Breakdown of Das Flugzeug landet am Abend, wenn der Mond schon zu sehen ist.
sein
to be
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
sehen
to see
der Abend
the evening
Questions & Answers about Das Flugzeug landet am Abend, wenn der Mond schon zu sehen ist.
Why is am Abend used instead of abends?
am Abend is a prepositional phrase (an an + dem Abend) that points to a specific time (“in the evening” of that day). abends, by contrast, is an adverb meaning “in the evenings” in a habitual or general sense (“every evening”). Since the sentence refers to one particular landing time, you use am Abend rather than the repetitive sense of abends.
Why is wenn used here instead of wann or als?
In German, wenn is the subordinating conjunction for temporal clauses in the present, future or for repeated events (“whenever/when”).
- wann is only used in questions (direct or indirect) meaning “when?”
- als is another temporal conjunction, but it’s reserved for single past events (“when” in the past).
Because the landing is a future (or general) event, wenn is the correct choice.
Why is there a comma before the wenn‑clause?
German grammar requires a comma to separate a main clause (Hauptsatz) from any dependent clause (Nebensatz). Since wenn der Mond schon zu sehen ist is a Nebensatz introduced by wenn, it must be preceded by a comma.
Why does the sentence use present tense landet if it refers to a future event?