Wir essen Pizza am Abend.

the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Breakdown of Wir essen Pizza am Abend.

• essen: to eat
• wir: we
• der Abend: the evening

Questions & Answers about Wir essen Pizza am Abend.

What does am Abend mean and why is am used here?

am Abend literally means at the evening but is used to express in the evening. It comes from the preposition an combined with the dative article dem (an + dem = am). German often uses am + noun when talking about parts of the day.

Can I say abends instead of am Abend?

Yes. abends is an adverb meaning in the evening(s) for habitual actions. am Abend is used for a specific or general time (e.g. tonight).
• Wir essen Pizza am Abend. (We are eating pizza this evening)
• Wir essen abends oft Pizza. (We often eat pizza in the evenings)

Why is there no article before Pizza?

When talking about food in general or an unspecified amount, German omits the article. Here Pizza is treated as a mass noun. If you mean one specific pizza, you would say:
• Wir essen eine Pizza.
• Wir essen die Pizza.

Which case is Pizza in and how can I tell?