Breakdown of Am Abend trinken wir zusammen ein Bier.
ein
a, an (eine)
trinken
to drink
wir
we
zusammen
together
das Bier
the beer
der Abend
the evening
am
on the / at the
Questions & Answers about Am Abend trinken wir zusammen ein Bier.
Why is it trinken wir instead of wir trinken?
In German, the main verb is always the second element in a standard sentence. Because this sentence starts with the time phrase Am Abend, the verb trinken must take the second spot. This pushes the subject wir to the third position right after the verb.
What is Am short for?
Am is a combination of the preposition an and the dative article dem. German uses an for days of the week and parts of the day. Because time expressions with an require the dative case and Abend is masculine (der Abend), we use dem. The words an dem are almost always shortened to am.
Could I say abends instead of Am Abend?
Yes! abends is an adverb meaning in the evening or routinely in the evenings. If you use it, the sentence would be Abends trinken wir zusammen ein Bier. Notice that you do not use am with the adverb form.
Why does zusammen come before ein Bier?
In German, adverbs like zusammen usually come before a non-specific direct object that uses ein or eine. If the object were a specific, known thing using a definite article like das Bier, it would typically come before zusammen instead.
Why is it ein Bier instead of einen Bier?
Bier is a neuter noun (das Bier). Because it is the direct object receiving the action of being drunk, it is in the accusative case. The accusative form of ein for neuter nouns stays exactly the same as its basic dictionary form: ein.
Learn Am Abend trinken wir zusammen ein Bier and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free