Learn Hardcore German: Meine Tochter spielt am Nachmittag im Park. - My daughter plays in the park in the afternoon.

am is the contraction of an dem (“at/on the”), and it takes the dative case. German typically uses an for days and parts of the day: am Montag, am Morgen, am Nachmittag, am Abend. Note that Nachmittag is masculine (der Nachmittag), so the dative is dem, hence am. Don’t use um here; um is for clock times (e.g., um 3 Uhr).

What does im in im Park mean?

im is the contraction of in dem (“in the”), also dative. With location (no movement), two-way prepositions like in take the dative: im Park = “in the park.” Because nobody is moving into the park, it’s static location.

Why not am Park?

am Park (“at the park”) is possible but means “at/by the park,” i.e., near or at the edge. If you mean inside the park, use im Park. So:

im Park = inside the park (location, dative)
am Park = at/near the park
in den Park = into the park (movement, accusative)

Why is it spielt and not spiele or spielen?

spielt is the 3rd person singular present of spielen. Present conjugation:

ich spiele
du spielst
er/sie/es spielt
wir spielen
ihr spielt
sie/Sie spielen

Can spielt mean “is playing” as well as “plays”?

Yes. German has no separate progressive tense. The present covers both:

Meine Tochter spielt … = “My daughter plays …” or “My daughter is playing …” You can add gerade to emphasize “right now”: Sie spielt gerade …

Why meine Tochter and not mein Tochter or meiner Tochter?

Tochter is feminine. As the subject (nominative), the possessive mein- takes the ending -e: meine Tochter. With feminine nouns:

Nominative: meine Tochter (subject)
Accusative: meine Tochter
Dative: meiner Tochter (e.g., Ich helfe meiner Tochter.)

What case is Park in, and why?

Dative singular. Park is masculine (der Park). The preposition in with static location takes dative: in dem Park → im Park.

Is the word order “time before place” required? Could I say Meine Tochter spielt im Park am Nachmittag?

German prefers Time–Manner–Place, so am Nachmittag im Park is the neutral order. Meine Tochter spielt im Park am Nachmittag is also correct but slightly marked in style; it can put a bit more focus on location first. Both are acceptable.

Can I front the time for emphasis?

Yes. With fronted time, the verb must stay in second position, so the subject follows the verb:

Am Nachmittag spielt meine Tochter im Park. This is very natural in German.

Why is Nachmittag capitalized?

All nouns are capitalized in German: die Tochter, der Nachmittag, der Park. If you use the adverbial form nachmittags (“in the afternoons / in the afternoon (habitually)”), it’s lowercase.

What’s the difference between am Nachmittag and nachmittags?

am Nachmittag = “in the afternoon” (often a specific afternoon or a specific time frame)
nachmittags = “(in the) afternoons; in the afternoon (habitually)” Example: Meine Tochter spielt nachmittags im Park suggests a regular habit.

How would I say “this afternoon”?

Use heute Nachmittag: Meine Tochter spielt heute Nachmittag im Park. For a specific future plan, you can also add a time: heute Nachmittag um 3 Uhr.

How would I express movement into the park?

Use in with the accusative: in den Park. For example:

Meine Tochter geht am Nachmittag in den Park. (She goes into the park.)
Once she is there: Sie spielt im Park. (dative for location)

What if I want to say “in a park” instead of “in the park”?

Use the indefinite article in the dative: in einem Park. So: Meine Tochter spielt am Nachmittag in einem Park.

Can the German present be used for future meaning here?

Yes. German often uses the present with a time expression for future plans:

Meine Tochter spielt heute Nachmittag im Park. = “My daughter will play/is playing this afternoon in the park.” You can use wird spielen for emphasis on futurity, but it’s not required.

How do I pronounce the ch in Nachmittag and Tochter?

After back vowels (a, o, u), ch is the “ach-sound,” a voiceless velar fricative , like a harsh h in the back of the throat:

Nachmittag: [ˈnaχmɪtaːk]
Tochter: [ˈtɔχtɐ] Also note final devoicing: the final -g in -tag is pronounced like [k].

What’s the plural of Tochter, and how would the sentence change?

Plural is Töchter (umlaut). The verb becomes plural too:

Meine Töchter spielen am Nachmittag im Park.