Breakdown of Jeden Dienstag trainiere ich Basketball in der Sporthalle der Hochschule.
in
in
ich
I
jeden
every
die Hochschule
the university
der Dienstag
Tuesday
trainieren
to practice
der Basketball
the basketball
die Sporthalle
the sports hall
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Questions & Answers about Jeden Dienstag trainiere ich Basketball in der Sporthalle der Hochschule.
Why is the finite verb trainiere placed immediately after Jeden Dienstag and before ich?
In German main clauses the finite verb must occupy the second position. If you move the time expression Jeden Dienstag to position one, the verb jumps into position two. The subject ich then follows in position three. In a neutral order (subject first) you would say Ich trainiere jeden Dienstag…, but both word orders are correct.
Why is jeden Dienstag used instead of am Dienstag, and why is Dienstag in the accusative?
When you speak of a recurring event (“every Tuesday”), German uses jeden + weekday in the accusative (singular) – jeden Dienstag. Am Dienstag (an + dative) would mean “on Tuesday” (one specific day), not necessarily repeated. Grammatically, jeden requires the accusative form Dienstag.
Could I shorten jeden Dienstag to dienstags?
Yes. German often turns habitual weekdays into adverbs by adding -s: dienstags means “on Tuesdays,” mittwochs “on Wednesdays,” etc. So you can say Dienstags trainiere ich Basketball… or Ich trainiere dienstags….
Why is there no article before Basketball? Shouldn’t it be “den Basketball”?
When talking about a sport in general, German omits the article. Basketball here is an uncountable activity (like English “play basketball”). You would only use an article if you meant a specific ball: Ich habe den Basketball vergessen.
Why do we say trainiere Basketball rather than spiele Basketball or übe Basketball?
trainieren emphasizes organized practice or training sessions (often with a coach). spielen means “to play” a game, e.g. in a match. üben focuses on practicing specific skills (dribbling, shooting). For a regular training session, trainiere Basketball is perfectly natural.
Why is it in der Sporthalle (dative) and not in die Sporthalle (accusative)?
The preposition in governs dative when indicating a location (Wo?). Since you are already in the sports hall for training, it’s static → dative: in der Sporthalle. If you expressed movement into the hall (Wohin?), you’d use accusative: Ich gehe in die Sporthalle.
Why is der Hochschule in the genitive case, and is there an alternative with von?
der Hochschule (genitive) shows that the sports hall “belongs to” or “is part of” the college: “the sports hall of the college.” Feminine die Hochschule becomes der Hochschule in genitive. You can also avoid the genitive by saying in der Sporthalle von der Hochschule, but that’s less concise.
Could I also say in der Sporthalle an der Hochschule?
Yes. an + dative can mean “at” or “by,” so an der Hochschule means “at the college.” in der Sporthalle an der Hochschule is a perfectly acceptable location phrase, though it shifts the nuance from possession (genitive) to “at that site.”
What is the difference between Hochschule and Universität?
Hochschule is a general term for any higher-education institution, including universities of applied sciences. Universität refers specifically to a research university. Depending on context, Hochschule might signal a more practice-oriented college.
How else could I express the same idea in German?
You could say:
• Ich habe dienstags Basketballtraining in der Sporthalle der Hochschule.
• Dienstags gehe ich in die Sporthalle der Hochschule, um Basketball zu trainieren.
Both convey the same meaning with slightly different emphasis.