Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.

On Sunday I would like to keep sleeping in the morning.

Breakdown of Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.

• ich: I
• der Sonntag: the Sunday
• möchten: would like to
• morgens: in the morning
• am: on
• weiterschlafen: to keep sleeping

Questions & Answers about Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.

What exactly does am in Am Sonntag mean?

Am is a contraction of an dem.

• an = “on” (when used with days and dates)
• dem = dative form of the masculine article der (“the”)

So Am Sonntag literally is an dem Sonntag → “on the Sunday,” which in natural English is just “on Sunday.”

In German, days of the week usually appear with an + dative when you say on [day]:

• am Montag – on Monday
• am Freitag – on Friday

Could I say An Sonntag or Im Sonntag instead of Am Sonntag?

No, those would be wrong in standard German.

• For days of the week, German uses an + dative, and almost always in the contracted form am:
  • ✅ am Sonntag
  • ❌ an Sonntag
  • ❌ im Sonntag

im = in dem (“in the”), and you don’t say “in Sunday” in German for time expressions, just like you don’t in English.

Why does Sonntag take the dative case here?

Because of the preposition an.

In time expressions (days, dates, parts of the day), an normally governs the dative case:

• an dem Sonntag → am Sonntag
• an dem Montagmorgen → am Montagmorgen
• an dem 1. Januar → am 1. Januar

So Sonntag isn’t dative by itself; it’s dative because an (→ am) requires it here.

What is the difference between Am Sonntag and Sonntags?

Both are related to Sunday, but they differ in meaning:

• Am Sonntag
  = on Sunday (a specific Sunday, or one particular upcoming Sunday in context)

  • Am Sonntag möchte ich weiterschlafen.
    → On Sunday (this Sunday / that Sunday), I want to sleep on.

• Sonntags
  = on Sundays / every Sunday (a regular habit)

  • Sonntags möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.
    → On Sundays / Every Sunday, I like to sleep on in the mornings.

So:

• Am Sonntag → one particular Sunday
• Sonntags → generally, every Sunday

What exactly does möchte mean here, and how is it different from will?

möchte is the subjunctive (Konjunktiv II) form of mögen and usually means “would like to”. It’s softer and more polite:

• Ich möchte weiterschlafen.
  → I’d like to keep sleeping.

will is from wollen and means “want to” in a stronger, more direct sense:

• Ich will weiterschlafen.
  → I want to keep sleeping. (more determined / blunt)

In everyday speech, the difference can be subtle, but:

• möchte sounds more polite, tentative or wish-like.
• will sounds more firm, determined, or sometimes a bit demanding.

Why is the word order Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen? Could I also say Ich möchte am Sonntag morgens weiterschlafen?

Yes, you can say both; they are both correct.

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here: möchte) must be in second position.

1. With Am Sonntag first:

   • Am Sonntag (position 1 – a time phrase)
   • möchte (position 2 – the finite verb)
   • ich morgens weiterschlafen (rest of the sentence)

2. With Ich first:

   • Ich (position 1 – the subject)
   • möchte (position 2 – finite verb)
   • am Sonntag morgens weiterschlafen (rest)

So:

• ✅ Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.
• ✅ Ich möchte am Sonntag morgens weiterschlafen.

The difference is just emphasis / focus: starting with Am Sonntag emphasizes when this is true.

Why is it morgens and not am Morgen?

Both exist, but they’re used slightly differently:

• morgens = in the mornings / in the morning (as a general time of day, or habitually)

  • Ich möchte sonntags morgens weiterschlafen.
    → I like to keep sleeping on Sunday mornings (habit).

• am Morgen = on the (specific) morning

  • Am Sonntagmorgen möchte ich weiterschlafen.
    → I want to keep sleeping on Sunday morning (one specific Sunday).

In your sentence:

• Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.

This sounds like: “On Sunday, in the morning (that morning time), I want to keep sleeping,” with a somewhat habitual or general-feeling time of day (“in the morning” as a period) rather than pointing to one sharply defined morning event.

Why is morgens not capitalized, but Morgen usually is?

Because here morgens is an adverb, not a noun.

• der Morgen (capitalized) = the noun “(the) morning”

  • Am Morgen schlafe ich. → In the morning I sleep.

• morgens (lowercase) = an adverb of time meaning “in the morning / in the mornings”

  • Ich schlafe morgens. → I sleep (in the) mornings.

German capitalizes nouns, but adverbs are not capitalized, so:

• ✅ morgens
• ❌ Morgens (unless it’s at the start of a sentence)

What does weiterschlafen literally mean?

weiterschlafen is a separable verb made of:

• weiter- = “further,” “on,” “continuing”
• schlafen = “to sleep”

So literally: “to sleep on / to continue sleeping”.

Meaning:

• You are already asleep (or have been asleep) and you keep sleeping, instead of getting up.
• It corresponds well to English “go back to sleep” or “keep sleeping / sleep on.”

Examples:

• Ich schlafe weiter. → I keep sleeping / I sleep on.
• Lass mich weiterschlafen. → Let me keep sleeping.

Why is weiterschlafen at the end of the sentence?

Because of the modal verb möchte.

In a main clause with a modal verb (möchte, will, kann, muss, etc.), the structure is:

• Subject + modal verb (finite) in position 2 + … + main verb (infinitive) at the end.

So:

• Am Sonntag (1st position)
• möchte (2nd position – finite verb)
• ich morgens (middle)
• weiterschlafen (infinitive main verb at the end)

Pattern:
[Am Sonntag] möchte [ich] [morgens] [weiterschlafen].

If you don’t use a modal, the separable verb itself would be inflected and split:

• Am Sonntag schlafe ich morgens weiter.
  (“weiter” separates and goes to the end.)

With the modal möchte, the verb stays in its infinitive form (weiterschlafen) and sits together at the end.

Could I write weiter schlafen as two words in this sentence?

No, not in this structure.

When a separable verb is in the infinitive form (especially with a modal verb), it is written together as one word:

• ✅ weiterschlafen
• ❌ weiter schlafen (in infinitive position with a modal)

Compare:

• With modal (infinitive form, written together):

  • Ich möchte weiterschlafen.

• Without modal (finite verb, separated):

  • Ich schlafe weiter.

So in Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen, it must be one word.

Is there a difference between Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen and Am Sonntag will ich morgens weiterschlafen?

Yes, there is a nuance:

• möchte → “would like to”

  • Softer, more polite, wish-like.
  • Am Sonntag möchte ich morgens weiterschlafen.
    → On Sunday, I’d like to keep sleeping in the morning. (sounds like a desire / wish)

• will → “want to”

  • Stronger, more determined.
  • Am Sonntag will ich morgens weiterschlafen.
    → On Sunday, I want to keep sleeping in the morning. (more decided, maybe a bit stubborn)

Grammar-wise both are fine, but möchte is generally more polite and common when stating preferences.