In meinem Tagesablauf steht, dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne.

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Questions & Answers about In meinem Tagesablauf steht, dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne.

Why is it in meinem Tagesablauf and not in meinen / in meine / in meiner Tagesablauf?

Tagesablauf is:

  • grammatical gender: masculine
  • singular: der Tagesablauf
  • case after in in this sentence: dative (because it’s a location, not movement)

For masculine singular in the dative, mein becomes meinem:

  • Nominative: mein Tagesablauf (my daily routine – subject)
  • Accusative: meinen Tagesablauf (object, with movement into it)
  • Dative: meinem Tagesablauf (location in/within it)

Here the idea is “in my daily routine (on my schedule)” as a state/location, so in + Dative → in meinem Tagesablauf.


Why does in take the dative case here? I thought it can take accusative too.

In is a two-way preposition in German. It can take either accusative or dative:

  • Accusative: movement into something
    • Ich gehe in den Park. – I’m going into the park.
  • Dative: location, being in something
    • Ich bin im Park. – I’m in the park.

In In meinem Tagesablauf steht ..., nothing is moving into the schedule. We’re talking about what is (located) in your schedule. That’s a static location, so dative is used: in meinem Tagesablauf.


What does steht mean here? Literally it’s “stands”, but that sounds strange in English.

Literally, stehen means to stand. But in certain contexts it’s used idiomatically to mean:

  • to be written,
  • to be printed,
  • to be stated / to say.

Examples:

  • In der Zeitung steht, dass es morgen regnet.
    → It says in the newspaper that it will rain tomorrow.
  • Auf dem Schild steht „Rauchen verboten“.
    → The sign says “No smoking”.

So in In meinem Tagesablauf steht, dass ..., a natural translation is:

  • In my daily schedule it says that I jog in the morning and learn German in the evening.
    or
  • My daily schedule says that I jog in the morning and study German in the evening.

Why does the sentence start with In meinem Tagesablauf? Could I say Es steht in meinem Tagesablauf, dass ... instead?

Yes, you can say:

  • Es steht in meinem Tagesablauf, dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne.

That’s also correct.

Starting with In meinem Tagesablauf is just a word-order choice for emphasis and style. In German main clauses, the finite verb must be in second position:

  • In meinem Tagesablauf – first position (the “Vorfeld”)
  • steht – second position (the verb)
  • dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne – everything else

So:

  • In meinem Tagesablauf steht, dass ... – emphasizes the schedule.
  • Es steht in meinem Tagesablauf, dass ... – more neutral; “es” is a dummy subject.

Both are grammatical; the difference is nuance and style, not correctness.


What is the grammatical subject of steht here?

There are two ways to analyze it:

  1. Extraposition with “es” (common school grammar view)

    • Full version: Es steht in meinem Tagesablauf, dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne.
    • Subject: es (dummy pronoun).
    • The dass-clause is then more like the “real content” of what stands there.
  2. The whole dass-clause as subject (more abstract view)

    • Dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne is then the subject, but it’s moved to the end (which German likes to do with long clauses).

In everyday learning terms, it’s enough to know:
The important information is in the dass-clause, and “steht” refers to that clause as the content of what is written/recorded.


Why is there a comma before dass?

In German, subordinate clauses (Nebensätze) are usually separated from the main clause by a comma.

  • In meinem Tagesablauf steht, – main clause
  • dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne. – subordinate clause introduced by dass

Rule:
When you use dass, you must put a comma before it:

  • Er sagt, dass er später kommt.
  • Ich hoffe, dass du Zeit hast.

So the comma is mandatory here: ... steht, dass ich ...


Why do the verbs go to the end in dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne?

Because dass introduces a subordinate clause. In German subordinate clauses:

  • the finite verb (conjugated verb) goes to the very end of the clause.

Inside the dass-clause:

  • dass – subordinator
  • ich – subject
  • morgens – adverb of time
  • jogge – verb at the end of first part
  • und – coordinator
  • abends Deutsch – time + object
  • lerne – verb at the very end of the whole clause

So the structure is:

dass + [subject + other stuff] + verb at the end

Compare:

  • Main clause: Ich jogge morgens.
  • Subordinate clause: ..., dass ich morgens jogge.

Why is it morgens and abends, and not am Morgen and am Abend?

Both options are possible, but they’re not identical in nuance.

  • morgens / abends are adverbs meaning:
    • morgens = in the mornings / in the morning (as a regular habit)
    • abends = in the evenings / in the evening (regularly)

They usually express a habitual, repeated action.

  • am Morgen / am Abend are more like “on that/this morning/evening” or at a more specific time-span, often more concrete.

In your sentence, you’re describing a daily routine, so morgens and abends fit very well because they sound regular and habitual:

  • dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne
    → that I (usually) jog in the morning and (usually) learn German in the evening.

Why is Deutsch capitalized here?

Deutsch is capitalized because in this sentence it is a noun meaning the German language:

  • Ich lerne Deutsch. – I’m learning (the language) German.

Capitalization rules:

  • As a language noun, Deutsch is capitalized.
  • As an adjective meaning “German” (relating to Germany), it is not capitalized:

    • deutsche Sprache – German language
    • deutsche Musik – German music
    • ein deutscher Lehrer – a German teacher

So:

  • Ich lerne Deutsch. (noun – language – capital D)
    versus
  • Ich lese deutsche Texte. (adjective – small d)

Why is it Deutsch lerne and not lerne Deutsch at the end?

Inside a dass-clause, the conjugated verb must be last. However, the order of the words before the verb is relatively flexible.

Both of these are correct:

  • ..., dass ich abends Deutsch lerne.
  • ..., dass ich abends lerne Deutsch. (grammatically possible but unusual; sounds marked or poetic)

In normal, neutral German:

  • Objects (like Deutsch) normally come before the final verb in a subordinate clause:
    • ..., dass ich abends Deutsch lerne.

So the pattern is:

dass + subject + adverbs/objects + finite verb at the end

The version in your sentence (abends Deutsch lerne) is the natural, standard word order.


Can I say dass ich morgens jogge und ich abends Deutsch lerne, repeating ich?

Yes, you can say:

  • ..., dass ich morgens jogge und ich abends Deutsch lerne.

This is grammatically correct. However:

  • In German, when the subject is the same on both sides of und, it is usually not repeated unless you want to emphasize a contrast or make the sentence very clear or dramatic.

Neutral, natural version:

  • dass ich morgens jogge und abends Deutsch lerne.

If you repeat ich, it sounds slightly more emphatic or heavy:

  • dass ich morgens jogge und ich abends Deutsch lerne
    → something like: “that I jog in the morning and I (specifically) learn German in the evening”.

Why is the present tense (jogge, lerne) used to describe a routine? Could I use another tense?

In German, the present tense (Präsens) is used very often for:

  • current states
  • future arrangements
  • habits and routines

So:

  • Ich jogge morgens. → I (normally) jog in the morning.
  • Ich lerne abends Deutsch. → I (normally) study German in the evening.

You don’t need a special “habitual” tense; the simple present covers that.

You could say something like:

  • Ich werde morgen früh joggen. – I will jog tomorrow morning. (specific future)

But for a general daily routine, the present tense is exactly what German normally uses. That’s why jogge and lerne are in the present here.


What exactly does Tagesablauf mean, and how is it different from words like Routine or Alltag?

Tagesablauf is a compound:

  • Tag – day
  • Ablauf – course, sequence, process

So Tagesablauf literally means the course/sequence of a day. It usually refers to a structured daily schedule or routine, often in order:

  • Mein Tagesablauf – my (typical) daily routine / schedule
  • der Tagesablauf im Kindergarten – the daily schedule in kindergarten

Related words:

  • Routine

    • Often similar in meaning, but a bit more abstract: your regular habits/procedures.
    • Meine Routine – my routine (not necessarily ordered hour by hour).
  • Alltag

    • Literally: everyday life, daily life
    • Mein Alltag – my everyday life (including work, chores, etc.), not just the timetable.

In your sentence, Tagesablauf fits well because you’re talking about specific activities that are planned in your daily schedule.