Learn Hardcore German: Für dieses Referat bekomme ich viel Lob von der Dozentin. - For this presentation I receive a lot of praise from the lecturer.

Nominative:
dieses Referat – Dieses Referat ist schwierig. (This presentation is difficult.)
Accusative:
dieses Referat – Ich halte dieses Referat morgen. (I’m giving this presentation tomorrow.)
Dative:
diesem Referat – Mit diesem Referat habe ich viel Arbeit. (I have a lot of work with this presentation.)
Genitive:
dieses Referats – Der Titel dieses Referats ist lang. (The title of this presentation is long.)

Why is it von der Dozentin instead of von die Dozentin?

Because von is a preposition that always takes the dative case.

The nominative form is die Dozentin (the female lecturer).
Feminine dative singular changes die → der:
- Nominative: die Dozentin
- Accusative: die Dozentin
- Dative: der Dozentin
- Genitive: der Dozentin

So after von you must use the dative: von der Dozentin = from the (female) lecturer / by the (female) lecturer.

What exactly is a Dozentin, and how is that different from Lehrerin or Professorin?

All three are women who teach, but they’re used in different contexts:

Dozentin
- Someone who teaches at a university or college.
- Focuses on giving lectures, seminars, or courses.
- Can be a general term for teaching staff in higher education, including people who are not full professors.
Professorin
- A full professor at a university, with a formal professorship.
- Higher rank and usually more status than a Dozentin.
Lehrerin
- A teacher, usually at schools (primary, secondary, etc.).
- Not normally used for university teaching staff.

So in this sentence, Dozentin suggests a university or college context and emphasizes her role as a lecturer or instructor.

Why is there no article before viel Lob? Why not ein viel Lob or vieles Lob?

Lob (praise) in German is normally treated as an uncountable (mass) noun, like water, music, information in English.

With uncountable nouns in a general sense, German often omits the article:

viel Lob – a lot of praise
viel Wasser – a lot of water
viel Arbeit – a lot of work

You cannot say ein Lob in the same way as “a praise” in English; ein Lob is only possible in very specific, countable meanings (like “one compliment”), and even then ein Kompliment is more natural.

Vieles Lob is grammatically possible but sounds very literary or stylistically marked. In everyday German, viel Lob is the normal phrase.

Why do we use viel and not viele with Lob?

German distinguishes between viel and viele much like English does between much and many:

viel = much, a lot of (with uncountable / mass nouns)
- viel Lob (a lot of praise)
- viel Wasser (a lot of water)
viele = many (with countable / plural nouns)
- viele Bücher (many books)
- viele Studenten (many students)

Because Lob is used as an uncountable noun here, you must say viel Lob, not viele Lob.

Can the word order change? Can I say Ich bekomme für dieses Referat viel Lob von der Dozentin instead?

Yes, you can change the word order as long as German verb-second (V2) rule is respected: the finite verb (bekomme) must be in second position in a main clause.

All of these are correct, with slightly different emphasis:

Für dieses Referat bekomme ich viel Lob von der Dozentin.
Emphasis on für dieses Referat (for this particular presentation).
Ich bekomme für dieses Referat viel Lob von der Dozentin.
Neutral, straightforward order; emphasis on ich bekomme.
Von der Dozentin bekomme ich für dieses Referat viel Lob.
Emphasis on von der Dozentin (from her, not from someone else).

So yes, Ich bekomme für dieses Referat viel Lob von der Dozentin is perfectly correct and very natural.

What does bekomme mean here, and are there common synonyms?

bekomme is the 1st person singular of bekommen, which here means to receive / to get:

Ich bekomme viel Lob = I receive/get a lot of praise.

Common synonyms, with slightly different style:

erhalten – to receive (more formal)
- Ich erhalte viel Lob von der Dozentin.
kriegen – to get (more colloquial)
- Ich kriege viel Lob von der Dozentin.
zugesprochen bekommen / zugesagt bekommen – to be granted (more specific contexts)

In this sentence, bekomme is neutral and very common.

Why is the present tense (bekomme) used, even if the praise might be in the future?

In German, the present tense (Präsens) is often used where English would use future:

If it’s a planned or expected future event:
- Morgen halte ich das Referat und *bekomme viel Lob.*
  (Literally: “Tomorrow I hold the presentation and get a lot of praise.”)
If it’s a general, habitual or regular situation:
- Für meine Referate *bekomme ich immer viel Lob.*
  (For my presentations I always get a lot of praise.)

German does have a future tense (werde bekommen), but it’s used less often than English will get, and usually when you want to emphasize the future aspect or make a prediction:

Ich *werde für dieses Referat viel Lob bekommen.*
(I will get a lot of praise for this presentation.)

Why are Referat, Lob, and Dozentin capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence:

das Referat (the presentation/report)
das Lob (the praise)
die Dozentin (the female lecturer)

This is a fixed spelling rule and one of the most visible differences from English. Adjectives, verbs, and other parts of speech are normally not capitalized, unless they are at the beginning of a sentence or part of a proper name.