistic or for contrast.

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Why is Lehrerin capitalized but sorgfältig is not?

In German:

• All nouns are capitalized.
• Adjectives and verbs are not (except at the start of a sentence or in some special cases).

Here:

• Lehrerin is a noun → Lehrerin
• sorgfältig is an adjective → sorgfältig

So the capitalization directly tells you the word type:

• Lehrerin (thing/person) → noun
• sorgfältig (quality) → adjective

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How do I pronounce Lehrerin and sorgfältig?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English terms):

• Lehrerin: /ˈleːʁəʁɪn/

  • Leh-: like “lay” but longer: “lay” with a long e.
  • -re-: a light German r, then uh.
  • -rin: “rin” (like “rin” in “rind” without the d).

• sorgfältig: /ˈzɔʁkˌfɛltɪç/

  • sorg-: s like English z; “zorg” (short o as in “or” but shorter).
  • fäl-: ä like “e” in “bed”: “fel”.
  • -tig: more like “tich” with a soft German ch (as in “ich”), not like English “tig” in “tiger”.

Key points:

• Initial s before a vowel often sounds like z in English.
• The ch in -tig is the soft ich-sound, not a hard k.

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Does Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig describe a permanent characteristic or a temporary state?

By default, sein + Adjektiv in German often suggests a general characteristic, especially with professional roles:

• Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.
  • Most naturally: She is a careful/thorough person in her work.
  • It sounds like a stable quality, not just today.

Context can make it more temporary if needed:

• Heute ist die Lehrerin besonders sorgfältig.
  • Today the teacher is especially careful. (temporary emphasis)

But with no extra context, listeners will usually understand it as a general trait.

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Is there a difference between Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig and Die Lehrerin arbeitet sorgfältig?

Yes, small but meaningful:

• Die Lehrerin ist sorgfältig.

  • Describes what she is like as a person/professional.
  • General quality or character trait.

• Die Lehrerin arbeitet sorgfältig.

  • Focuses on how she works.
  • Describes her manner of working in a particular situation or in general.

Also note: In German, adjectives like sorgfältig can function as adverbs without changing form:

• Sie arbeitet sorgfältig. = She works carefully.
  No extra ending needed.