Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

At the weekend we set up the living room to be cozy.

Breakdown of Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

• wir: we
• gemütlich: cozy
• das Wochenende: the weekend
• das Wohnzimmer: the living room
• einrichten: to furnish

Questions & Answers about Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

What does am Wochenende mean exactly, and why is it am and not im or an dem?

Am Wochenende means “on the weekend”.

• am is a contraction of an dem.
  
  • an = on/at
  • dem = the (dative, masculine/neuter singular)
    → an dem → am

In time expressions:

• am is used for days and parts of days:
  
  • am Montag (on Monday)
  • am Abend (in the evening)
  • am Wochenende (on the weekend)

Using im Wochenende would be wrong here. im (in dem) is for months, seasons, and some longer periods:

• im Januar (in January)
• im Sommer (in summer)

So: am Wochenende, not im Wochenende.

Why does the sentence start with Am Wochenende and then have richten wir? Why not wir richten?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in the second position in the sentence.

The positions are counted as big chunks (phrases), not individual words. In your sentence:

1. Am Wochenende → this is one phrase (a time expression).
2. richten → the conjugated verb must come next.
3. wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein → the rest of the sentence.

So:

• Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein. ✅
• Am Wochenende wir richten das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein. ❌ (verb is not in second position)

If you start with wir, then wir is the first element and the verb comes second:

• Wir richten am Wochenende das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein. ✅

Why is ein at the very end of the sentence? What’s going on with richten … ein?

einrichten is a separable verb (trennbares Verb). It consists of:

• the base verb: richten
• the separable prefix: ein

In the present tense main clause, the conjugated part (richten) goes into second position, and the prefix (ein) goes to the very end of the clause:

• Wir richten das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.
• Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

Other examples:

• Ich rufe dich später an. (anrufen)
• Er steht früh auf. (aufstehen)

In forms like the perfect, the verb comes together again:

• Wir haben das Wohnzimmer gemütlich eingerichtet. (not eingrichtet)

What is the difference between richten and einrichten?

On its own, richten has meanings like:

• to direct, to aim:
  
  • Die Kamera ist auf die Bühne gerichtet. (The camera is directed at the stage.)
• to judge:
  
  • Gott wird über alle Menschen richten. (God will judge all people.)
• in reflexive form sich richten nach = to follow, to go by

But einrichten is a fixed verb meaning to furnish / to set up / to arrange (a room, apartment, office, etc.).

• Wir richten das Wohnzimmer ein.
  = We furnish/set up the living room.

So you wouldn’t say Wir richten das Wohnzimmer without ein, because that would be incomplete or confusing here. The meaning “furnish” belongs to the whole verb einrichten.

Why is it das Wohnzimmer and not dem Wohnzimmer or den Wohnzimmer?

Wohnzimmer is a neuter noun in German:

• singular: das Wohnzimmer
• plural: die Wohnzimmer

In the sentence, das Wohnzimmer is the direct object of the verb einrichten.

The verb einrichten takes an object in the accusative case:

• Wen oder was richten wir ein?
  → das Wohnzimmer (whom/what are we furnishing?)

Accusative forms of the definite article:

• masculine: den (den Tisch)
• feminine: die (die Lampe)
• neuter: das (das Wohnzimmer)
• plural: die (die Zimmer)

So here accusative neuter is das, which looks the same as nominative neuter.

Why is Wohnzimmer written as one word and capitalized?

In German:

1. All nouns are capitalized.
   So Wohnzimmer starts with a capital W.

2. German often forms compound nouns by joining words together:

   • Wohnzimmer = Wohn- (living) + Zimmer (room)
     → literally “living room”

Other examples:

• Schlafzimmer (sleep + room → bedroom)
• Kinderzimmer (children + room → children’s room)

Each compound noun is written as one word and capitalized as a noun: das Wohnzimmer.

What exactly is gemütlich here? Is it an adjective or an adverb?

gemütlich is an adjective in German, but in this sentence it’s used in an adverbial way, describing how the living room is being furnished.

German adjectives often have the same form when they describe:

• a noun directly:
  
  • ein gemütliches Wohnzimmer (a cozy living room – adjective with ending)
• a verb / action:
  
  • Wir richten das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.
    (We furnish the living room in a cozy way.)

In English you might use an adverb (“cosily”) or a result phrase (“so it becomes cozy”). German just uses the adjective form gemütlich without an ending after the verb.

Where can gemütlich go in the sentence? Is the word order fixed?

The original sentence:

• Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

Typical and natural variations:

• Wir richten am Wochenende das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.
• Wir richten das Wohnzimmer am Wochenende gemütlich ein.
• Wir richten das Wohnzimmer gemütlich am Wochenende ein. (possible, but sounds marked/unusual; you’d normally keep the time phrase earlier)

What usually stays fixed:

• The verb in 2nd position (richten) and the separable prefix (ein) at the end.
• gemütlich normally goes before the prefix ein and after the object:
  • … das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

Putting gemütlich somewhere else (e.g. at the very beginning) is possible but often sounds odd or very strongly emphasized:

• Gemütlich richten wir das Wohnzimmer ein. (strong emphasis on “cozily”, somewhat stylistic)

Can I also say Am Wochenende machen wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich? Is that the same?

Am Wochenende machen wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich. is grammatically correct and natural.

Nuance:

• einrichten focuses on furnishing / setting up / arranging furniture and decor:
  • buying/placing furniture, choosing curtains, arranging shelves, etc.
• gemütlich machen focuses on making it cozy, which could be:
  • decorating, adding cushions, lighting candles, tidying and making it feel comfortable

Often, these overlap. In many real situations either sentence could be used, but:

• If you’re moving into a new place and buying furniture:
  → Wir richten das Wohnzimmer ein.
• If the room already exists and you’re mainly improving the atmosphere:
  → Wir machen das Wohnzimmer gemütlich.

Why is Wochenende in the dative case after am?

The preposition an (→ am) can take either dative or accusative, depending on movement vs. location (the so-called “two-way prepositions”).

For time expressions, an almost always uses the dative:

• am Montag (on Monday)
• am Abend (in the evening)
• am Wochenende (on the weekend)

Dative for das Wochenende (neuter):

• nominative: das Wochenende
• dative: dem Wochenende
• contraction: an dem Wochenende → am Wochenende

So am Wochenende is an + dem in the dative case.

Could I say Am Wochenende wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich einrichten instead?

No. That word order is ungrammatical in standard German.

Two issues:

1. V2 rule: In a main clause, the finite verb must be in second position.

   • Your version: Am Wochenende wir … (the verb is missing from 2nd position)
   • Correct: Am Wochenende richten wir …

2. Separable verb position:

   • In the present tense main clause, einrichten splits:
     → richten goes to second position, ein goes to the very end.
   • Saying einrichten together at the end is okay only if:
     • it’s in an infinitive context (e.g. … will das Wohnzimmer gemütlich einrichten), or
     • in perfect/other non-splitting forms (e.g. … hat das Wohnzimmer gemütlich eingerichtet).

A correct present-tense main clause version with einrichten unsplit would need a modal verb, for example:

• Am Wochenende wollen wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich einrichten.

How would this sentence look in the past tense (Perfekt)?

In the Perfekt, separable verbs like einrichten are not split: the prefix stays attached to the participle.

Present:

• Am Wochenende richten wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich ein.

Perfekt:

• Am Wochenende haben wir das Wohnzimmer gemütlich eingerichtet.

Structure:

• auxiliary: haben (in 2nd position)
• past participle at the end: eingerichtet
• object and adverb in the middle: das Wohnzimmer gemütlich

So you go from richten … ein → haben … eingerichtet.

What exactly does gemütlich mean? Is it the same as comfortable?

gemütlich is a very “German” word and doesn’t have a perfect one-word equivalent in English. It combines ideas like:

• cozy
• warm and inviting
• comfortable in a homey, pleasant way
• relaxed atmosphere

For a room, gemütlich suggests:

• soft lighting, maybe warm colors
• comfortable seating
• a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere

It’s often translated as “cozy”, sometimes “snug” or “homey”.
Plain “comfortable” can be a bit more neutral; gemütlich always includes a warm, pleasant atmosphere feel.