Learn Hardcore German: Abends lese ich oft einen Krimi, wenn ich mich entspannen will. - In the evenings I often read a crime novel when I want to relax.

In a main clause, the conjugated verb must be in position 2:
- Abends (position 1)
- lese (position 2 – conjugated verb)
- ich oft einen Krimi (rest of the clause)
In a subordinate clause introduced by wenn, the conjugated verb goes to the end:
- wenn ich mich entspannen will
- Subject: ich
- Object (reflexive pronoun): mich
- Infinitive: entspannen
- Conjugated verb: will (comes last)

So:

Main clause: Abends lese ich oft einen Krimi → verb in 2nd position
Subordinate clause: wenn ich mich entspannen will → verb at the end

Can I also say Ich lese abends oft einen Krimi? Why does Abends come first here?

Yes, you can say:

Abends lese ich oft einen Krimi.
Ich lese abends oft einen Krimi.

Both are correct and mean the same thing.

Why Abends first?

German likes to put the time expression early in the sentence.
Moving Abends to the front puts extra emphasis on the time: In the evenings is the topic you start with.

But the basic rule is:

Whatever comes first (here: Abends) counts as position 1.
The conjugated verb (lese) must then be in position 2.
The subject (ich) can move after the verb without any problem.

What is the difference between abends, am Abend, and jeden Abend?

All relate to the evening but differ slightly in nuance:

abends
- Means “in the evenings / in the evening (as a habit)”
- Stresses regularity or a typical time of day.
- Example: Abends lese ich oft. – In the evenings I often read.
am Abend
- More like “in the evening (on a particular day or more concrete)”
- Often used for a specific evening or a more definite time frame.
- Example: Am Abend lese ich ein Buch. – (This/that) evening I’ll read a book / In the evening (as opposed to morning).
jeden Abend
- Means “every evening”, very explicit.
- Example: Jeden Abend lese ich einen Krimi. – I read a crime novel every evening.

In the original sentence, Abends suggests a typical, recurring habit rather than literally every single evening.

Why is it einen Krimi and not ein Krimi?

Because of case and gender:

Krimi (short for Kriminalroman) is:
- masculine: der Krimi
- plural: die Krimis
In the sentence, Krimi is the direct object of lesen (what do I read?).
Direct objects in German take the accusative case.

For a masculine noun:

Nominative: ein Krimi (e.g. Ein Krimi ist spannend. – A crime novel is exciting.)
Accusative: einen Krimi (e.g. Ich lese einen Krimi. – I read a crime novel.)

So we get oft einen Krimi because it’s a masculine noun in accusative.

What exactly does Krimi mean? Is it only a book?

Krimi is short for Kriminalroman (crime novel), but in everyday German it is broader:

Can mean a crime novel (book)
Can also mean a crime movie or crime TV show

So einen Krimi lesen clearly means to read a crime novel,
while einen Krimi sehen would mean to watch a crime film/show.

Why is it mich entspannen? What is the role of mich here?

Mich is a reflexive pronoun referring back to ich.

The verb sich entspannen is typically used reflexively when you mean to relax (oneself).
Subject: ich
Reflexive pronoun (accusative): mich

So:

ich entspanne mich – I relax (myself), I unwind
ich will mich entspannen – I want to relax (myself)

The pattern in the clause:

ich (subject, nominative)
mich (reflexive pronoun, accusative)
entspannen (infinitive verb)

Why isn’t it wenn ich will mich entspannen like in English word order?

German word order is different from English in subordinate clauses:

In the wenn-clause, the conjugated verb (will) must go to the end of the clause.
Objects and pronouns normally come before the final verb cluster.

Correct German:

wenn ich mich entspannen will
(literally: when I myself relax want)

Incorrect German:

✗ wenn ich will mich entspannen (English-like order; sounds wrong to native speakers)

So the structure is:

Subordinate conjunction: wenn
Subject: ich
(Reflexive) object: mich
Other verb(s): entspannen
Final conjugated verb: will

Why does will here mean “want to” and not “will (future)” like in English?

German wollen is a modal verb that primarily means “to want (to)”, expressing intention or desire, not the future tense.

In German:

ich will mich entspannen = I want to relax

To express the future, German can use:

werden
- infinitive: Ich werde mich entspannen. – I will relax.
Or often just the present tense with a time expression, as in the original sentence.

So:

German will ≈ English want (to)
English will (future) ≈ German werde (conjugated form of werden)

Why is it wenn and not wann or als?

These three words are easy to confuse, but they have different uses:

wenn
- Used for repeated or general situations in the present, past, or future.
- Also used like “if”.
- Here: wenn ich mich entspannen will = when(ever)/if I want to relax (a general condition or habit).
wann
- Used to ask about time: Wann kommst du? – When are you coming?
- Or in indirect questions: Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt.
als
- Used for one specific event in the past:
  Als ich jung war, habe ich viel gelesen. – When I was young, I read a lot.

In our sentence, we talk about a general, repeated situation, so wenn is the correct choice.

Where does oft normally go? Could I say Ich lese einen Krimi oft abends?

Oft means “often” and is an adverb of frequency.

Natural options include:

Abends lese ich oft einen Krimi.
Ich lese abends oft einen Krimi.
Ich lese oft abends einen Krimi. (possible, but slightly less common order)

The most idiomatic choices are usually:

time (abends) before manner/frequency (oft)
→ Ich lese abends oft einen Krimi.

The version Ich lese einen Krimi oft abends is not wrong, but it sounds less natural and slightly marked. It also shifts emphasis more oddly onto einen Krimi.

Why is there a comma before wenn? Is that optional?

In German, commas before most subordinate clauses are mandatory, not optional.

wenn ich mich entspannen will is a subordinate clause introduced by wenn.
Therefore, you must write a comma before it:
- … einen Krimi, wenn ich mich entspannen will.

You can also reverse the order:

Wenn ich mich entspannen will, lese ich abends oft einen Krimi.

In both orders, the comma is required to mark the start of the wenn-clause.

Why is there no zu before entspannen (why not zu entspannen)?

In German, with modal verbs (like wollen, können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, mögen), you use a bare infinitive—no zu:

ich will schlafen (not ✗ ich will zu schlafen)
ich kann lesen
ich muss arbeiten

So:

ich will mich entspannen (no zu)
In the clause: wenn ich mich entspannen will

You only see zu entspannen in other constructions, e.g.:

um mich zu entspannen – in order to relax
Ich versuche, mich zu entspannen. – I try to relax.

Could you say wenn ich entspannen will without mich, and would it still be correct?

You can hear both in everyday speech:

wenn ich mich entspannen will – standard, reflexive usage
wenn ich entspannen will – also used, understood, and not unusual

However:

sich entspannen is typically reflexive in the sense of to relax (oneself), to unwind.
Including mich sounds a bit more natural and complete to many native speakers, especially in standard written German.

So:

Best choice in careful German: wenn ich mich entspannen will.
Dropping mich is possible but slightly more colloquial or condensed.