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Morgens mähe ich den Rasen.

Morgens mähe ich den Rasen.
In the morning I mow the lawn.
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Questions & Answers about Morgens mähe ich den Rasen.

Is morgens the same as am Morgen or heute Morgen? What’s the difference?
  • morgens = in the mornings (a habitual/repeated time). Example: Morgens mähe ich den Rasen.
  • am Morgen = in the morning (often of a specific day or timeframe, not inherently habitual). Example: Am Morgen mähe ich den Rasen can refer to a particular morning.
  • heute Morgen = this morning (specific, earlier today).
  • Watch out: morgen (lowercase) = tomorrow; der Morgen (uppercase) = the morning (noun).
  • The -s in morgens is a common adverbial ending for times of day: abends, nachts, mittags, etc.
Why is it mähe ich and not ich mähe at the start?
German main clauses are verb-second. If you put a time element like Morgens first, the finite verb must come next, then the subject: Morgens mähe ich den Rasen. If you start with the subject, you get Ich mähe morgens den Rasen. Both are correct; the first emphasizes the time.
Why is it den Rasen and not der Rasen?

Because Rasen is masculine and here it’s a direct object (accusative). Masculine articles change from der (nominative) to den (accusative):

  • Nominative: der Rasen (subject)
  • Accusative: den Rasen (direct object)
  • Dative: dem Rasen
  • Genitive: des Rasens
Can I place morgens elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. Common options (all correct, with slight differences in emphasis):

  • Morgens mähe ich den Rasen. (focus on time)
  • Ich mähe morgens den Rasen. (neutral)
  • Ich mähe den Rasen morgens. (time at the end, a bit informal)
  • Den Rasen mähe ich morgens. (focus on the object)
How do I negate this? Where do nicht and nie go?
  • General negation: Ich mähe morgens den Rasen nicht. or Morgens mähe ich den Rasen nicht.
  • Never: Ich mähe morgens nie den Rasen.
  • Partial negation (not X but Y): Ich mähe morgens nicht den Rasen, sondern die Wiese.
How do I pronounce morgens, mähe, and Rasen?
  • morgens: [ˈmɔʁɡn̩s]. Tips: German r is uvular; final s is unvoiced [s].
  • mähe: [ˈmɛːə]. The ä is like a long “e” in “bed,” and the h lengthens the vowel; the final e is a schwa [ə]. Without umlauts you can write maehe.
  • Rasen: [ˈʁaːzn̩]. Long a, the s between vowels is voiced [z].
How is mähen conjugated? What’s the past participle?

Present:

  • ich mähe
  • du mähst
  • er/sie/es mäht
  • wir mähen
  • ihr mäht
  • sie/Sie mähen

Perfect (conversational past): ich habe den Rasen gemäht. Simple past (less common in speech): ich mähte den Rasen.

How do I say I’m mowing the lawn right now?

German typically uses the simple present plus a particle:

  • Ich mähe gerade den Rasen.
  • Or: Ich bin gerade dabei, den Rasen zu mähen.
Could I say Gras instead of Rasen?
  • Rasen = lawn (cultivated grass in a yard). Standard collocation is den Rasen mähen.
  • Gras = grass in general. You can say Gras mähen for cutting grass (e.g., in a field), but for a yard, Rasen is the natural choice.
  • A meadow is die Wiese; you can eine Wiese mähen.
Why is Morgens capitalized here?

Because it’s the first word of the sentence. The adverb is normally lowercase: morgens. Contrast:

  • morgens (adverb: in the mornings)
  • der Morgen (noun: the morning)
  • morgen (adverb: tomorrow)
Do I need a preposition like am or um with mornings?
  • Habitual: use the adverb morgens with no preposition.
  • Specific morning: am Morgen (on the morning).
  • Clock time: um 7 Uhr (at 7 o’clock). You can combine: morgens um 7 Uhr.
What’s the typical element order—where does time go?

Within the clause, a common guideline is Time–Manner–Place. Examples:

  • Ich mähe morgens (Time) schnell (Manner) im Garten (Place) den Rasen. Word order is flexible, but this guideline keeps sentences natural and clear.
Can I drop the article and say Ich mähe Rasen?

Yes, but it changes the nuance:

  • Ich mähe den Rasen. = I mow the (my/the) lawn (a specific one).
  • Ich mähe Rasen. = I mow lawns/grass (in general), often suggesting an activity or job rather than one specific lawn.
What gender and plural does Rasen have? How does it decline with possessives?
  • Gender: masculine — der Rasen.
  • Accusative with possessives: meinen Rasen, deinen Rasen, seinen Rasen, etc.
  • Plural: die Rasen exists but is rare; Rasen is usually treated as a mass or a specific area.
Are there other natural ways to say in the mornings?

Yes:

  • jeden Morgen (every morning)
  • frühmorgens or morgens früh (early in the morning)
  • Regional: in der Früh (common in Austria/southern Germany)
How would I talk about a past routine?

Two common ways:

  • With the simple past for habitual action (more written/standard): Früher mähte ich morgens den Rasen.
  • With the perfect (very common in speech): Früher habe ich morgens den Rasen gemäht.