Learn Hardcore German: Ein Bild vom Vorjahr hängt an der Wand. - A picture from the previous year hangs on the wall.

vom is simply a contraction of von dem. The preposition von always takes the dative case, and das Vorjahr in dative becomes dem Vorjahr. In German, von + dem regularly contracts to vom, making it more fluid in both speech and writing.

What grammatical case is an der Wand, and why is it dative rather than accusative?

The preposition an is a Wechselpräposition (two-way preposition).
• For location (answering where?), it takes the dative case.
• For direction or movement (answering where to?), it takes the accusative case.
Here, an der Wand describes a static location (“where is the picture?”), so die Wand becomes der Wand (feminine dative).

Why is Vorjahr capitalized in the sentence?

In German, all nouns are capitalized without exception. Vorjahr (a compound of vor + Jahr) is a noun meaning previous year, so it must start with a capital letter.

Could we say Ein Bild aus dem Vorjahr instead of vom Vorjahr? Are both correct?

Yes, both are grammatically correct.
• Ein Bild aus dem Vorjahr emphasizes origin by using aus (“out of the previous year”).
• Ein Bild vom Vorjahr (“from the previous year”) is more idiomatic and very common in everyday German. The nuance is minimal, and speakers use them interchangeably in most contexts.

Can we use the genitive case here, such as Ein Bild des Vorjahres hängt an der Wand? If so, what difference does it make?

Absolutely. des Vorjahres is the genitive form (“of the previous year”).
• Using the genitive feels more formal or literary and appears often in written texts.
• Using vom Vorjahr (dative with von) is more colloquial and frequent in spoken language.

What’s the difference between an der Wand and auf der Wand? Why do we use an here?

An der Wand implies attachment or hanging on a vertical surface, which fits pictures.
Auf der Wand would suggest something lying flat on top of the wall’s horizontal surface—unusual for a hanging picture. For objects hung or fixed against a wall, an der Wand hängen/sein is the standard expression.

Why is the verb hängen used here, and how does it differ from legen or stellen?

German makes a clear distinction:
• hängen = to hang (objects suspended or attached vertically, like pictures).
• stellen = to place/stand (objects set upright on a surface, like a vase on a table).
• legen = to lay (objects placed flat, like a book on a shelf).
Since the picture is hanging on the wall, hängen is the correct choice.

Could we change the word order to An der Wand hängt ein Bild vom Vorjahr? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can front the location:
An der Wand hängt ein Bild vom Vorjahr.
This shifts emphasis onto where the picture is, but the basic meaning remains the same. German word order allows such flexibility to highlight different parts of a sentence.