Abends sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung, in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.

In the evening we watch a news program in which a journalist explains the behavior of the government.

Breakdown of Abends sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung, in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.

• in: in
• wir: we
• erklären: to explain
• abends: in the evening
• die Regierung: the government
• der Journalist: the journalist
• der: the; (feminine, genitive)
• das Verhalten: the behavior
• sehen: to watch
• die Nachrichtensendung: the news program
• der: which

Questions & Answers about Abends sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung, in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.

What exactly does Abends mean here, and how is it different from am Abend or jeden Abend?

Abends is an adverb meaning “in the evenings / in the evening (regularly, as a habit)”.

• Abends sehen wir …
  → In the evenings / We usually watch … in the evening.

Comparison:

• am Abend = in the evening (more about a single evening or a specific time span)
  
  • Am Abend sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung.
    → In the evening we watch a news program. (could be one particular evening)
• jeden Abend = every evening (explicitly every single day)
  
  • Jeden Abend sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung.
    → Every evening we watch a news program.

So abends implies a regular habit, but in a slightly less “counting-every-day” way than jeden Abend.

Why does the sentence start with Abends and not with Wir? Is that normal word order in German?

Yes, it’s completely normal. German word order is very flexible for elements before the verb, as long as the finite verb stays in second position in main clauses (the V2 rule).

• Abends sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung.
  (Time) – (Verb) – (Subject) – …

This emphasizes when the action takes place.

You could also say:

• Wir sehen abends eine Nachrichtensendung.
  (Subject) – (Verb) – (Time) – …

Both are correct. The difference is mainly in emphasis:

• Starting with Abends highlights the time: As for the evenings, that’s when we watch a news program.
• Starting with Wir is more neutral: We watch a news program in the evenings.

Why is it sehen wir and not wir sehen after Abends?

Because in a main clause, German requires the finite verb (here: sehen) to be in second position.

We count “positions” as units of meaning, not individual words. Abends is one unit in the first position, so the verb must come next:

• 1st position: Abends
• 2nd position: sehen (finite verb)
• 3rd position: wir (subject)

So:

• ✅ Abends sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung.
• ❌ Abends wir sehen eine Nachrichtensendung. (incorrect in standard German)

Why is it eine Nachrichtensendung and not ein Nachrichtensendung or die Nachrichtensendung?

Nachrichtensendung is a feminine noun (die Nachrichtensendung).

In the sentence, it is the direct object of sehen, so it’s in the accusative case, singular:

• Nominative: die Nachrichtensendung (subject)
• Accusative: die Nachrichtensendung (definite) / eine Nachrichtensendung (indefinite)

Here we’re talking about a news program, not a specific one, so we use the indefinite article:

• eine Nachrichtensendung = a news program.

ein would be for masculine or neuter nouns; since Sendung is feminine, it must be eine.

What exactly is Nachrichtensendung? Why is there an -en- in the middle and an -s- after Nachrichten?

Nachrichtensendung is a compound noun:

• die Nachricht = the news item (message)
• Nachrichten (plural) = news (as a set of items)
• die Sendung = broadcast, show, program

When you put them together:

• Nachrichten
  • Sendung → Nachrichtensendung
    (literally: news broadcast)

In practice, you often see it written as Nachrichtensendung (with -en- acting as a linking syllable). The idea is still “a broadcast of news”. This kind of linking element (sometimes -s-, -n-, -en-, etc.) is very common in German compounds.

Meaning-wise, Nachrichtensendung = news program / news broadcast.

There are two der in the sentence: in der and der Regierung. Are they the same thing grammatically?

No, they look the same but have different functions and cases:

1. in der

   • der here is a relative pronoun referring back to die Nachrichtensendung (feminine singular).
   • It’s in the dative case because it follows the preposition in in a static sense (“in which”):
     • in der (Nachrichtensendung) = in which (news program)

2. der Regierung

   • der here is the definite article for Regierung in the genitive case.
   • das Verhalten der Regierung = the behavior of the government.

So:

• in der → dative feminine singular, relative pronoun (“in which”)
• der Regierung → genitive feminine singular, article (“of the government”)

Same form, different jobs and cases.

What is in der doing here? Why not just die or wo?

In der introduces a relative clause and literally means “in which”.

• eine Nachrichtensendung, in der ein Journalist … erklärt
  → a news program *in which a journalist explains …*

Why in der and not just die?

• die would be the relative pronoun by itself. But the meaning needed is “in which”, not just “which”.
• In German, when a verb or phrase needs a preposition, that preposition stays with the relative pronoun:
  • main clause: in der Nachrichtensendung erklärt ein Journalist …
  • relative clause: … eine Nachrichtensendung, in der ein Journalist … erklärt.

Why not wo?

• wo can sometimes be used in spoken German instead of a relative pronoun (especially for places), but it’s less standard in this kind of formal sentence.
• in der is the correct, standard way to say “in which (feminine, singular)”.

Why is there a comma before in der and why is erklärt at the end: in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt?

Because “in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt” is a relative clause, which is a type of subordinate clause.

In German:

1. Subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma.
2. In subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end of the clause.

So:

• Main clause: Abends sehen wir eine Nachrichtensendung, …
• Relative clause: … in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.

Inside the relative clause:

• Subject: ein Journalist
• Object: das Verhalten der Regierung
• Finite verb (end position): erklärt

That’s why you have:

• …, in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.

Why is it das Verhalten der Regierung and not something like die Verhalten von der Regierung?

Several points:

1. Verhalten is neuter and usually uncountable (no plural) for this meaning: behavior.
   • Article: das Verhalten (not die Verhalten).
2. In the sentence, das Verhalten is the direct object of erklärt, so it is accusative neuter singular: das Verhalten.
3. der Regierung is genitive, showing possession:
   • das Verhalten der Regierung = the behavior of the government / the government’s behavior.

You could say das Verhalten von der Regierung, but:

• Genitive (der Regierung) is more standard and stylistically better in written German, especially in more formal language.
• von der Regierung is more informal or spoken style.

So the most natural, standard form here is:

• das Verhalten der Regierung.

Could we phrase the sentence differently, for example with wir at the start, or using Nachrichten instead of Nachrichtensendung?

Yes, there are natural variations with slightly different nuances:

1. Moving the time element:

   • Wir sehen abends eine Nachrichtensendung, in der ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.
     → Same meaning; more neutral emphasis on wir instead of abends.

2. Using Nachrichten instead of Nachrichtensendung:

   • Abends sehen wir die Nachrichten, in denen ein Journalist das Verhalten der Regierung erklärt.
     
     • die Nachrichten = the news (typical TV news program)
     • Because Nachrichten is plural, you’d need in denen (in which, plural) instead of in der.

So you can adjust subject position and the noun for “news” as long as you keep:

• the verb-second rule in the main clause, and
• correct agreement and cases in the relative clause.