Breakdown of In meiner Kindheit wollte ich immer im Ausland leben.
ich
I
in
in
immer
always
mein
my
wollen
to want
leben
to live (be alive, exist)
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
die Kindheit
the childhood
das Ausland
the foreign country / abroad
Questions & Answers about In meiner Kindheit wollte ich immer im Ausland leben.
Why is it wollte instead of a past tense form with a helper verb, like habe gewollt?
While spoken German usually prefers the spoken past (Perfekt) for most verbs, modal verbs like wollen (to want) are a major exception. Germans almost always use the simple past (Präteritum) for modal verbs, even in casual conversation. So, ich wollte is the most natural way to say "I wanted".
Why does ich come after the verb wollte?
In German, the conjugated verb must always take the second position in a main clause. Because this sentence starts with the phrase In meiner Kindheit (occupying position 1), the verb wollte takes position 2. This pushes the subject ich right after the verb.
Why is the verb leben at the very end of the sentence?
This is the standard rule for sentences with modal verbs. The conjugated modal verb (wollte) sits in the second position, and it kicks the main action verb (leben) to the very end of the sentence in its original infinitive form.
Why is it im Ausland and not just in Ausland?
The word im is a contraction of in dem. Living somewhere describes a static location (answering "where?"), so the two-way preposition in requires the dative case. Since Ausland is a neuter noun (das Ausland), das changes to dem, giving us in dem or im.
Why does meine change to meiner in the phrase In meiner Kindheit?
Time phrases using the preposition in require the dative case. Kindheit is a feminine noun (most words ending in -heit are feminine). In the dative case, feminine possessive words take an -er ending, turning meine into meiner.
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