Er hört die Musik im Haus.

He listens to the music in the house.

Breakdown of Er hört die Musik im Haus.

• in: in
• dem: the
• das Haus: the house
• er: he
• die Musik: the music
• hören: to listen to

Questions & Answers about Er hört die Musik im Haus.

Why is the article die used for "Musik"?

In German, "Musik" is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine definite article "die." Also, because "Musik" is the direct object of the verb "hört" (hears), it remains in the accusative case—but feminine singular nouns use "die" in both nominative and accusative cases.

Why do we say "im Haus" instead of "in dem Haus"?

"Im" is a contraction of "in dem," which literally translates to "in the." In everyday speech and writing, "in dem" is almost always contracted to "im" when referring to a neuter or masculine noun in the dative case.

Is there a difference between "Er hört die Musik im Haus" and "Er hört die Musik zu Hause"?

Yes, there is a slight difference in meaning.
• "im Haus" emphasizes being inside a particular house or building, like saying "inside the house/building."
• "zu Hause" refers to being at home (the place where someone lives), which might not always be the same house you’re talking about.

Could the sentence be written as "Er hört im Haus die Musik" and still be correct?

Yes, it would still be grammatically correct. German word order is relatively flexible. However, the emphasis changes slightly: "Er hört die Musik im Haus" focuses on what he hears first (the music) and then where he hears it (in the house), while "Er hört im Haus die Musik" might emphasize the location first. Both variations are acceptable.