Learn Hardcore German: Am Abend bin ich weniger gestresst, weil die Wohnung wieder ruhig ist. - In the evening I am less stressed because the apartment is quiet again.

German main clauses are verb-second (V2). If you put a time expression like Am Abend in first position, the finite verb must come next, so you get Am Abend bin ich …. With the subject first, it’s the usual Ich bin am Abend …. Both are correct; starting with Am Abend just foregrounds the time.

What exactly is am here, and which case does it use?

Am is a contraction of an dem and takes the dative case. It’s common with days and parts of the day:

am Morgen, am Nachmittag, am Freitag Note: with night, German usually says in der Nacht (not am Nacht).

What’s the difference between am Abend and abends?

am Abend = on/in the evening (often a specific evening or a single time frame).
abends = in the evenings, evenings in general, habitually. Examples:
Ich treffe ihn am Abend. (this evening/in the evening on a given day)
Ich lese abends. (as a general habit)

Why is there a comma before weil, and why does the verb go to the end in that clause?

Weil introduces a subordinate clause. In standard German:

You must put a comma before the clause.
The finite verb goes to the end: … weil die Wohnung wieder ruhig ist. If you start with the reason, you write: Weil die Wohnung wieder ruhig ist, bin ich …. Colloquial speech sometimes uses main-clause order after weil (V2), but that’s not standard in writing.

Could I use denn instead of weil?

Yes, but there’s a difference:

weil starts a subordinate clause with verb-final: …, weil die Wohnung wieder ruhig ist.
denn is a coordinating conjunction; word order stays like a main clause: …, denn die Wohnung ist wieder ruhig. Nuance: denn often feels a bit more written/formal and links two main clauses; weil is the go-to for “because.”

What does wieder mean here, and where does it go?

Wieder means “again” or “back (to a previous state).” It sits in the “middle field” before the predicate adjective: wieder ruhig. Alternatives:

erneut = “again/anew,” more formal.
noch einmal/nochmal = “once more” (typically for repeating actions, less for states).

Why say die Wohnung ist ruhig instead of es ist ruhig in der Wohnung?

Both are correct:

Die Wohnung ist ruhig makes the apartment the grammatical subject and sounds a touch more direct.
Es ist ruhig in der Wohnung uses dummy es and an adverbial in der Wohnung; it can feel slightly more impersonal. Choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Why is it die Wohnung and not der or das? Which case is it in?

Wohnung is feminine; nominative singular is die Wohnung. In the clause … weil die Wohnung wieder ruhig ist, it’s the subject of the subordinate clause, so nominative is required.

Is weniger gestresst the only option? What about nicht so gestresst, gestresster, or weniger stressig?

weniger gestresst = less stressed (good for describing a person’s state).
nicht so gestresst = not as stressed (often implies a comparison with a norm/expectation).
gestresster = the comparative of gestresst (possible: Ich bin abends gestresster, but less common than weniger gestresst).
weniger stressig describes situations, not feelings: Der Abend ist weniger stressig, but for people prefer weniger gestresst.

What is gestresst grammatically, and why is it spelled with double s?

Gestresst is the participle II of stressen, used adjectivally to describe a state. It’s spelled with ss because the vowel before it is short (German orthography rule). So: gestresst, not gestreßt or gestresßt.

Should adjectives like gestresst or ruhig take endings here?

No. After linking verbs like sein/werden/bleiben, adjectives are predicative and remain uninflected: ich bin weniger gestresst, die Wohnung ist ruhig. Adjective endings appear in attributive position before nouns:

ein weniger gestresster Mensch
eine ruhige Wohnung

What’s the nuance between ruhig, still, and leise?

ruhig = calm/quiet (general peace, little disturbance; can describe people or places).
still = very quiet/silent (emphasizes silence or motionlessness).
leise = quiet/soft in volume (about sounds). So a place can be ruhig; a room during an exam might be still; a voice can be leise.

How do you pronounce ruhig, and what is the h doing?

The h lengthens the vowel: u is long. Common pronunciations are [ˈʁuːɪç] or [ˈʁuːɪk]. You won’t normally hear an audible “h” sound. Both endings (-ich/-ik) are accepted regionally.

Can I say zu Hause or daheim instead of die Wohnung?

Yes, but meanings differ:

die Wohnung = the apartment/flat (the physical unit).
das Haus = the house (the building).
zu Hause/daheim = at home (your place, regardless of building type). Example: … weil es zu Hause wieder ruhig ist. (more about your home environment than the specific apartment as subject)

Why is Abend capitalized?

All nouns are capitalized in German, and names of parts of the day are nouns: der Morgen, der Abend, die Nacht. The adverb abends is lowercase because it’s not a noun.