Learn Hardcore German: Heutzutage arbeite ich oft von zu Hause, doch manchmal fahre ich ins Büro. - Nowadays I often work from home, but sometimes I go to the office.

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule. If you put an element like Heutzutage in first position, the finite verb (arbeite) must be second, and the subject (ich) comes after it.

Correct: Heutzutage arbeite ich ...
Also correct: Ich arbeite heutzutage ... (subject first, verb still second)

Can I place Heutzutage somewhere else?

Yes. It’s flexible:

Ich arbeite heutzutage oft von zu Hause.
Ich arbeite oft heutzutage von zu Hause. (possible but less natural) Fronting it (as in the original) is very common for emphasis on time; the verb must remain second.

Do I need the comma before doch?

Yes. Doch here links two independent main clauses, and a comma is required in standard German:

Heutzutage ... , doch manchmal ...

What’s the difference between doch, aber, and jedoch here?

aber: neutral “but,” very common.
doch: also “but,” often a bit more contrastive or rhetorical in tone.
jedoch: “however”; it’s an adverbial connector, not a coordinating conjunction. It keeps V2: ..., jedoch fahre ich ... or Ich fahre jedoch .... Note: doch can also be a modal particle (e.g., Komm doch!), but in your sentence it’s a conjunction meaning “but.”

Does doch affect word order in the second clause?

No. As a coordinating conjunction, it doesn’t take the first position in the clause. The first position is manchmal, so the verb (fahre) is second:

..., doch manchmal fahre ich ... You could also say:
..., doch ich fahre manchmal ... Both are correct.

Why ins Büro and not im Büro or zum Büro?

ins Büro = in das Büro (accusative, movement to a place) → “to the office.”
im Büro = in dem Büro (dative, location) → “in the office.”
zum Büro is possible but less idiomatic for “to (my) workplace”; Germans usually say ins Büro or zur Arbeit.

Why fahre and not gehe?

German distinguishes modes of going:

fahren = go/travel by vehicle (car, bus, train, bike, etc.). It does not necessarily mean you’re the driver.
gehen = go on foot. Use what matches the mode of transport. If you walk, say manchmal gehe ich ins Büro.

Is von zu Hause correct, or should it be von zu Hause aus?

Both are used. Many speakers prefer von zu Hause aus (arbeiten) as the more idiomatic, explicit phrase. Von zu Hause arbeiten is widely understood and common in modern usage. Avoid aus dem Haus arbeiten (that means “out of the building,” not “from home”).

What’s the difference between zu Hause, zuhause, and Zuhause?

Adverb (at home): standard zu Hause; the variant zuhause is also widely accepted.
Noun (a home): das Zuhause (capitalized), e.g., ein gemütliches Zuhause.

Where do frequency adverbs like oft and manchmal go?

They usually stand early in the middle field, before place phrases:

Ich arbeite oft von zu Hause.
Manchmal fahre ich ins Büro. A handy guideline is Te-Ka-Mo-Lo (Temporal–Kausal–Modal–Lokal): time before manner and place.

Is Ich arbeite oft heutzutage von zu Hause okay?

It’s understandable but not very natural. Prefer:

Ich arbeite heutzutage oft von zu Hause.
Heutzutage arbeite ich oft von zu Hause.

Should I use Heutzutage or zurzeit/derzeit/im Moment?

heutzutage = nowadays, in our era (general, compares now to the past).
zurzeit/derzeit/im Moment = currently/at the moment (temporary, personal situation). If you mean your current routine rather than a societal trend, zurzeit or derzeit may fit better. For example: Zurzeit arbeite ich oft von zu Hause ...

Can I drop the second ich?

No. German generally requires an explicit subject in each finite clause. You need ich in the second clause: ..., doch manchmal fahre ich ins Büro.

Could I move doch and say ..., manchmal fahre ich doch ins Büro?

Yes, but that changes the meaning. Here doch would be a modal particle meaning roughly “after all/actually/contrary to what you might think,” adding emphasis rather than simply linking clauses.