Breakdown of Wir informieren das Publikum, wann das Spiel am Wochenende anfängt.
wir
we
wann
when
anfangen
to start
am Wochenende
at the weekend
das Spiel
the game/match
das Publikum
the audience
informieren
to inform
Questions & Answers about Wir informieren das Publikum, wann das Spiel am Wochenende anfängt.
Why is the verb anfängt at the very end of the sentence?
This is an indirect question. The question word wann connects the two halves of the sentence and creates a subordinate clause. This special clause structure pushes the conjugated verb (anfängt) all the way to the end of its clause.
I learned that anfangen splits into fängt ... an. Why is it one word here?
You are right! In a normal main sentence, it splits (for example, Das Spiel fängt an). However, when a separable verb is pushed to the end of a subordinate clause like this one, its two parts smash back together into a single word.
Why is it am Wochenende instead of just an Wochenende?
To say 'on the weekend', German uses the preposition an followed by the dative case. Since Wochenende is a neuter noun (das Wochenende), the article das changes to dem in the dative case. The word am is simply the merged, shortened form of an dem.
Is das Publikum singular or plural in this sentence?
It is singular. Just like the English word 'audience', das Publikum refers to a group of people but is treated grammatically as a single neuter noun.
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