Im Kurs bearbeite ich zuerst das Arbeitsblatt und lese danach das Handout.

Because German main clauses follow the verb-second rule. The conjugated verb must be in the second position.

Here, Im Kurs takes the first position, so the verb bearbeite must come next: Im Kurs bearbeite ich ...

If you want ich first, that is also possible: Ich bearbeite im Kurs zuerst das Arbeitsblatt und lese danach das Handout.

Both are correct, but they emphasize different things. Starting with Im Kurs highlights the setting.

Im is a contraction of in dem.

• in = in
• dem = the, for certain masculine and neuter nouns in the dative case

So: im Kurs = in dem Kurs

In natural English, this often means in class or during the course, depending on context.

Because in can take either the dative or the accusative, depending on meaning.

• dative = location, being somewhere
• accusative = movement toward somewhere

Here the sentence describes where the action happens, not movement into the course/class, so German uses the dative:

• im Kurs = in the class / during the course

If it were about movement, you might get something like in den Kurs gehen = to go into the course/class.

Bearbeiten is a regular verb and it takes a direct object. In this sentence, the direct object is das Arbeitsblatt.

Ich bearbeite is the 1st person singular present tense form.

A useful point for English speakers: bearbeiten often means something like:

• work on
• do
• complete
• process

So with schoolwork, ein Arbeitsblatt bearbeiten is a very natural expression in German. German does not normally use a direct equivalent of English work a worksheet.

Because Arbeitsblatt is a neuter noun in German: das Arbeitsblatt.

It is also the direct object of bearbeiten, so it is in the accusative case. For neuter nouns, the definite article is the same in nominative and accusative:

• nominative: das Arbeitsblatt
• accusative: das Arbeitsblatt

So nothing changes here.

Because Handout is also treated as a neuter noun in German: das Handout.

Just like das Arbeitsblatt, it is the direct object of the verb lese, so it is in the accusative. Again, for neuter nouns, the article stays das.

So:

• das Arbeitsblatt
• das Handout

are both correct.

Because the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence: ich.

In coordinated clauses with und, German often leaves out the repeated subject if it is obvious:

Im Kurs bearbeite ich zuerst das Arbeitsblatt und lese danach das Handout.

This means: ... and I then read the handout.

You could also say: Im Kurs bearbeite ich zuerst das Arbeitsblatt und ich lese danach das Handout.

But that sounds more repetitive and is usually less natural unless you want extra emphasis.

They mark the sequence of actions.

• zuerst = first
• danach = afterwards / after that

So the sentence shows a clear order:

1. first, do the worksheet
2. afterwards, read the handout

This zuerst ... danach ... pattern is very common in German.

Yes, dann would also be possible in many contexts, but there is a small nuance.

• dann = then
• danach = after that / afterwards

Danach makes the sequence feel a bit more explicitly connected to the first action. In this sentence, that works very well because one thing happens after the other.

So both are possible, but danach is slightly more precise here.

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

Ich bearbeite im Kurs zuerst das Arbeitsblatt und lese danach das Handout.

German lets you move elements to the first position for emphasis, as long as the conjugated verb stays in second position.

Compare:

• Im Kurs bearbeite ich ... = emphasizes where
• Ich bearbeite im Kurs ... = more neutral, emphasizes who

Because all German nouns are capitalized.

So in this sentence:

• Kurs
• Arbeitsblatt
• Handout

all begin with capital letters simply because they are nouns. This is a standard rule in German spelling.

Yes. Handout is a loanword from English, but it is commonly used in German, especially in school, university, and presentation contexts.

In German it behaves like a normal noun:

• singular: das Handout
• plural: often die Handouts

Even though it looks English, you still need to learn its German article and how it fits into German grammar.