Learn Hardcore German: Übrigens weckt mich der Wecker jeden Tag um sieben Uhr. - By the way, the alarm clock wakes me up every day at seven o’clock.

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule. Exactly one element may come before the finite verb. Here, Übrigens occupies the first position (the “prefield”), so the finite verb weckt must come second. The subject der Wecker then follows the verb:

Übrigens | weckt | mich der Wecker … You could also start with another element (e.g., Jeden Tag, Um sieben Uhr, Der Wecker), but the finite verb still stays in second position:
Jeden Tag | weckt | mich der Wecker …
Der Wecker | weckt | mich …

Why does mich come before der Wecker? Would Übrigens weckt der Wecker mich … also be correct?

Both word orders are grammatical. However, in the middle field (the part between the finite verb and the sentence-final elements), German tends to place object pronouns (like mich) before full noun phrases (like der Wecker). That’s why … weckt mich der Wecker … sounds very natural. With two pronouns, the subject pronoun normally comes before the object pronoun (e.g., Er weckt mich), but here the subject is a noun phrase, so mich often precedes it. Using … weckt der Wecker mich … is fine and neutral as well; information structure and emphasis ultimately decide.

Why is it mich and not mir?

Because wecken is a transitive verb that takes a direct object in the accusative case. mich is accusative (me), while mir is dative (to me). So:

Der Wecker weckt mich. = The alarm wakes me. There’s no dative object here, so mir would be incorrect.

Why is it der Wecker and not den Wecker?

Der Wecker is the subject and must be in the nominative case. For masculine nouns, nominative singular takes der, while accusative singular takes den. Since the object is mich (accusative), the subject must be nominative: der Wecker. A quick check: replace the subject with a pronoun—if it becomes er, it’s nominative: Er weckt mich.

What does Übrigens do here, and where else can I put it?

Übrigens means “by the way” and signals a side remark or a topic shift. It can appear at the start (as here) or later:

Der Wecker weckt mich übrigens jeden Tag um sieben Uhr.
Der Wecker weckt mich jeden Tag übrigens um sieben Uhr. Sentence-initial is the most common. It doesn’t change the core meaning; it frames the statement as an aside.

Do I need a comma after Übrigens?

Normally no. Übrigens as a sentence adverb at the start is not usually followed by a comma. A comma can be added for a stronger pause or stylistic effect, but the default and most common form is without a comma:

Übrigens weckt … (standard)
Übrigens, weckt … (marked/pausy; less common)

What’s the difference between übrigens and im Übrigen?

übrigens = “by the way,” introducing an aside or new angle.
im Übrigen = “aside from that / otherwise / moreover,” often used to add a related point or to contrast with an exception. They’re not interchangeable.

Why is it jeden Tag and not jeder Tag?

Tag is masculine, and jeden is the masculine accusative singular of jeder. Time expressions like this often appear in the accusative (the so‑called “adverbial accusative”):

Ich arbeite jeden Tag. = I work every day. So you need jeden, not jeder.

Could I say täglich instead of jeden Tag?

Yes. täglich (daily) is a natural alternative:

Übrigens weckt mich der Wecker täglich um sieben Uhr. Nuance: jeden Tag can feel a touch more concrete/emphatic; täglich is a bit more compact and neutral.

Can I swap jeden Tag and um sieben Uhr?

Yes. Both orders are fine:

… weckt mich der Wecker jeden Tag um sieben Uhr.
… weckt mich der Wecker um sieben Uhr jeden Tag. A common tendency is to go from more general to more specific (frequency → exact time), so jeden Tag um sieben Uhr often feels slightly more natural, but both are correct.

Why is it um sieben Uhr and not am sieben Uhr?

German uses:

um
- clock times: um sieben (Uhr) = at seven (o’clock)
am
- days/dates/parts of the day: am Montag, am 7. Mai, am Morgen So am sieben Uhr is incorrect; use um sieben (Uhr).

Can I omit Uhr or use digits?

Yes. All are fine:

um sieben (very common in speech)
um sieben Uhr (fully explicit)
um 7 (informal writing, schedules, texts)
um 7 Uhr (neutral and clear) In formal writing, um 7 Uhr is a safe choice.

How do I say “around seven,” “exactly at seven,” or “shortly after seven”?

Around seven: gegen sieben (Uhr) or so gegen sieben
Exactly at seven: punkt sieben or um Punkt sieben
Shortly after seven: kurz nach sieben (Uhr)
Shortly before seven: kurz vor sieben (Uhr)

How do I disambiguate 7 a.m. vs 7 p.m.?

7 a.m.: um sieben (Uhr) morgens
7 p.m.: um sieben (Uhr) abends Using the 24‑hour clock is also common: um 7 Uhr (a.m.) vs um 19 Uhr (p.m.).

What’s the difference between wecken, aufwecken, aufwachen, and wach werden?

wecken: to wake someone (transitive). Der Wecker weckt mich.
aufwecken: also to wake someone, often a bit more explicit/emphatic about causing waking. Der Lärm weckt/weckt … auf.
aufwachen: to wake up (intransitive, the sleeper is the subject). Ich wache auf (um sieben).
wach werden: to become awake (intransitive, slightly more processual). Ich werde um sieben wach. Don’t say Ich wecke mich for “I wake up”; use Ich wache auf.

Is Wecker the physical device only, or can it be the phone alarm too?

Der Wecker covers both a traditional alarm clock and the alarm feature on a phone. You’ll also hear der Alarm for a phone alarm, but der Wecker is very common: Mein Wecker (am Handy) weckt mich …

Is “Der Wecker klingelt” the same as “Der Wecker weckt mich”?

Not quite:

Der Wecker klingelt = The alarm is ringing (describes the sound).
Der Wecker weckt mich = The alarm wakes me (focuses on the effect on you). Both can be true at the same time, but they emphasize different things.

Why are Wecker, Tag, and Uhr capitalized, but sieben isn’t?

All German nouns are capitalized: der Wecker, der Tag, die Uhr. The numeral sieben is not a noun here, so it’s lowercase. You’d only capitalize a number when it’s used as a noun (e.g., die Sieben on a jersey), which isn’t the case in time expressions.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts (Ü, ch, w, etc.)?

Ü in Übrigens: a front rounded vowel. Say English “ee” while rounding your lips: [y]. Stress the first syllable: [ˈyːbʁɪɡŋs].
w in Wecker: like English “v”. ck = hard [k]. Final -er often sounds like
ch in mich: the “ich‑sound” [ç], not the “ach‑sound” and not [ʃ].
s in sieben is voiced [z] at the start: [ˈziːbn].
Uhr: long [uː] + vocalic r: [uːɐ̯].

Is weckt the right tense for “every day”? How would I say it in the past?

Yes. German present tense covers habitual actions: Der Wecker weckt mich jeden Tag … = “The alarm wakes me every day …”. For the past:

Conversational past (perfect): Der Wecker hat mich um sieben Uhr geweckt.
Simple past: Der Wecker weckte mich um sieben Uhr. (more written/literary in many regions)

What changes if I start the sentence with Jeden Tag or Um sieben Uhr instead?

Only the emphasis changes; V2 still applies:

Jeden Tag weckt mich der Wecker um sieben Uhr. (focus on frequency)
Um sieben Uhr weckt mich der Wecker jeden Tag. (focus on the time) All versions are acceptable and mean the same thing content‑wise.