Breakdown of Heute erledige ich meine Arbeit zu Hause.
das Haus
the house
ich
I
heute
today
die Arbeit
the work
mein
my
erledigen
to finish
zu
at
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Questions & Answers about Heute erledige ich meine Arbeit zu Hause.
Why is Heute placed at the beginning of the sentence?
In German you can front different elements for emphasis, but the conjugated verb must remain in second position (the V2 rule). By putting Heute (“today”) first, you highlight when you’re doing the work. The rough word‐order guideline is Time – Manner – Place, so starting with Heute (time) is perfectly natural.
Why does erledige come immediately after Heute, before ich?
Because of the V2 rule: whatever occupies position 1 of the sentence (here Heute) is followed by the finite verb (erledige) in position 2. The subject (ich) then follows in position 3.
Why is it meine Arbeit and not just Arbeit?
German nouns usually need an article or determiner. Since you’re talking about your work, you use the possessive meine (my). Also, Arbeit is feminine, so:
- Nominative: die Arbeit
- Accusative (direct object): meine Arbeit
Why is Arbeit in the accusative case?
The verb erledigen (“to complete/take care of something”) requires a direct object, which in German takes the accusative. Here Arbeit is that object.
What’s the difference between erledigen and arbeiten?
- arbeiten = “to work” (focus on the activity)
- erledigen = “to get something done,” “to finish a task”
So ich erledige meine Arbeit means you actually complete your work, not just “work on” it.
Why is zu Hause written as two words and with a capital H?
- zu is a preposition that governs the dative case.
- Hause is the dative singular of Haus (the noun), so it remains capitalized.
The fixed adverbial phrase zu Hause means “at home.” In informal writing you might sometimes see zuhause as one word, but the standard adverbial form in prescriptive grammar is zu Hause.
Could I swap meine Arbeit and zu Hause?
Yes. German allows flexibility after the finite verb. The typical order is Time – Verb – Subject – Object – Place, but you can also say:
“Heute erledige ich zu Hause meine Arbeit.”
Both versions are correct; moving zu Hause directly after the verb slightly emphasizes where you work.
Why isn’t there a comma before zu Hause?
German only uses commas to separate clauses, lists, or when required by certain conjunctions. A simple prepositional phrase like zu Hause does not trigger a comma.