Learn Hardcore German: Ich höre mein Lieblingslied oft im Radio. - I often listen to my favorite song on the radio.

German possessive pronouns (like mein) must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. Lied is neuter (das Lied). In the accusative neuter, mein stays the same as in the nominative. That’s why there’s no -e ending.

Why isn’t there an article like das Lieblingslied in the sentence?

When you use a possessive pronoun (mein), it takes the place of the article. You never say das mein; the possessive already functions as the determiner.

Why is mein Lieblingslied in the accusative case?

It’s the direct object of the transitive verb hören (“to hear”). In German, the direct object answers “what?” and must be in the accusative case. Here, “What do I hear? My favorite song.”

Why doesn’t the verb höre go at the end of the sentence?

In main clauses, German follows the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position, no matter which element is first. Only in subordinate clauses does the verb move to the end.

Why is oft placed before im Radio, and can its position change?

German typically orders adverbials as time – manner – place. Oft (“often”) is a time expression, so it comes before the place expression im Radio. You could say Ich höre oft mein Lieblingslied im Radio or even Oft höre ich mein Lieblingslied im Radio for emphasis, but the neutral order is time before place.

What does im Radio literally mean, and why use im?

Im is the contraction of in dem. When you describe something happening “on the radio” as a medium, German uses in plus the dative article dem (location = dative), yielding im Radio.

What’s the difference between hören and zuhören?

Hören means “to hear” (perceive sound), often passively (I hear music playing). Zuhören means “to listen” (actively pay attention), usually with a person or something you focus on. You “hören” the radio, but you “hörst zu,” for example, wenn jemand spricht.