Breakdown of Zum Frühstück esse ich Haferflocken mit frischem Kopfsalat, eine seltsame Kombination.
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
essen
to eat
ich
I
mit
with
zu
to
frisch
fresh
seltsam
strange
das Frühstück
the breakfast
die Haferflocke
the oat flake
der Kopfsalat
the lettuce
die Kombination
the combination
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Zum Frühstück esse ich Haferflocken mit frischem Kopfsalat, eine seltsame Kombination.
Why is zum Frühstück used instead of für Frühstück or am Frühstück?
zum is the contraction of zu + dem and is the idiomatic way to talk about meals in German: zum Frühstück, zu Mittag, zu Abend (“for/at breakfast, lunch, dinner”). für Frühstück would sound wrong (“for breakfast” in a different sense), and am Frühstück would imply “at the breakfast event/location” rather than “for breakfast.”
Why is the verb esse in second position and ich third?
German main clauses follow the Verb-Second (V2) rule. Whatever you put in first position (here the time phrase Zum Frühstück) pushes the finite verb (esse) into second position, and the subject (ich) comes right after.
Why is there no article before Haferflocken?
Haferflocken (“oat flakes/oatmeal”) is treated as a general or uncountable noun here, so no indefinite article is used. In German you omit the article when talking about something in general or when the noun is inherently plural or mass.
Why is it mit frischem Kopfsalat, and why does frischem end with -em?
The preposition mit always governs the dative case. Because there’s no article before Kopfsalat, the adjective frisch takes the strong declension for dative masculine singular, which is -em: frischem Kopfsalat.
Why use mit to connect the oats and salad instead of und?
Using mit (“with”) shows that the lettuce accompanies or is mixed into the oats as one combined dish. If you said und (“and”), you’d simply be listing two separate items you eat, not implying they form a single combination.
What function does eine seltsame Kombination have at the end, and why is there a comma?
This is a nachgestellter Nominalausdruck (postposed nominal expression). It’s an afterthought equivalent to (das ist) eine seltsame Kombination, commenting on the preceding clause. The comma sets it off as a parenthetical remark without its own verb.
Why does Kopfsalat include an -s in the middle?
The -s is the so-called Fugen-s (linking s) used in many German compounds (here Kopf + Salat). It has no independent meaning and serves a phonetic/historical function.
Could I also say Ich esse zum Frühstück Haferflocken mit frischem Kopfsalat, eine seltsame Kombination?
Yes—both Ich esse zum Frühstück… and Zum Frühstück esse ich… are correct. The difference lies in emphasis: fronting Zum Frühstück stresses when you eat, while starting with Ich esse keeps a more neutral focus.