Breakdown of Ab und zu arbeite ich am Wochenende.
ich
I
arbeiten
to work
am Wochenende
at the weekend
ab und zu
now and then, occasionally
Questions & Answers about Ab und zu arbeite ich am Wochenende.
Why is the verb arbeite before ich?
In German, the verb must always be the second idea in the sentence. Because this sentence starts with the frequency phrase Ab und zu (Idea 1), the verb arbeite (Idea 2) must come right after it. This pushes the subject ich to the spot directly after the verb.
Is ab und zu an adverb of frequency like manchmal?
Yes! It means 'now and then' or 'occasionally'. It is used to describe how often something happens, just like manchmal (sometimes) or oft (often). Even though it is three words, it acts as one single block of information at the beginning of the sentence.
Could I start the sentence with Ich instead?
Absolutely. You can say: Ich arbeite ab und zu am Wochenende. If you start with Ich, the verb arbeite is still in the second position, and the frequency phrase ab und zu moves to the middle. Putting Ab und zu at the front just emphasizes how often you work.
Why do we say am Wochenende instead of just an Wochenende?
The word am is a contraction made from an (at/on) and dem (the). When we talk about days or the weekend, we need 'the' in German. Since Wochenende is a 'das' word, the 'das' changes to dem in this time phrase, and they combine into am.
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