watashi wa sensei toshite gakusei ni nihongo o oshiemasu.

As a teacher, I teach Japanese to students.

Breakdown of watashi wa sensei toshite gakusei ni nihongo o oshiemasu.

• は: topic particle
• 私わたし: I
• 学がく生せい: student

Questions & Answers about watashi wa sensei toshite gakusei ni nihongo o oshiemasu.

What does として mean in this sentence?

として means “in the capacity of” or “as.” When you say 先生として, you’re specifying your role—“as a teacher.” It’s an adverbial phrase modifying the main action (teaching).

Why is に used with 学生 and を with 日本語?

Because 教える is a transitive verb:

• The thing being taught (the direct object) takes を → 日本語を教えます.
• The recipient (the indirect object) takes に → 学生に教えます.

Why is 私 marked with は instead of が, and can it be omitted?

は marks the topic (“as for me…”), setting the stage for what follows. が would simply mark the subject without that topical nuance. In natural speech, you often omit the topic if it’s clear from context, so dropping 私は is fine:
先生として学生に日本語を教えます。

Is 教えます present tense or future tense?

Japanese present/future is the same form. 教えます can mean “I teach” or “I will teach,” depending on context.

How would you change the sentence to past tense?