Learn Hardcore German: Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln.

German has a verb-second (V2) rule in main clauses: the conjugated verb almost always comes in the second position, no matter what comes first.

If the subject is first: Wir essen heute Abend Nudeln.
If a time expression is first: Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln.

Putting Heute Abend at the beginning just moves the subject wir behind the verb, but the verb essen still stays in the second position.

Is Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln different in meaning from Wir essen heute Abend Nudeln?

The basic meaning is the same: We’re eating pasta this evening.

The difference is emphasis and what sounds more natural in context:

Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln. – Emphasizes when: This evening (as opposed to another time), we’re eating pasta.
Wir essen heute Abend Nudeln. – Neutral; just saying what you’re doing and when.
Wir essen Nudeln heute Abend. – Possible, but sounds a bit more marked; it can emphasize Nudeln slightly or be used in contrast to another time or dish.

All are grammatically correct; context decides which sounds best.

Why can German use the present tense for the future here instead of something like werden essen?

In German, the present tense often covers the near future when there is a clear time expression:

Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln. = We’re going to eat pasta tonight.
Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. = I’m going to Berlin tomorrow.

You only need werden + infinitive (future tense) for emphasis, clarity, or more distant/uncertain events, e.g. Morgen werde ich viel arbeiten. In everyday speech, the simple present with a time word is very common and natural.

Why is there no article before Nudeln? Why not Wir essen die Nudeln or Wir essen Nudelnen?

In German, indefinite plural nouns normally do not take an article:

Wir essen Nudeln. – We’re eating (some) pasta.
Ich habe Bücher. – I have (some) books.

You would only say die Nudeln when referring to specific, known noodles, like Wir essen die Nudeln, die von gestern übrig sind. There is no form Nudelnen; Nudeln is already the plural.

How do I know that Nudeln is plural, and what is the singular form?

The singular is die Nudel (one noodle), and the plural is die Nudeln (noodles / pasta). Many feminine nouns form the plural with -n or -en, so Nudel → Nudeln is a common pattern.

In Wir essen Nudeln, you know it’s plural because:

it ends in -n, typical for plural;
it has no article, which usually means an indefinite plural in this position;
contextually, you rarely eat exactly one noodle.

Why is Nudeln capitalized? And why is Abend capitalized in Heute Abend?

German capitalizes all nouns, no matter where they appear in the sentence. Nudeln and Abend are both nouns, so they start with a capital letter.

Nudeln – a noun meaning pasta/noodles
Abend – a noun meaning evening

By contrast, heute is an adverb (today), so it’s written with a lowercase h: heute Abend.

Can I write heute abend with a lowercase a, or must it be heute Abend?

Standard modern German writes heute Abend (capital A) because Abend is a noun. So the normal, correct spelling is:

heute Abend – this evening

Older texts and some style guides once allowed heute abend, but this is now generally considered outdated or incorrect in standard writing. Stick with heute Abend.

Why is it Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln and not Heute Abend wir essen Nudeln?

German main clauses follow the verb-second rule: the conjugated verb must be in the second position.

First position: Heute Abend (a time expression)
Second position: essen (the conjugated verb)
Then: wir Nudeln

Heute Abend wir essen Nudeln breaks this rule, because the verb would be in the third position, which is incorrect in a normal main clause.

What case is Nudeln in here, and does that affect its form?

In Wir essen Nudeln, Nudeln is the direct object of essen, so it is in the accusative case.

For most plural nouns, the nominative and accusative plural forms are the same:

Nominative plural: Die Nudeln sind lecker.
Accusative plural: Wir essen (die) Nudeln.

So the case is accusative, but the form Nudeln doesn’t change compared to the nominative plural.

Is Heute Abend the same as heute Nacht or heute Nachmittag? How specific is it?

No, they refer to different parts of the day:

heute Nachmittag – this afternoon
heute Abend – this evening (roughly after late afternoon until night)
heute Nacht – tonight / during the night

So Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln means We’re eating pasta this evening, not this afternoon or during the night.

How is Abend pronounced? Is the b silent?

Abend is pronounced approximately like AH-bent in English:

A = long a like in father
b is pronounced, but it can sound a bit soft in running speech
e = a short e like in bed
nd = like English nd

In IPA: [ˈaːbənt] (in many accents). The b is not silent; you do hear it, though it’s not explosive like in English bat.

Could I also say Heute Abend werden wir Nudeln essen, and if so, what’s the difference?

Yes, Heute Abend werden wir Nudeln essen is grammatically correct and also means We will eat pasta this evening.

Differences:

Heute Abend essen wir Nudeln. – Simple, very common, especially in speech; present tense with future meaning.
Heute Abend werden wir Nudeln essen. – Slightly more formal or emphatic; can sound more planned or deliberate, similar to English will.

In everyday conversation, most people would just say the version with the present tense.