Learn Hardcore German: Beim Abendessen reden wir über das Neue im Büro und das Alte aus unserer Kindheit. - At dinner we talk about what is new at the office and the old things from our childhood.

German main clauses normally have the verb in second position (V2 rule). You can put something other than the subject in the first position to emphasize it, and then the verb must come next.

Wir reden beim Abendessen über ...
→ Subject (wir) is first; verb (reden) is second.
Beim Abendessen reden wir über ...
→ The time/expression (Beim Abendessen) is first; verb (reden) stays second; the subject (wir) moves after the verb.

Both are correct. Starting with Beim Abendessen emphasizes when these conversations happen.

What exactly does Beim Abendessen mean, and why bei?

Beim Abendessen literally comes from bei dem Abendessen:

bei = “at, by, during (the activity of)”
dem = dative singular article (because bei takes the dative)
Abendessen = dinner/supper

So bei + dem → beim.

Here bei means “during / while we are having dinner” or “at dinner time”.

You could also say:

Beim Abendessen – at/during dinner (very common)
Während des Abendessens – during the dinner (a bit more formal)
Zum Abendessen – for dinner (focus more on the occasion or what’s served)

In everyday speech, beim Abendessen is the most natural for “while we’re eating dinner”.

Why is Abendessen capitalized?

Abendessen is a noun, so it must be capitalized in German.

It is a compound noun:

Abend (evening) + Essen (eating/meal) → Abendessen (evening meal, dinner).

Any time you use it as a noun (the meal itself), it’s written with a capital A:

Das Abendessen ist fertig. – Dinner is ready.
Beim Abendessen reden wir ... – At dinner we talk ...

What is the difference between reden and sprechen here?

Both reden and sprechen can mean “to talk / to speak,” but their usage and feel differ slightly:

reden (über + Akk.)
- More like “to chat / to talk” (often informal, conversational).
- Beim Abendessen reden wir über ... – sounds natural and informal.
sprechen (über + Akk.)
- Slightly more neutral or formal; also often used with languages (Ich spreche Deutsch).
- Beim Abendessen sprechen wir über ... – also correct, just a bit more neutral.

In this context, reden suggests casual conversation at the dinner table, which fits well.

Why is it reden wir über das Neue and not reden wir von dem Neuen?

Both über and von can translate as “about,” but:

über + Akkusativ is the usual choice for talking about topics.
von + Dativ can sound a bit more like “of / from,” and often appears in fixed expressions.

Here, reden über is the standard collocation:

Wir reden über das Neue im Büro. – We talk about the new things at the office.

You could say von dem Neuen, but it would sound unusual or marked here. For “talk about X”, prefer über X reden/sprechen.

Why is it über das Neue and über das Alte with das and capital letters?

Here, Neue and Alte are adjectives used as nouns (called substantivierte Adjektive). That’s why:

They are capitalized: das Neue, das Alte.
They have a noun’s article: das.

Meaning-wise:

das Neue (im Büro) – “the new (stuff/things/news) at the office”
das Alte (aus unserer Kindheit) – “the old (stuff/memories/things) from our childhood”

German often uses neuter das + adjective to talk about abstract or general “things”:

das Gute – the good (things)
das Schlechte – the bad (things)
das Wichtige – the important (stuff)

So das Neue and das Alte are “the new things” and “the old things/memories” in a compact way.

Why specifically neuter das Neue / das Alte? Could it be die Neuen / die Alten?

Yes, you can say die Neuen or die Alten, but the meaning shifts:

das Neue (singular, neuter)
→ Refers to “whatever is new” as an abstract mass or general category (“the new stuff”).
die Neuen (plural)
→ Refers to specific people or items that are new. For example:
- die neuen Kollegen → die Neuen (“the new ones” – the new colleagues).

In the sentence:

über das Neue im Büro = about new developments/news/things in general at the office.
über die Neuen im Büro would sound like you’re talking about new colleagues or new people at the office.

So das Neue / das Alte is chosen because the speaker means “new things” vs. “old things/memories” in a general sense, not specific people.

Why does über take the Akkusativ here (das Neue, das Alte)?

The preposition über can take either accusative or dative, depending on meaning:

über + Akkusativ = about a topic, or movement across/over something.
- Wir reden über das Neue. – We talk about the new things.
- Er springt über den Zaun. – He jumps over the fence.
über + Dativ = static location above something (less common in everyday speech).
- Die Lampe hängt über dem Tisch. – The lamp hangs above the table.

In reden wir über das Neue ... und das Alte ..., über clearly means “about (a topic)”, so it requires Akkusativ: das Neue, das Alte.

Why is it im Büro? What is im?

im is the contraction of in dem:

in
- dem (dative singular) → im

The preposition in can take:

Dative for location (“in a place” – no movement).
Accusative for direction (“into a place” – with movement).

Here, it’s a static location (where something is new):

das Neue im Büro = the new things in the office (not moving into it)

So Büro is dative singular neutral: dem Büro → im Büro.

What does aus unserer Kindheit mean, and why aus with this case?

aus unserer Kindheit literally is:

aus = from, out of (takes dative)
unserer = “our” in dative feminine singular
Kindheit = childhood (feminine noun)

So aus unserer Kindheit = “from our childhood”.

It’s used metaphorically here: das Alte aus unserer Kindheit = “the old (things/memories) from our childhood”.

Because aus always takes the dative, Kindheit (feminine, singular) must be dative: der Kindheit. The possessive unser- also shows dative feminine singular: unserer.

Why is it unserer Kindheit and not unsere Kindheit?

The form of unser- depends on case, gender, and number of the noun.

Kindheit is:
- feminine
- singular
- here in the dative case (because of aus)

The dative singular feminine definite article would be der:

aus der Kindheit – from (the) childhood

So with unser-, the correct dative feminine singular ending is -er:

aus unserer Kindheit

Compare:

unsere Kindheit – nominative/accusative feminine singular
(e.g. Unsere Kindheit war schön. – Our childhood was nice.)
aus unserer Kindheit – dative feminine singular
(because of aus)

Could the sentence also be Beim Abendessen sprechen wir über Neues im Büro und Altes aus unserer Kindheit, without das?

Yes, that is also possible and idiomatic:

über Neues im Büro und Altes aus unserer Kindheit

Here Neues and Altes are still substantivized adjectives (so they stay capitalized), but without the article das.

Nuance:

über das Neue / das Alte
→ Slightly more definite (“the new things”, “the old things”), perhaps pointing to concrete, known sets of topics.
über Neues / Altes
→ Slightly more indefinite (“new stuff”, “old stuff”), more like an unspecified category.

Both versions are grammatically fine. The original with das Neue / das Alte sounds just a bit more “packaged” and definite.