Am Nachmittag esse ich einen Snack im Park.

In the afternoon I eat a snack in the park.

Breakdown of Am Nachmittag esse ich einen Snack im Park.

• in: in
• essen: to eat
• ich: I
• der Park: the park
• an: at
• der Nachmittag: the afternoon
• der Snack: the snack

Questions & Answers about Am Nachmittag esse ich einen Snack im Park.

Why is the verb esse placed before the subject ich?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule. When you start with an element other than the subject (here Am Nachmittag), the conjugated verb esse must come next in second position. The subject ich then follows.

What does Am in Am Nachmittag stand for?

Am is a contraction of an + dem, used with parts of the day to express time in the dative case.

• am Nachmittag = “in the afternoon”

Why is it einen Snack instead of ein Snack?

Snack is a masculine noun and serves as the direct object here, so it takes the accusative case. The masculine article ein changes to einen in the accusative:

• einen Snack

Why is it im Park and not in den Park?

Im is a contraction of in + dem (dative). German uses in + dative to indicate location (answering “wo?”).

• im Park = “in the park” (location, no movement)
  If you expressed movement toward the park (answering “wohin?”), you’d use in den Park (accusative).

Can I reorder ich and esse and say Am Nachmittag ich esse…?

No. After fronting any element to first position (here Am Nachmittag), the conjugated verb must occupy second position. That forces the order: Am Nachmittag – esse – ich.

Could I replace Am Nachmittag with Nachmittags?

Yes. Nachmittags is an adverb meaning “in the afternoon.” You can say:

• Nachmittags esse ich einen Snack im Park.