Learn Hardcore German: Die Spielerin sitzt nach dem Spiel müde im Garten. - The player sits tired in the garden after the game.

Spielerin is grammatically feminine.
In this sentence, Die Spielerin is the subject, so it’s in the nominative case.
The nominative singular article for feminine nouns is die.

So the correct form is:

die Spielerin (feminine nominative singular)

Der Spielerin would be feminine dative or genitive, and das is neuter nominative/accusative, so both are wrong here.

Why is the verb sitzt in the second position? Could it be somewhere else?

In a main clause in German, the finite verb must be in second position (the “V2 rule”).

Here, the order is:

Die Spielerin (subject – first position)
sitzt (finite verb – second position)
nach dem Spiel müde im Garten (the rest of the information)

You can move other elements to the front, but the verb still stays second. For example:

Nach dem Spiel sitzt die Spielerin müde im Garten.
(Now Nach dem Spiel is first, sitzt is still second.)
Im Garten sitzt die Spielerin nach dem Spiel müde.
(Now Im Garten is first, sitzt is still second.)

What you cannot do is move sitzt away from second position in a main clause, like:
✗ Die Spielerin nach dem Spiel müde im Garten sitzt. (wrong word order in a main clause)

Why is it nach dem Spiel and not nach das Spiel?

Because the preposition nach always takes the dative case (when it means after in time or to with countries/cities).

The noun Spiel is neuter.
The neuter article in the dative singular is dem, not das.

So the forms are:

Nominative: das Spiel
Accusative: das Spiel
Dative: dem Spiel

Since nach needs the dative, you must say nach dem Spiel, not nach das Spiel.

What exactly does nach mean here, and how is it different from nachdem?

In this sentence, nach is a preposition meaning after (in time):

nach dem Spiel = after the game

As a preposition, nach is followed by a noun in the dative:

nach dem Essen (after the meal)
nach der Arbeit (after work)

Nachdem, on the other hand, is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a clause:

Nachdem das Spiel zu Ende ist, sitzt die Spielerin im Garten.
“After the game is over, the player sits in the garden.”

So:

nach + dative noun → nach dem Spiel
nachdem + clause → Nachdem das Spiel zu Ende ist …

What is im in im Garten? Why not just in dem Garten?

im is a contraction of in dem:

in (preposition) + dem (dative article) → im

Garten is a masculine noun.

Masculine dative singular article = dem
So in dem Garten is fully correct
In everyday German, it’s almost always im Garten

Other common contractions like this:

an dem → am (e.g. am Tisch)
zu dem → zum (e.g. zum Arzt)
zu der → zur (e.g. zur Schule)

Why is Garten in the dative case in im Garten?

Because im = in dem, and the preposition in can take dative or accusative depending on meaning:

Accusative → movement into something
- Sie geht in den Garten. (She goes into the garden.)
Dative → location in something (no movement)
- Sie sitzt im Garten. (She is sitting in the garden.)

In this sentence, the player is just located in the garden (she’s not moving into it), so in takes the dative: im Garten.

Why does müde not have an ending (like müde or müden) here?

German adjectives behave differently depending on how they are used:

Attributive adjective (directly before a noun) → it takes an ending:
- die müde Spielerin (the tired player)
- ein müdes Kind (a tired child)
- mit einem müden Kind (with a tired child)
Predicative adjective (after a verb like sein, werden, bleiben or verbs of position like sitzen, stehen, liegen) → no ending:
- Die Spielerin ist müde. (The player is tired.)
- Die Spielerin sitzt müde im Garten. (The player sits [is sitting] tired in the garden.)

In Die Spielerin sitzt müde im Garten,

müde describes the state of the subject (the player), not a noun right in front of it, so it’s a predicative adjective and takes no ending.

Is müde an adjective or an adverb here?

Grammatically, müde is an adjective, but German adjectives can often function like adverbs without changing form.

In English you might think of:

adjective: “tired”
adverb: “tiredly” (rarely used)

In German:

attributive: eine müde Spielerin (a tired player)
predicative: Die Spielerin ist müde. (The player is tired.)
used in a way that feels adverbial in English: Die Spielerin sitzt müde im Garten.
(literally: “The player sits tired in the garden”; English: “The player is sitting in the garden, tired.”)

So: it’s formally an adjective, but used to describe how / in what state she is sitting.

What is the difference between sitzen, setzen, and sich setzen?

These three often confuse learners:

sitzen – to sit, to be in a sitting position (no movement)
- Die Spielerin sitzt im Garten.
  The player is sitting in the garden.
setzen – to set/put something (you place something/someone)
- Ich setze die Tasse auf den Tisch.
  I put the cup on the table.
sich setzen – to sit down, to move yourself into a sitting position
- Die Spielerin setzt sich in den Garten.
  The player sits down in the garden.

In the given sentence, sitzt describes a state, not the action of sitting down.

Why does German use simple present sitzt instead of something like “is sitting”?

German has no separate present progressive like English (“is sitting”, “is eating”).
The Präsens (simple present) covers both:

Die Spielerin sitzt im Garten.
→ can mean “The player sits in the garden” or “The player is sitting in the garden” (right now).

The context usually makes it clear whether it’s a general statement or a current, ongoing action.

Why are Spielerin, Spiel, and Garten capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized.

Spielerin (player) – noun
Spiel (game) – noun
Garten (garden) – noun

Function words like die, nach, dem, müde, im (in dem), sitzt are not capitalized because they are articles, prepositions, adjectives, or verbs, not nouns.

Can I change the order of nach dem Spiel, müde, and im Garten?

You have some flexibility, but some orders sound more natural than others.

Original:

Die Spielerin sitzt nach dem Spiel müde im Garten.

Also very natural:

Die Spielerin sitzt nach dem Spiel im Garten müde. (slightly unusual emphasis)
Nach dem Spiel sitzt die Spielerin müde im Garten. (focus on “after the game”)
Im Garten sitzt die Spielerin nach dem Spiel müde. (focus on “in the garden”)

Less natural / a bit awkward:

Die Spielerin sitzt müde nach dem Spiel im Garten.
(still understandable, but the flow is worse)

Key ideas:

The verb must stay in second position.
Time phrases (nach dem Spiel) often come early.
Adjectives like müde that describe the state of the subject usually stay close to the verb or near the subject, not too far away at the very end.