Breakdown of Am Donnerstagabend höre ich das neue Programm im Radio.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
neu
new
ich
I
hören
to listen to
an
on
das Radio
the radio
das Programm
the program
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Questions & Answers about Am Donnerstagabend höre ich das neue Programm im Radio.
Why is the sentence in the present tense (“ich höre”) even though it refers to a future event?
In German the present tense is often used for scheduled or planned future actions. Saying “Am Donnerstagabend höre ich…” naturally means “On Thursday evening I will listen…,” without switching to a special future form.
What does Am stand for in Am Donnerstagabend and why is it used here?
Am is a contraction of an dem. German uses an + dative to express “on” when referring to days or parts of days (e.g. morning, evening). So Am Donnerstagabend literally means “on the Thursday evening.”
What’s the difference between Am Donnerstagabend and Donnerstagabends?
- Am Donnerstagabend points to one specific Thursday evening (often the coming one).
- Donnerstagabends is an adverb meaning “on Thursday evenings” in general, implying a habitual or recurring action.
Why is Donnerstagabend written as one word and capitalized?
German combines nouns into compounds without spaces. Every noun in German is capitalized, so Donnerstagabend (Thursday evening) appears as a single, capitalized noun.
Why is das neue Programm in the accusative case, and why does neue end with -e?
- das neue Programm is the direct object of hören, so it takes the accusative.
- Programm is a neuter noun; its definite article is das in both nominative and accusative.
- After a definite article, adjectives follow the “weak” declension pattern, which for neuter accusative adds -e, yielding neue.
Why is the verb höre placed before the subject ich in this sentence?
German follows the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second “slot.” By starting with the time phrase Am Donnerstagabend, the verb höre comes next, and the subject ich follows.
What’s the difference between hören and zuhören, and why is hören used here?
- hören is a transitive verb meaning “to hear” or “to listen to” something; it takes a direct object (ich höre das Programm).
- zuhören means “to listen attentively” and uses a dative object (ich höre dir zu).
When you tune into a radio show, you use hören.
Why does the sentence use im Radio instead of in das Radio or another preposition?
im is the contraction of in dem, using in + dative to indicate a medium or location (“in/on the radio”). Here it expresses “via the radio” (not physically inside a device).
Is it possible to swap das neue Programm and im Radio (e.g. “Am Donnerstagabend höre ich im Radio das neue Programm”)? Are both orders correct?
Yes. German allows some flexibility for emphasis. The usual adverb order is time–manner–place, but direct objects can shift. You can say:
- Am Donnerstagabend höre ich im Radio das neue Programm. (time–manner–object)
- Am Donnerstagabend höre ich das neue Programm im Radio. (time–object–manner)
Both are grammatically correct; you’d choose based on what you want to emphasize.
How do you pronounce Donnerstagabend and Programm?
- Donnerstagabend: DON-ner-stahg-AH-bent (stress on the first syllable of each component).
- Programm: pro-GRAHM (stress on the second syllable; the “o” is like the English “o” in “more”).