Word
Am zehnten September kommt der Besuch.
Meaning
The visit is coming on the tenth of September.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Am zehnten September kommt der Besuch.
kommen
to come
der Besuch
the visit / the visitors
der September
September
am
on the / at the
Questions & Answers about Am zehnten September kommt der Besuch.
Why is it zehnten with an -en ending instead of just zehnte?
When you state a date using am (on the), you are using the dative case. Ordinal numbers act like adjectives, and after the dative word am (which is short for an dem), they take an -en ending. So, der zehnte (the tenth) becomes am zehnten (on the tenth).
Why does the verb kommt come before the subject der Besuch?
In German, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position in a statement. Because this sentence starts with the time phrase Am zehnten September (occupying position one), the verb kommt must immediately follow. The subject der Besuch gets pushed to the other side of the verb.
Does der Besuch mean the event of a visit, or the people visiting?
It can mean both! While der Besuch translates literally to the visit, Germans frequently use it to refer to the guests or company themselves. In English, we might say we are having company or the guests are coming, but in German, it is very natural to say der Besuch kommt.
Does the month September need a special ending here because of the dative case?
No, month names do not change their endings in this kind of date phrase. The dative case is already completely shown by the word am and the -en ending on zehnten. The word September stays exactly as it is.