Learn Hardcore German: Am Abend spazieren wir den Strand entlang.

German uses am (an + dem) with days and parts of the day: am Morgen, am Mittag, am Abend, am Montag. Im (in + dem) is used with months/seasons/longer periods and with night: im Mai, im Winter, in der Nacht. You can also say Heute Abend without a preposition.

What is "am" exactly, and which case does it take?

Am is the contraction of an dem and it takes the dative case. So am Abend literally comes from an dem Abend (dative of masculine der Abend).

Why is the verb "spazieren" before "wir"?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: exactly one constituent can come first, and the finite verb comes second. Here, Am Abend is in first position, so the verb spazieren must be second, and the subject wir comes after it. A neutral alternative is: Wir spazieren am Abend den Strand entlang.

Why is it "den Strand" and not "der Strand"?

Because entlang (when placed after the noun) governs the accusative. Strand is masculine: nominative der Strand, accusative den Strand, hence den Strand entlang.

Why does "entlang" come after the noun here? Can it go before?

Entlang is usually a postposition, so it follows its noun phrase: den Strand entlang. If you put it before, it typically takes the genitive (formal): entlang des Strandes. A dative-before version (entlang dem Strand) exists in colloquial/regional speech but is best avoided in careful standard German.

Is "am Strand entlang" also correct? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, am Strand entlang is idiomatic and common. Often it’s interchangeable with den Strand entlang. Subtly, den Strand entlang focuses on the path along the beach itself, while am Strand entlang can suggest moving along/by the beach (e.g., along its edge), but most contexts don’t rely on this nuance.

Can I place "Am Abend" later in the sentence?

Yes: Wir spazieren am Abend den Strand entlang. In the “middle field,” a useful guideline is Time–Manner–Place, so the time phrase naturally comes before the place phrase. Fronting Am Abend just adds emphasis on the time.

Can I front "den Strand entlang" for emphasis?

Yes: Den Strand entlang spazieren wir am Abend. Keep entlang directly after its noun phrase; you can’t split them (e.g., not den Strand wir entlang).

Do I need to say "spazieren gehen" instead of "spazieren"?

Both are correct. Spazieren gehen is very common and sounds very natural in everyday speech. For example: Am Abend gehen wir am Strand spazieren. If you don’t use gehen, simply say: Am Abend spazieren wir den Strand entlang.

How do I form the past (Perfekt) of this sentence?

Use sein as the auxiliary with spazieren: Am Abend sind wir den Strand entlang spaziert. With spazieren gehen, it’s: Am Abend sind wir am Strand spazieren gegangen.

How does this look in a subordinate clause?

The finite verb goes to the end: …, dass wir am Abend den Strand entlang spazieren. If you use Perfekt: …, dass wir am Abend den Strand entlang spaziert sind.

What are the genders of "Strand" and "Abend," and why are they capitalized?

Both are masculine: der Strand, der Abend. All nouns are capitalized in German, so Strand and Abend start with capital letters.

Any pronunciation tips?

Word-initial sp is pronounced like “shp”: spazieren ≈ “shpa-TSI-ren” (German z = “ts”).
Word-initial str is “shtr”: Strand ≈ “shtrand” with a broad “a.”
Abend has a long “a” and final devoicing: ≈ “AH-bent.”
entlang is stressed on the second part: en-tlang; final -ng as in English “sing.”