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Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.

Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.
In the evenings I write new words down in my vocabulary notebook.
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Questions & Answers about Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.

Why does the sentence start with Abends and not with ich?

German main clauses normally put the conjugated verb in second position (the “V2 rule”). Only one element can be in the first position, and it doesn’t have to be the subject.

In your sentence:

  • Abends – first element (a time adverb: “in the evenings”)
  • schreibe – second element (the finite verb)
  • ich – third element (the subject)

So Abends schreibe ich … is perfectly normal German word order and is often used to emphasize the time (“In the evenings, I write …”).

You could also say:

  • Ich schreibe abends neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.

Here ich is first, but the important rule still holds: schreibe is second.

Is Abends a noun here? Why is it capitalized?

No, in this sentence Abends is not a noun. It is the adverb abends (“in the evenings”), which is normally written with a small a:

  • abends – in the evenings, every evening (habitually)

It is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence. Any word at the start of a German sentence is written with a capital letter, even if it’s not a noun.

Compare:

  • Abends schreibe ich … – at the beginning of the sentence
  • Ich schreibe abends neue Wörter auf. – in the middle of the sentence, now you see the normal lowercase abends.

So: form = abends (adverb), capitalization here = position, not grammar.

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

All three can be translated as “in the evening(s)”, but they feel slightly different:

  • abends

    • Adverb meaning “in the evenings, as a habit / usually in the evening”.
    • Strongly suggests a regular, repeated action.
    • Abends lese ich ein Buch. – In the evenings, I (usually) read a book.

  • am Abend

    • Literally “on the evening / in the evening”.
    • Can be used for a specific evening or more generally.
    • Am Abend esse ich nicht mehr viel. – In the evening I don’t eat much (could be general, but not as clearly habitual as abends).
    • Am Abend des 3. Mai ... – On the evening of May 3rd (clearly specific).

  • jeden Abend

    • Means “every evening” – it’s very explicit about frequency.
    • Jeden Abend schreibe ich neue Wörter auf. – Every evening I write down new words.

In your sentence, Abends neatly expresses a habit without sounding as rigid as “every single evening.”

Why is schreibe before ich? In English we say “I write …”, not “write I …”.

German and English differ here:

  • English has subject–verb–object word order (SVO):
    I write new words in my vocabulary notebook.

  • German main clauses have verb in second position (V2), regardless of what is in first position.

In Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf:

  1. Abends – counts as position 1
  2. schreibe – the conjugated verb must be here (position 2)
  3. ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf – everything else follows

If you start with ich, the pattern is:

  • Ich schreibe abends neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.

Still: schreibe is the second element. That’s the main rule to remember:
> In a normal statement in German, the finite verb is always the second element.

What is going on with auf at the end? Why is it separated from schreibe?

This is because aufschreiben is a separable verb (trennbares Verb).

  • Base (dictionary) form: aufschreiben – “to write down”
  • Prefix: auf- (separable)
  • Stem: schreiben

In a main clause in the present or simple past, separable prefixes move to the end of the clause:

  • Ich schreibe die neuen Wörter auf. – I write the new words down.
  • Gestern schrieb ich die neuen Wörter auf. – Yesterday I wrote the new words down.

Other forms:

  • Infinitive: aufschreiben (together) – Ich will die Wörter aufschreiben.
  • Perfect participle: aufgeschrieben – Ich habe die Wörter aufgeschrieben.

So in your sentence:

  • Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.
    • schreibe = verb in second position
    • auf = separable prefix at the very end

You must not put anything after auf in this clause; it’s the last piece.

Could I just say schreibe without auf? What is the difference between schreiben and aufschreiben?

You can say schreiben, but it’s slightly different:

  • schreiben = to write (in general)

    • Ich schreibe einen Brief. – I am writing a letter.
    • Ich schreibe neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft. – I write new words in my notebook. (grammatically OK, focuses more on the act of writing them in there)

  • aufschreiben = to write down (note, record) something, typically into a list, notebook, etc.

    • Ich schreibe neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf. – I write new words down in my vocabulary notebook.

In practice:

  • aufschreiben stresses making a written record (so you remember/collect them).
  • Simple schreiben is broader and doesn’t carry that specific “write down / note” meaning as strongly.

Your original sentence with aufschreiben is exactly what you’d say for “writing new vocabulary down in a notebook.”

Why is it in mein Wörterheft and not in meinem Wörterheft?

The key is the preposition in, which is a two-way preposition (Wechselpräposition). It can take either:

  • dative – when describing location (where something is)
  • accusative – when describing direction / movement into a place

In your sentence:

  • in mein Wörterheft – accusative (direction: the words go into the notebook)
  • You’re describing where you’re putting the words, not just where they already are.

Compare:

  • Ich schreibe neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft.
    (accusative: the action puts them into the notebook.)

vs.

  • Die neuen Wörter stehen in meinem Wörterheft.
    (dative: the words are already in the notebook; no movement.)

Forms of mein for Wörterheft (das Heft, neuter):

  • Nominative neuter: mein Wörterheft
  • Accusative neuter: mein Wörterheft (same form)
  • Dative neuter: meinem Wörterheft

So here, because it’s movement into something, we use accusative, and therefore mein, not meinem.

Why is it mein Wörterheft and not meine Wörterheft?

Because Wörterheft is neuter, not feminine.

  • das Heft – the notebook (neuter)
  • das Wörterheft – the vocabulary notebook (still neuter)

The possessive mein- changes with gender, number, and case. In nominative/accusative singular:

  • Masculine: mein (nom.), meinen (acc.)
  • Feminine: meine (nom. & acc.)
  • Neuter: mein (nom. & acc.)
  • Plural: meine (nom. & acc.)

Since Wörterheft is neuter singular in the accusative, you use mein Wörterheft.

If the noun were feminine, you would see meine:

  • meine Tasche (my bag, fem.)
  • Ich lege das Buch in meine Tasche. – I put the book into my bag.
Why is it neue Wörter and not neuen Wörter or neue Wörtern?

Two things are relevant: case and article/possessive.

  1. Case

    • neue Wörter is the direct object of the verb schreibe.
    • So it’s in the accusative plural.

  2. No article in front

    • There is no article (no die, no meine, etc.).
    • When there is no article before a plural noun in nominative or accusative, the adjective typically ends in -e.

So:

  • Ich schreibe neue Wörter auf. – accusative plural, no article → neue
  • Neue Wörter sind schwierig. – nominative plural, no article → neue

If we add a determiner, the ending changes:

  • Ich schreibe die neuen Wörter auf.
    (now we have die, so the adjective gets -en in the accusative plural.)
  • Ich schreibe meine neuen Wörter auf. (also -en)

And with a different case you’d see other forms:

  • mit neuen Wörtern – dative plural (hence -en)

In your sentence, we have:
> accusative plural, no article → neue Wörter is the correct form.

Why Wörter and not Worte?

The noun das Wort has two plural forms with different uses:

  1. die Wörter

    • Used for separate, countable words as vocabulary items.
    • Ideal when you are literally listing or learning words.
    • neue Wörter lernen – to learn new words (as items).
    • ein Wörterbuch – a dictionary (“book of words”).

  2. die Worte

    • Used when “words” are seen as a connected utterance or statement (things said as a whole).
    • seine letzten Worte – his last words.
    • ein paar freundliche Worte – a few kind words.
    • Mit diesen Worten verließ er den Raum. – With these words he left the room.

Since you’re talking about vocabulary you write in a notebook, you need the “separate words” meaning → Wörter.

Can I change the word order, for example say Ich schreibe abends neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf?

Yes. Several variations are possible and correct, as long as:

  1. The finite verb stays in second position, and
  2. The separable prefix auf stays at the very end of the clause.

Some natural variants:

  • Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.
  • Ich schreibe abends neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.
  • Neue Wörter schreibe ich abends in mein Wörterheft auf. (emphasizes “new words”)
  • In mein Wörterheft schreibe ich abends neue Wörter auf. (emphasizes the notebook)

What you can’t do (sounds wrong):

  • ✗ Abends schreibe ich auf neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft.
    (auf must be at the end)
  • ✗ Abends ich schreibe neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf.
    (verb must be second)

So your suggestion Ich schreibe abends neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf is completely correct and very natural sounding.

Why is the present tense schreibe used to express a habitual action? Could I use a future tense instead?

German uses the present tense (Präsens) very often, including for:

  • Actions happening now
  • Habits and routines
  • Planned / scheduled future actions

In Abends schreibe ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft auf, the present tense schreibe covers the meaning:

  • “In the evenings, I write (I usually write / I’m in the habit of writing) new words in my vocabulary notebook.”

You do not need a special tense for habits. The adverb abends already indicates regularity, so Präsens is enough.

The future tense ich werde schreiben is used much less often than English “will write” and usually when you want to:

  • Emphasize the future aspect strongly, or
  • Make a prediction.

For example:

  • Morgen Abend werde ich neue Wörter in mein Wörterheft aufschreiben.
    – Tomorrow evening I will write new words down (clear future focus).

For a general habit, Präsens + a time expression like abends is the normal, idiomatic choice.