Learn Hardcore German: Die Lehrerin erklärt, dass ein Spickzettel nicht benutzt werden darf, auch wenn die Klausur schwer ist. - The teacher explains that a cheat sheet may not be used, even if the exam is difficult.

Main clause: Die Lehrerin erklärt, ... → verb (erklärt) is in second position.
Subordinate clause: ..., dass ein Spickzettel nicht benutzt werden darf, ... → in a dass-clause, the finite verb goes to the end of the clause.

So dass both introduces a subordinate clause and pushes the conjugated verb (darf) to the very end:

dass ein Spickzettel nicht benutzt werden darf → subject (ein Spickzettel) + other elements + darf at the end.

Why is it dass with double s and not das with one s?

Dass with ss is a conjunction meaning roughly “that” (introducing a subordinate clause).
Das with one s is usually:

a definite article: das Buch (the book), or
a relative / demonstrative pronoun: das, was ich meine (that which I mean).

You use dass when it can be replaced (in English) by “that” introducing a clause:

Die Lehrerin erklärt, dass ... → “The teacher explains that ...”

If you try to replace it with “this / that (thing)”, then you probably need das, not dass.

Why is it Die Lehrerin and not just Lehrerin without the article?

In German, countable nouns almost always need an article (definite, indefinite, or another determiner), unless they’re in some specific patterns (e.g. headlines, labels, certain fixed expressions).

Here, die Lehrerin is a specific person in the situation, so German uses the definite article die:

Die Lehrerin = “the (female) teacher”

Saying just Lehrerin erklärt, ... would sound ungrammatical in normal sentences.

Why is it die Lehrerin and not der Lehrer? Is that just a random choice?

German has gender-specific job titles in everyday language:

der Lehrer = male teacher (or traditionally generic in older usage)
die Lehrerin = female teacher

So die Lehrerin indicates explicitly that the teacher is female. It’s not random: the ending -in typically marks the feminine form of many professions (e.g. der Arzt / die Ärztin, der Student / die Studentin).

Why is it ein Spickzettel and not eine Spickzettel or ein Spickzettel with some ending?

Spickzettel is a masculine noun in German:

der Spickzettel (the cheat sheet)
ein Spickzettel (a cheat sheet)

That’s why the indefinite article is ein, not eine (which is for feminine nouns).
In the sentence, ein Spickzettel is in the nominative case as the subject of the subordinate clause (ein Spickzettel ... darf).

So:

nominative masculine: ein Spickzettel
nominative feminine: eine Klausur

What exactly is a Spickzettel? Is it always about cheating in exams?

Yes, Spickzettel is an informal word for a cheat sheet—a small piece of paper with secret notes used to cheat, usually in a test or exam context.

It’s typically negative because it’s associated with cheating.
The plural is die Spickzettel (same form as singular in spelling).

In some contexts people also use it jokingly (e.g. for a little crib sheet of vocabulary you openly use while studying), but in an exam it clearly means cheating.

Why is the verb phrase nicht benutzt werden darf so long and at the end? How is it built?

This is a combination of:

Passive voice with werden → (etwas) wird benutzt = “(something) is used”
A modal verb (dürfen) → (etwas) darf benutzt werden = “(something) may be used / is allowed to be used”

In a subordinate clause, all verbs move to the end, and they appear in a cluster:

Active, main clause:
- Man darf keinen Spickzettel benutzen.
Passive, subordinate:
- ..., dass ein Spickzettel nicht benutzt werden darf.

Order in the cluster:

Participle of the main verb: benutzt
Infinitive of the passive auxiliary: werden
Finite modal verb at the very end: darf

So the long phrase benutzt werden darf is normal German verb-cluster word order in a subordinate clause.

Could we say darf nicht benutzt werden instead? Does the word order change the meaning?

In a main clause, you would indeed say:

Ein Spickzettel darf nicht benutzt werden.

Here, the finite modal verb darf must be in second position, and the rest (nicht benutzt werden) goes to the end.

In the given sentence, we are in a subordinate clause introduced by dass, so the finite verb moves to the end:

..., dass ein Spickzettel nicht benutzt werden darf.

So:

Subordinate clause → nicht benutzt werden darf
Main clause → darf nicht benutzt werden

The meaning (prohibition) is the same; only the word order differs because of clause type.

Why is dürfen used and not können? What’s the difference between darf nicht and kann nicht here?

dürfen expresses permission or prohibition:
- darf nicht = “is not allowed to / may not”
können expresses ability or possibility:
- kann nicht = “is not able to / cannot”

In the context of exam rules, the teacher is forbidding something, not saying it’s physically impossible. So dürfen is correct:

Ein Spickzettel darf nicht benutzt werden.
→ “A cheat sheet may not be used / is not allowed.”

Kann nicht benutzt werden would suggest it’s impossible to use it at all (maybe it’s missing or broken), which is not the point here.

What does auch wenn mean here, and how is it different from obwohl?

Auch wenn literally combines auch (also / even) and wenn (if / when). In this context, it means roughly:

“even if” / “even though”

The nuance:

auch wenn often suggests a hypothetical or general condition:
- auch wenn die Klausur schwer ist = “even if the exam is hard (in that situation)”
obwohl is more like “although / even though” and is usually used when the fact is actually true or presented as true:
- obwohl die Klausur schwer ist = “although the exam is hard” (we take it as a fact)

In many real-world contexts they can overlap, but auch wenn tends to sound more like “even if (that happens / is the case)”.

Why is the verb ist at the end in auch wenn die Klausur schwer ist?

Auch wenn introduces another subordinate clause (a conditional or concessive clause). As with dass, this makes it a verb-final clause:

auch wenn
- subject + rest + verb at the end

So:

die Klausur (subject)
schwer (predicative adjective)
ist (finite verb) → goes to the end

That’s why the clause is auch wenn die Klausur schwer ist, not auch wenn die Klausur ist schwer.

What exactly is a Klausur, and how is it different from Prüfung or Test?

In German educational contexts:

die Klausur: usually a written exam, often longer and more formal, e.g. at university or in upper secondary school.
die Prüfung: a more general word for exam (can be written or oral, big or small).
der Test: often a smaller test or quiz, less formal, shorter.

So Klausur often suggests a formal written exam, especially in school or university settings.

Why is the present tense used (erklärt, darf, ist) even though this might be about exam rules in general?

German commonly uses the present tense for:

actions happening now
general truths or rules
what someone is currently saying or explaining

Here, Die Lehrerin erklärt, ... describes something happening at that moment (she is explaining). The subordinate clauses (darf ..., ist ...) describe rules or conditions that are generally valid, which also normally use the present tense in German.

So the present tense is appropriate and natural for both the current explanation and the general rule.