Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.

At the weekend we visit the riding stable.

Breakdown of Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.

• wir: we
• das Wochenende: the weekend
• besuchen: to visit
• den: the; (masculine, accusative)
• am: at
• der Reiterhof: the riding stable

Questions & Answers about Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.

Why is it am Wochenende and not im Wochenende or an Wochenende?

In German, certain time expressions use specific prepositions:

• an is used for days and parts of days:
  am Montag, am Abend, am Wochenende
• in is used for longer periods like months, seasons, years:
  im Januar, im Sommer, im Jahr 2025

So for weekend, German treats it like a day/point in time, so you say an dem Wochenende, which contracts to am Wochenende.

An Wochenende without the article is wrong in standard German.
Im Wochenende sounds wrong to native speakers; it suggests being “inside” the weekend, which is not the usual idiom.

What exactly is am in am Wochenende?

Am is a contraction of the preposition an + the definite article dem (dative singular).

• an (on/at) + dem (the, dative neuter) → am

Because Wochenende is neuter (das Wochenende) and time expressions with an use the dative:

• an dem Wochenende → am Wochenende

Why is the word order Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof and not Am Wochenende wir besuchen den Reiterhof?

German main clauses follow the verb‑second (V2) rule:

1. One element in the first position (here: Am Wochenende, a time phrase)
2. The conjugated verb in the second position (here: besuchen)
3. The subject and the rest after that (here: wir den Reiterhof)

So:

• Am Wochenende – first position (time)
• besuchen – second position (conjugated verb)
• wir den Reiterhof – rest of the sentence

Am Wochenende wir besuchen… breaks the V2 rule and is ungrammatical in standard German.

Can I also say Wir besuchen am Wochenende den Reiterhof? Is there a difference?

Yes, that sentence is also perfectly correct:

• Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.
• Wir besuchen am Wochenende den Reiterhof.

Both mean the same thing. The difference is in emphasis:

• Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.
  Emphasis on when: the weekend is highlighted (e.g. as contrast to weekdays).
• Wir besuchen am Wochenende den Reiterhof.
  More neutral word order; subject wir in first position, normal everyday style.

German allows relatively flexible word order, as long as the conjugated verb stays in second position.

Why is it den Reiterhof and not der Reiterhof or dem Reiterhof?

Because den Reiterhof is the direct object of the verb besuchen, so it must be in the accusative case.

• The subject (we) is wir → nominative.
• The thing being visited is der Reiterhof → accusative.

Masculine singular definite article:

• Nominative: der Reiterhof (subject)
• Accusative: den Reiterhof (direct object)
• Dative: dem Reiterhof

In this sentence:

• wir = subject (nominative)
• den Reiterhof = direct object (accusative) → therefore den, not der or dem.

Why is there no preposition before Reiterhof? Why not zu dem Reiterhof?

The verb besuchen takes a direct object in the accusative, with no preposition:

• jemanden besuchen – to visit someone
• einen Ort besuchen – to visit a place

So you say:

• den Reiterhof besuchen – to visit the riding stable

If you said zu dem Reiterhof gehen, you would be using a different verb:

• zu dem Reiterhof gehen – to go to the riding stable

English uses visit and go to visit somewhat interchangeably, but in German the structure changes:

• Wir besuchen den Reiterhof. – We visit the riding stable.
• Wir gehen zum Reiterhof. – We go to the riding stable.

(zum = zu dem)

What does Reiterhof mean exactly, and what gender is it?

Reiterhof literally breaks down as:

• der Reiter – rider
• der Hof – yard / farm / courtyard

So der Reiterhof is:

• a riding stable
• a riding farm
• a place where horses are kept and people can ride, often with lessons, boarding, etc.

Grammar:

• Gender: masculine
• Article in nominative: der Reiterhof
• Plural: die Reiterhöfe

In the sentence you see it in the accusative:

• den Reiterhof – because it’s the direct object of besuchen.

What is the difference between besuchen and besichtigen or gehen zu?

These verbs all overlap with English visit, but they’re used differently:

1. besuchen

   • Most general “to visit” (people or places).
   • No preposition; takes accusative direct object.
   • Wir besuchen den Reiterhof. – We visit the riding stable.
   • Ich besuche meine Freunde. – I visit my friends.

2. besichtigen

   • More like “to tour / to look around / to sightsee”.
   • Often for tourist attractions, buildings, cities.
   • Wir besichtigen das Schloss. – We tour the castle.

3. gehen zu / fahren zu

   • Literally “go to / drive to”.
   • Emphasises the movement, not the act of visiting.
   • Wir gehen zum Reiterhof. – We go to the riding stable.
   • Wir fahren zum Reiterhof. – We drive to the riding stable.

So in your sentence, besuchen focuses on the visit itself, not on the journey there.

How would I say “We don’t visit the riding stable on the weekend.”? Where does nicht go?

The neutral negation of the whole action is:

• Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof nicht.

Here nicht comes near the end and negates the verb phrase besuchen wir den Reiterhof as a whole.

You can change the nuance by moving nicht:

• Am Wochenende besuchen wir nicht den Reiterhof, sondern den Zoo.
  → We don’t visit the riding stable, but the zoo.
  (Here nicht specifically negates den Reiterhof, contrasting it with something else.)

Does am Wochenende mean “this weekend” or “on weekends” in general?

Am Wochenende can mean both, depending on context:

1. This coming weekend / that particular weekend
   Often clear from context or from a time reference:

   • Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.
     → Usually understood as “this/that weekend” in a concrete plan.

2. On weekends (in general, repeatedly)
   When talking about habits:

   • Am Wochenende besuchen wir oft den Reiterhof.
     → On weekends we often visit the riding stable.

If you want to be very explicit:

• dieses Wochenende – this weekend
  Dieses Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.
• am Wochenende with an adverb of frequency (immer, oft, normalerweise) – on weekends in general
  Am Wochenende gehen wir normalerweise reiten.

Why are Wochenende and Reiterhof capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of where they appear in the sentence.

• das Wochenende – weekend
• der Reiterhof – riding stable

Even when they’re in the middle of a sentence, they stay capitalized:

• Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof.

Verbs (besuchen) and pronouns (wir) are not capitalized (except at the start of the sentence or in some formal writing conventions).

How is besuchen conjugated, and what form is it in here?

The infinitive is besuchen.

Present tense conjugation:

• ich besuche – I visit
• du besuchst – you visit (sg., informal)
• er/sie/es besucht – he/she/it visits
• wir besuchen – we visit
• ihr besucht – you visit (pl., informal)
• sie besuchen – they visit; you visit (formal Sie)

In the sentence Am Wochenende besuchen wir den Reiterhof, the form is wir besuchen – 1st person plural, present tense.