Learn Hardcore German: Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the conjugated verb is always in the second position of the sentence, no matter what comes first.

Here, Heute (today) is in the first position.
Therefore the verb essen must be second.
The subject wir (we) then comes after the verb.

So:

Heute essen wir … (Today we eat …)

is the correct order. If you start with the subject instead, you get:

Wir essen heute zu Mittag im Garten.

Both are correct; the first one puts a bit more emphasis on Heute.

Can I also say Wir essen heute zu Mittag im Garten? Is there any difference?

Yes, Wir essen heute zu Mittag im Garten is perfectly correct.

The difference is mainly one of emphasis and style, not of grammar:

Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.
– Emphasis a bit more on Heute (today is special / different).
Wir essen heute zu Mittag im Garten.
– More neutral; typical way to say it in everyday conversation.

Both follow the V2 rule: the conjugated verb essen is in second position:

In the first version, Heute is first.
In the second version, Wir is first.

Why is it zu Mittag? Could I also say zum Mittagessen or Mittagessen?

Zu Mittag essen is an idiomatic expression meaning to have lunch.

All of these are possible, with slightly different style/feeling:

Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.
– Very common, fairly neutral/standard.
Heute essen wir zum Mittagessen im Garten.
– Also correct; sounds a bit more explicit/formal: for lunch.
Heute essen wir das Mittagessen im Garten.
– Grammatically fine, but less common; sounds slightly heavier or more specific (as if talking about a particular lunch that is already known).
Heute essen wir Mittag im Garten.
– Also possible in colloquial German (especially in some regions): We’re eating lunch today in the garden.

All of them communicate the same basic idea: having lunch.

Why is Mittag capitalized in zu Mittag?

In German, all nouns are capitalized. In the phrase zu Mittag, Mittag is still a noun meaning midday / noon, even though the whole phrase is idiomatic.

So:

der Mittag → zu Mittag (essen)

The preposition zu doesn’t change the word class of Mittag; it just introduces it. Therefore Mittag must be written with a capital M.

What case is used in im Garten, and why?

Im Garten is dative case.

Explanation:

im is a contraction of in dem.
- in = in
- dem = dative singular of der (masculine or neuter)

Garten is masculine (der Garten). With the preposition in:

Use dative for location (where?)
Use accusative for direction (to where?)

Here, im Garten answers Wo? (Where?): in the garden → location → dative:

in dem Garten → im Garten.

What is the difference between im Garten and in den Garten?

The difference is location vs. direction:

im Garten = in dem Garten → dative (location)
- Meaning: in the garden (you are already there).
- Answers Wo? (Where?).
in den Garten → accusative (direction)
- Meaning: into the garden (movement towards it).
- Answers Wohin? (Where to?).

So:

Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.
We will eat lunch in the garden.
Wir gehen in den Garten.
We are going into the garden.

In English we say have lunch. Why does German use essen here?

German does not use haben in this expression. Instead, it uses essen (to eat) with a time/meal expression:

zu Mittag essen = to have lunch
zu Abend essen = to have dinner / supper

So:

Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.
literally: Today we eat at midday in the garden.
idiomatically: Today we’re having lunch in the garden.

You normally don’t say:

✗ Heute haben wir zu Mittag im Garten.

Use essen to talk about having a meal.

Can Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten also refer to the future, like “We’re going to have lunch…”?

Yes. German often uses the present tense to talk about the near future, especially when there is a time expression like heute (today).

Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.
Can mean:
- Today we eat lunch in the garden. (simple present), or
- Today we’re going to eat / are having lunch in the garden. (planned future).

Context and the word heute make it clear that this is a planned event later today, not a general habit.

Can I leave out zu Mittag and just say Heute essen wir im Garten?

Yes, you can. Heute essen wir im Garten is grammatically correct and natural.

However, the meaning changes slightly:

Heute essen wir zu Mittag im Garten.
– Clearly about lunchtime / lunch.
Heute essen wir im Garten.
– Just says we are eating in the garden today.
It could be lunch, dinner, or any meal or snack; context must clarify.

So zu Mittag specifies which meal. Without it, the sentence is more general.

Where would I put nicht if I want to say “Today we are not having lunch in the garden”?

It depends on what exactly you want to negate:

We are not having lunch (at all) in the garden today.
– Negating the whole idea of having lunch there:
- Heute essen wir nicht zu Mittag im Garten.
  (sounds like: we’re not having lunch in the garden; maybe somewhere else, or maybe no lunch at all)
We are having lunch today, but not in the garden.
– Negating specifically the place:
- Heute essen wir zu Mittag nicht im Garten.
  (emphasis: not in the garden, maybe in the kitchen instead)

German places nicht:

before the element it negates (if it’s a specific part: place, time, phrase), or
toward the end of the sentence if it negates the whole statement.

So you choose the position of nicht according to what you want to contrast.