Breakdown of Abends höre ich gern Musik im Garten.
in
in
ich
I
der Garten
the garden
die Musik
the music
hören
to listen
abends
in the evening
gern
like to
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Abends höre ich gern Musik im Garten.
What does Abends mean, and why is it in the plural form?
Abends is a time adverb meaning “in the evenings.” German often uses the plural for recurring time expressions (e.g. morgens, mittwochs) to indicate a habitual action.
How would this differ from saying Am Abend höre ich gern Musik?
Abends (“in the evenings”) implies a regular habit every evening. Am Abend (“on the evening” or “in the evening”) refers to the time of day more generally and can feel slightly more specific or one-off. Both are correct with a small nuance in meaning.
Why does the verb höre come second, even though Abends is at the beginning?
German main clauses follow the Verb‑Second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. When Abends (an adverbial) is first, höre fills the second slot, and the subject ich follows.
Why is ich placed after the verb instead of before it?
Because you started the sentence with Abends, the subject ich cannot be first. Inversion occurs: whatever is in position one (here Abends) pushes the subject to position three.
What does gern mean here, and could I use gerne instead?
Gern means “with pleasure” or “I like to.” It qualifies the verb höre to show you enjoy listening. Gerne is a stylistic variant—both are interchangeable, though gern is more common in spoken German.
Why is there no article before Musik?
Musik is an uncountable, abstract noun when referring to music in general. In German, abstract or mass nouns often appear without an article when speaking broadly (just as in English we say “listen to music,” not “listen to the music”).
What case is Musik in?
It’s the direct (accusative) object of hören. With uncountable nouns like Musik, the accusative and nominative forms look identical, so you don’t see a change in form.
Why is im Garten used, and what case is that?
Im is a contraction of in dem, and in with a static location requires the dative case. So dem Garten becomes im Garten, meaning “in the garden.”
Could I say Abends im Garten höre ich gern Musik instead?
Yes. You can front both Abends and im Garten together, and höre remains the second element. The meaning is the same, but the focus shifts slightly to include location with the time.
Is Ich höre abends gern Musik im Garten also correct?
Absolutely. Leaving ich in first position and following V2 rules gives Ich höre abends gern Musik im Garten. This is the most neutral word order without special emphasis.