Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort an die Tafel.

The (female) teacher writes the new word on the board.

Breakdown of Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort an die Tafel.

• neu: new
• schreiben: to write
• an: on
• das: the; (neuter, accusative)
• das Wort: the word
• die Lehrerin: the teacher (female)
• die Tafel: the food bank

Questions & Answers about Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort an die Tafel.

Why is it die Lehrerin and not der Lehrer?

German distinguishes grammatically between male and female people in many job titles.

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

The ending -in is a common way to form the feminine version of a profession:

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

In this sentence, we are talking about a female teacher, so Lehrerin is used, and the article must match that grammatical gender: die Lehrerin.

What gender and case is die Lehrerin, and why?

Lehrerin is:

• grammatical gender: feminine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

Why nominative?
The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence – the person or thing doing the action. Here, die Lehrerin is the one who is writing, so it’s the subject.

Feminine, singular, nominative uses the article die:

• die Lehrerin schreibt … (The [female] teacher writes …)

Why is it das neue Wort and not der neues Wort or die neue Wort?

The noun Wort is neuter in German.

• definite article (nom./acc. singular, neuter): das
• so the base is: das Wort

With an adjective (neu-), the adjective must agree in gender, case, and number. After a definite article (like das), the standard ending for a singular neuter noun in nominative or accusative is -e:

• das neue Wort (the new word)

So:

• der neues Wort is wrong because Wort is not masculine.
• die neue Wort is wrong because Wort is not feminine.

What case is das neue Wort, and how do we know?

das neue Wort is in the accusative case.

We know it because it is the direct object of the verb schreibt (writes). The direct object is the thing that is being written.

In German, the direct object takes the accusative:

• Die Lehrerin (subject, nominative)
• schreibt (verb)
• das neue Wort (direct object, accusative)

For neuter nouns, nominative and accusative look the same (das Wort), so the form alone doesn’t tell you; you see it from the function in the sentence (it’s what is being written).

Why is it an die Tafel and not auf die Tafel?

The usual idiomatic phrase in German for “to write on the board” is:

• etwas an die Tafel schreiben

The preposition an is often used for actions involving vertical surfaces or boundaries (walls, boards, doors, etc.), especially in set expressions:

• an die Wand schreiben/malen – to write/paint on the wall
• ein Bild an die Wand hängen – to hang a picture on the wall

auf literally means “onto / on top of” and is more typical for horizontal surfaces:

• auf den Tisch legen – to lay [something] on(to) the table

auf die Tafel schreiben might be understood, but it sounds unusual; an die Tafel schreiben is the standard, natural phrasing.

Why an die Tafel and not an der Tafel?

The preposition an can take either dative or accusative, and the choice changes the meaning:

• an + dative = location (where something is) – answers wo?
• an + accusative = direction/movement toward something – answers wohin?

In the sentence an die Tafel:

• die Tafel is accusative, so it expresses direction:
  → the action of moving the writing onto the board.

Compare:

• Die Lehrerin steht an der Tafel.
  (She is standing at the board – location, dative.)
• Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort an die Tafel.
  (She is writing the new word onto the board – movement, accusative.)

So an die Tafel fits because the writing is applied to the board.

What case is die Tafel in an die Tafel, and how can I see that?

die Tafel in an die Tafel is accusative singular, feminine.

You can see it from the article form:

• Feminine:
  • nominative: die Tafel
  • accusative: die Tafel
  • dative: der Tafel

Because we have die, not der, we can exclude the dative.
Since an here indicates movement toward the board (not just location), it must be accusative: an die Tafel.

Why does the verb schreibt come in the second position in the sentence?

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

• The conjugated verb (here: schreibt) must be in second position.
• The first position can be a single word or a whole phrase.

In this sentence:

1. Die Lehrerin – first element (subject phrase)
2. schreibt – conjugated verb (second position)
3. das neue Wort an die Tafel – the rest of the sentence

Even if you reorder other parts, the conjugated verb stays in second position:

• An die Tafel schreibt die Lehrerin das neue Wort.
• Das neue Wort schreibt die Lehrerin an die Tafel.

In all variants, the finite verb schreibt is still second.

Can I change the word order, for example: Die Lehrerin schreibt an die Tafel das neue Wort?

Yes, you can change the order, but some orders sound more natural than others.

Standard, neutral order:

• Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort an die Tafel.
  (subject – verb – direct object – prepositional phrase)

Other possible orders:

• Die Lehrerin schreibt an die Tafel das neue Wort.
  → Grammatically correct, but sounds a bit marked or unusual in everyday speech.
• Das neue Wort schreibt die Lehrerin an die Tafel.
  → Emphasizes das neue Wort (e.g., as contrast: this, not another word).
• An die Tafel schreibt die Lehrerin das neue Wort.
  → Emphasizes the place (“on the board is where she writes it”).

The key rule: in a main clause, the conjugated verb remains in second position, but the other parts can move for emphasis or style.

Could we say ein neues Wort instead of das neue Wort? What changes, and what about the adjective ending?

Yes, you can say ein neues Wort. The grammar changes slightly, and the meaning changes:

1. Grammar / adjective ending

With a definite article (like das), the adjective takes a short -e:

• das neue Wort

With an indefinite article (like ein), the adjective must “carry” more information and takes -es in neuter nominative/accusative:

• ein neues Wort

So:

• das neue Wort
• ein neues Wort

2. Meaning

• das neue Wort = the new word, a specific one that speaker and listener can identify.
• ein neues Wort = a new word, not specified which one; just “some new word”.

Is there a separable verb here like anschreiben or aufschreiben, or is schreibt … an die Tafel something different?

In this sentence, schreibt … an die Tafel is not using a separable verb. The verb is simply schreiben (to write), followed by a prepositional phrase an die Tafel.

There is a verb anschreiben, but it means something else:

• jemanden anschreiben – to write to someone (send a letter/email)
• etwas anschreiben lassen – to put something “on the tab” in a bar

There is also aufschreiben (to write down), which is separable:

• Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort auf.
  (The teacher writes down the new word.)

But in Die Lehrerin schreibt das neue Wort an die Tafel, we are just using schreiben + a prepositional phrase describing where she writes it.

Why are Lehrerin, Wort and Tafel capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, no matter where they appear in the sentence.

• die Lehrerin – noun (female teacher)
• das Wort – noun (word)
• die Tafel – noun (board / blackboard)

This is a core spelling rule in German and is different from English, where only proper nouns (names, places, etc.) are normally capitalized.