Breakdown of Im Sommer haben wir oft Urlaub.
oft
often
haben
to have
wir
we
der Urlaub
the vacation / the holiday
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der Sommer
the summer
Questions & Answers about Im Sommer haben wir oft Urlaub.
Why is it im Sommer and not just in Sommer?
To say something happens during a season, German always uses im, which is a combination of in and dem (meaning 'in the'). All four seasons are masculine words, so they all follow this exact same pattern: im Frühling, im Sommer, im Herbst, and im Winter.
Why is the verb haben before the subject wir?
Because the sentence starts with the time phrase im Sommer. In German, the conjugated verb must always take the second position in a statement. To keep haben in the second spot, the subject wir has to slide to the third position.
Does Urlaub refer to a single trip or just vacation in general?
Here it means vacation or time off in general. German uses the singular word Urlaub for this concept. While the plural Urlaube exists for counting multiple distinct holiday trips, you will almost always use the singular form when talking about having time off from work or school.
Why is oft placed where it is?
In German, adverbs that describe how often something happens, like oft, usually want to sit as close to the verb as possible. Since the verb and subject take up the second and third positions, placing oft immediately after wir is the most natural word order.
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