schreibt

Schreibt is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb schreiben, meaning to write. It is used when referring to he, she, or it writes, as in Er schreibt einen Brief. The infinitive is schreiben, and other present-tense forms include ich schreibe, du schreibst, wir schreiben, ihr schreibt, and Sie schreiben in the formal address.

Schreiben is a strong verb with a vowel change in the past tense: er schrieb; the perfect form is hat geschrieben; the past participle is geschrieben. The verb governs typical objects in the accusative, for example einen Brief, eine E-Mail, or einen Aufsatz.

Etymology: The verb traces back to Old High German scrīban, with cognates in Dutch schrijven and other Germanic languages. The related noun Schreiben (the act of writing) and the prefix Schreib- appear in numerous compounds such as Schreibmaschine (typewriter), Schreibblock (notebook), and Schreibstil (writing style). The compound Schreibtisch combines Schreib- with Tisch (desk), indicating a desk used for writing.

Usage notes: In everyday German, schreiben covers activities from composing letters and emails to drafting reports or notes. The imperative form Schreibt! is used to instruct multiple people to write, while the formal address Sie schreiben is used in polite address. The language distinguishes written activity from spoken forms, but both rely on the same root meaning.