Jeden Abend zünde ich eine Kerze an.

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Breakdown of Jeden Abend zünde ich eine Kerze an.

• der Abend: the evening
• jeder: every
• die Kerze: the candle

Questions & Answers about Jeden Abend zünde ich eine Kerze an.

Why is Jeden Abend in the accusative case, and not nominative or dative?

• Abend is a masculine noun (der Abend).
• Time expressions answering “when?” often take the accusative in German (the so-called temporal accusative).
• The determiner jeder (every) changes to jeden in the masculine accusative.

Why is it jeden and not jeder?

• Jeder is the masculine nominative form (“every evening” as subject).
• Here Abend isn’t the subject but a time expression in the accusative, so jeder → jeden.

Why does an appear at the end, separated from zünde?

• anzünden is a separable-prefix verb.
• In main clauses, the prefix (an) detaches and moves to the end of the clause.
• The conjugated stem (zünde) occupies the second position.

Why is eine Kerze in the accusative case?

• Eine Kerze is the direct object of anzünden.
• Transitive verbs that act upon someone or something take a direct object in the accusative.

Could I say Ich zünde jeden Abend eine Kerze an instead?