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Wir treffen uns jeden Morgen auf dem Sportplatz.

Wir treffen uns jeden Morgen auf dem Sportplatz.
We meet every morning at the sports field.
FromLesson 24inHardcore German
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Questions & Answers about Wir treffen uns jeden Morgen auf dem Sportplatz.

Why is uns used after treffen? Is treffen reflexive here?
Yes. In this context sich treffen is used reflexively to mean “to meet one another.” For the subject wir, the correct reflexive pronoun in the accusative is uns. Thus Wir treffen uns literally translates to “We meet each other.”
Why is jeden Morgen used instead of something else? Could I say morgens?

jeden Morgen means “every morning,” where jeden is the masculine accusative form of jeder plus the noun Morgen. You can also use the adverb morgens (“in the mornings”), which is shorter and slightly more colloquial:
• Wir treffen uns morgens auf dem Sportplatz.

Why is dem used in auf dem Sportplatz? Which case is this?
The preposition auf when indicating a static location (answering “where?”) takes the dative case. Sportplatz is masculine, so its dative singular form is dem Sportplatz.
Could I use the accusative and say auf den Sportplatz instead?

Only if you express movement onto the sports ground (answering “where to?”). For example:
• Wir gehen auf den Sportplatz. (We go onto the sports ground.)
But for “meeting at” a location without implied movement, you must use dative: auf dem Sportplatz.

Why is auf used here and not in or bei?
  • auf is used for open spaces or surfaces (“on” as in “on the field”).
  • in implies an enclosed space (e.g. in der Halle).
  • bei can mean “by” or “at someone’s place,” but you don’t say bei dem Sportplatz; the normal phrase is auf dem Sportplatz.
Why is jeden lowercase in jeden Morgen?
In German, only nouns and proper names are capitalized. jeden is a determiner (like an adjective/pronoun), so it remains lowercase, while Morgen (the noun) is capitalized.
What is the rule for ordering the time and place phrases? Why does jeden Morgen come before auf dem Sportplatz?

German generally follows the Time–Manner–Place order for adverbials. Here you have:

  1. Time: jeden Morgen
  2. (No manner in this sentence)
  3. Place: auf dem Sportplatz
Why does treffen appear in second position and uns after it?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” rule: the finite verb occupies the second position. The sentence goes:

  1. Subject (Wir)
  2. Verb (treffen)
  3. Object/reflexive pronoun (uns)
  4. Other elements (time, place)

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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.

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