Learn Hardcore German: Heute gehe ich zu Maria nach Hause.

In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in second position. The first position can be the subject or some other element (time, place, etc.).

Heute gehe ich zu Maria nach Hause. – time element first, verb second
Ich gehe heute zu Maria nach Hause. – subject first, verb second

Both are correct and mean the same thing. Starting with Heute puts a bit more emphasis on today. Starting with Ich is more neutral.

You normally wouldn’t put heute right at the end (Ich gehe zu Maria nach Hause heute) unless you want a special, slightly marked emphasis.

Why is gehe used? Would fahre or komme also work?

Gehen literally means to go (on foot), but in everyday speech it’s often used more generally, like English go, especially for relatively short distances.

Ich gehe zu Maria nach Hause. – I’m going (probably walking) to Maria’s place.
Ich fahre zu Maria nach Hause. – I’m going to Maria’s place by vehicle (car, bus, train, etc.).
Ich komme zu Maria nach Hause. – I’m coming to Maria’s place (focus on coming towards her or towards where the listener is/will be).

All can be correct, but gehen is the default if you don’t care about the means of transport.

Why are there two prepositions, zu Maria and nach Hause? Isn’t that redundant?

They each do a different job:

zu Maria – indicates the person you’re going to (to Maria).
nach Hause – indicates the type of destination (home).

Together, zu Maria nach Hause is best understood as “to Maria’s home / to Maria’s place”.

Compare:

Ich gehe zu Maria. – I’m going to Maria (wherever she is: at work, at a café, at home…).
Ich gehe nach Hause. – I’m going home (to my own home).
Ich gehe zu Maria nach Hause. – I’m going to Maria’s home specifically.

So the two prepositions are not redundant; they combine to give a more precise meaning.

Could I say Ich gehe nach Maria nach Hause or Ich gehe nach Maria instead?

No, not in this meaning.

nach is normally used for countries, cities, directions or nach Hause:
- nach Berlin, nach Deutschland, nach Norden, nach Hause
zu is used with people and many specific places:
- zu Maria, zum Arzt, zur Schule

So:

Ich gehe nach Maria. – wrong in standard German for I go to Maria.
Ich gehe nach Maria nach Hause. – also wrong; zu is needed before Maria.

The natural combination is zu Maria nach Hause.

Why is it Hause and not Haus? What is that extra -e?

Hause is an old dative form of Haus. Historically, many nouns had a dative ending -e, but this has mostly disappeared in modern German.

It survives in a few set expressions, especially:

zu Hause – at home
nach Hause – (going) home
von Hause aus – by background / originally

Outside these fixed phrases, you normally just use Haus (e.g. im Haus, ins Haus). So Hause here is part of a frozen expression, not a productive form you apply to other nouns.

What case is Maria in, and why doesn’t the form of Maria change?

The preposition zu always takes the dative case.

So grammatically, Maria is in the dative: zu Maria = to Maria (dative).

However, most modern first names in German don’t change form across cases. The case is shown by the preposition (here zu) and by articles or endings, if there are any. Since it’s just the bare name, you don’t see any change.

What’s the difference between nach Hause and zu Hause?

They contrast movement vs location:

nach Hause – movement towards home:
- Ich gehe nach Hause. – I’m going home.
zu Hause – being at home:
- Ich bin zu Hause. – I’m at home.

So in your sentence, there is movement (you are going), so it has to be nach Hause, not zu Hause.

Could I say Ich gehe zu Marias Haus instead of zu Maria nach Hause?

You can say Ich gehe zu Marias Haus, but it sounds more formal or spatial, like you’re talking about the building as an object (Maria’s house as a physical structure).

Ich gehe zu Maria nach Hause is the everyday, idiomatic way to say:

I’m going over to Maria’s place / to Maria’s home.

It focuses on going to where she lives, not on the building as a neutral object. In normal conversation about visiting someone, zu Maria nach Hause is what people say.

Why is ich not capitalized, while English I is always capitalized?

In German:

Only the first word of the sentence, nouns, and names are capitalized (plus some other special cases).
Personal pronouns like ich, du, er, sie are not capitalized in the middle of a sentence.

So in your sentence:

Heute – capitalized because it’s the first word.
ich – lowercase, it’s a pronoun in the middle of the sentence.
Maria – capitalized because it’s a name.
Hause – capitalized because it’s a noun.

Is the word order zu Maria nach Hause fixed, or can I say nach Hause zu Maria?

The natural, idiomatic order is zu Maria nach Hause.

zu Maria nach Hause – normal: to Maria’s home / to Maria’s place.
nach Hause zu Maria – would sound odd or at least strongly marked; native speakers generally don’t say it that way.

Rule of thumb: in this expression, the “person” part (zu Maria) comes first and “home” (nach Hause) comes directly after it.

The verb gehe is present tense. How can it also mean I am going (later today), like a future meaning?

German often uses the present tense for near future actions, especially when there is a time expression like heute:

Heute gehe ich zu Maria nach Hause. – Today I’m going to Maria’s place.

This is similar to English I’m going (present continuous). You can also use a future form:

Heute werde ich zu Maria nach Hause gehen.

That is grammatically fine but often sounds more formal or more deliberate. In everyday speech, the simple present with a time word is more common.

Are there other places where I can put heute in this sentence?

Yes, several positions are possible and common, all with the same basic meaning:

Heute gehe ich zu Maria nach Hause. – emphasis on today.
Ich gehe heute zu Maria nach Hause. – very natural, neutral.
Ich gehe zu Maria heute nach Hause. – unusual and a bit clumsy; native speakers rarely use this.

The main thing is: the finite verb (gehe) must stay in second position. You can move heute around as long as you respect that rule and keep the sentence natural.

How do you pronounce gehe and Hause? Is the final -e audible?

In standard German:

gehe: geh-e
- geh like gay but with a shorter vowel, then a small -uh sound at the end.
- The -e is usually pronounced, though in fast speech it can be very weak.
Hause: Haus-e
- Haus like house in English.
- Again, a short -uh sound for the final -e, often weakened in casual speech.

So both -e endings are there, but they may be quite reduced and soft in rapid, informal speech.

Can I drop nach Hause and just say Heute gehe ich zu Maria?

Yes, you can:

Heute gehe ich zu Maria.

This simply means Today I’m going to Maria (where she is). It does not specifically say that you are going to her home. She could be at work, at a café, in the park, etc.

Heute gehe ich zu Maria nach Hause. makes it clear: you are going to her home / place.