Breakdown of Wenn der Schwarm summt, fliegen die Bienen in den Garten.
in
in
der Garten
the garden
fliegen
to fly
wenn
if / when (conditional, not a question word)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Biene
the bee
der Schwarm
the swarm
summen
to buzz (bees, insects)
Questions & Answers about Wenn der Schwarm summt, fliegen die Bienen in den Garten.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb fliegen?
In German, the verb in a main clause must be in the second position. Because the entire subordinate clause (Wenn der Schwarm summt) occupies the first position, the verb fliegen must come immediately after the comma to take the second position.
The English translation says "When", so why use Wenn instead of Wann or Als?
Wann is strictly for asking questions (meaning "At what time?"). Als is used for a single event in the past (like "When I was a child"). For present tense conditions or recurring events (meaning "whenever" or "if"), you always use wenn.
Why is it in den Garten (accusative) and not in dem Garten (dative)?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. Because the bees are moving towards a destination (flying into the garden), it takes the accusative case (den Garten). If they were already hovering around inside the garden without changing location, you would use the dative case (in dem Garten or im Garten).
Could Wenn also mean "If" in this sentence?
Yes! In German, wenn is used for both "when" (temporal) and "if" (conditional). Depending on the broader context, this sentence could just as easily be translated as "If the swarm buzzes, the bees fly into the garden."
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