Breakdown of Wir verbringen den Sommer am Meer.
wir
we
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
der Sommer
the summer
das Meer
the sea
verbringen
to spend (time)
Questions & Answers about Wir verbringen den Sommer am Meer.
Why is verbringen used here instead of ausgeben for 'spend'?
In German, you must use verbringen when talking about spending time (like a summer, a weekend, or an hour). The verb ausgeben is exclusively used for spending money.
Why is it am Meer instead of just an Meer or ans Meer?
am is a required contraction of the preposition an and the dative article dem. Meer is a neuter noun (das Meer). Because they are already at the seaside (a fixed location answering the question 'where?'), the two-way preposition an takes the dative case. If they were traveling to the seaside, you would use the accusative ans Meer (an das Meer).
Why is it den Sommer rather than der Sommer?
The summer is the direct object of the sentence, meaning it is the thing being acted upon by the verb verbringen. Because of this, the masculine noun der Sommer must take the accusative case and become den Sommer.
Could I say an der See instead of am Meer?
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