Breakdown of Der Sänger probt heute im Hotel.
heute
today
das Hotel
the hotel
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der Sänger
the singer
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
proben
to rehearse
Questions & Answers about Der Sänger probt heute im Hotel.
Why is heute placed before im Hotel? Doesn't English usually say 'in the hotel today'?
Yes, English often puts the place before the time. But in German, the rule is usually 'Time before Place'. This is part of the TeKaMoLo rule (Temporal, Kausal, Modal, Lokal). Since heute tells us when (Time/Temporal) and im Hotel tells us where (Place/Lokal), heute must come first.
Why does the sentence use im Hotel instead of in das Hotel?
im is a short combination of in + dem. The word in is a two-way preposition. Because the singer is rehearsing inside the hotel (a fixed location) rather than traveling to a new destination, we use the dative case. The dative form for the neuter noun das Hotel is dem Hotel, making in dem or im.
Is the verb proben the same as probieren?
They look similar but have different meanings! proben means 'to rehearse', which is used for musicians, actors, or performers. probieren means 'to try' or 'to taste', like when you try on clothes or taste a new food.
Can I start this sentence with the word Heute?
You certainly can! Moving the time to the front is a great way to emphasize it. It becomes: Heute probt der Sänger im Hotel. Just remember that the verb probt must stay in the second position, which forces the subject der Sänger to move to the third spot, right after the verb.
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