Learn Hardcore German: Am Wochenende möchte ich mich ausruhen, weil die Woche leider sehr anstrengend war. - I would like to rest on the weekend because the week was unfortunately very tiring.

In German, the verb “ausruhen” is reflexive, meaning that the action of resting applies to the subject itself. Therefore, when you say “ich möchte mich ausruhen” (“I would like to rest”), you must include the reflexive pronoun “mich” to indicate that you are resting yourself.

What does the contraction “Am Wochenende” mean, and why is it used here?

“Am” is a contraction of “an dem.” “Wochenende” is a neuter noun (das Wochenende) and, in this context, is used in the dative case because it refers to a point in time. So “an dem Wochenende” contracts to “am Wochenende,” which is a common and correct way to express “on the weekend” in German.

Why does the subordinate clause introduced by “weil” have the verb “war” at the end?

In German, subordinating conjunctions like “weil” require the finite verb to be placed at the end of the clause. That’s why in “weil die Woche leider sehr anstrengend war,” the verb “war” (the simple past form of “sein”) appears at the end of the subordinate clause.

What role does the modal verb “möchte” play in the sentence and how does its position affect the sentence structure?

“Möchte” is a modal verb expressing a polite desire (“would like to”). In German main clauses, the finite verb (here “möchte”) typically occupies the second position. When using a modal verb, the additional infinitive (in this case, “ausruhen”) is pushed to the end. Thus, the structure “ich möchte mich ausruhen” correctly places “möchte” second and “ausruhen” at the end.

Why is the simple past form “war” used in the clause “weil die Woche leider sehr anstrengend war” instead of the perfect tense?

In many written and formal contexts, German often uses the simple past (preterite) to describe completed actions in the past. “War” is the simple past form of “sein” and, in this sentence, it indicates that the week being exhausting is a past state. While in everyday spoken language the perfect tense is common, the simple past is perfectly acceptable here to convey that the week was, unfortunately, exhausting.