Breakdown of Das Amt macht nur am Vormittag auf.
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
nur
only
der Vormittag
the morning / the forenoon
aufmachen
to open (everyday: mach auf!)
Questions & Answers about Das Amt macht nur am Vormittag auf.
Why is auf at the very end of the sentence?
It belongs to the verb aufmachen (to open). Because aufmachen is a separable verb, the prefix auf gets pushed to the end of the main clause, while the conjugated part (macht) stays in the second position.
Is there a difference between aufmachen and öffnen?
Both mean to open. Aufmachen is more colloquial and commonly used in everyday spoken German, while öffnen sounds a bit more formal or official. For an office (Amt), both are perfectly fine.
Why do we use am here instead of a literal translation for in the?
In German, you use the preposition an (here combined with the dative article dem to make am) for parts of the day and days of the week. So in the morning translates to am Vormittag or am Morgen.
What is the exact difference between Morgen and Vormittag?
Morgen refers to the early morning. Vormittag literally means before noon and covers the later part of the morning, roughly from 9 AM to 12 PM. Offices (Ämter) often use Vormittag to specify these specific business hours.