Learn Hardcore German: Es ist sehr angenehm, in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören. - It is very pleasant to lie in the hammock and listen to music.

In the first version, es is a dummy / anticipatory subject, similar to English It is very pleasant to…. The real subject (the activity) comes later in the zu-infinitive clause.

In the second version, that whole activity “in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören” is put in the subject position at the beginning.

Both are correct. The Es ist … version is very common and often sounds slightly more neutral and natural in everyday speech.

Why is there a comma before in der Hängematte zu liegen?

The part „in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören“ is a zu-infinitive clause (Infinitivsatz). In modern German spelling, such clauses are usually separated by a comma, especially when:

the clause is longer or expanded, or
there is an anticipatory es before it (like here).

So:

Es ist sehr angenehm, in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören. ✅

Without the comma it’s not standard. In formal writing, you should definitely use it.

Why is it in der Hängematte and not in die Hängematte?

The preposition in can take either:

dative → for a location / where something is
accusative → for movement / direction (where something goes)

Here, the meaning is “to lie in the hammock” (a static location), so we use the dative:

in der Hängematte = in the hammock (location, dative)

If it were about movement into the hammock, you’d use the accusative:

Ich lege mich in die Hängematte. = I’m getting into the hammock. (movement, accusative)

Why is Hängematte capitalized, and what gender is it?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, so Hängematte must start with a capital letter.

The word Hängematte has the grammatical gender feminine, so its article is die:

die Hängematte → in der Hängematte (dative feminine)

You usually have to learn each noun’s gender with the word; there is no reliable general rule that would let you deduce it just from the form.

Why do we say zu liegen and zu hören? What is this zu doing?

Zu here is not the preposition zu = to, but part of a zu-infinitive: a non-finite verb form used like English “to lie / to listen”.

liegen → zu liegen = “to lie”
hören → zu hören = “to hear / to listen”

After many adjectives (like angenehm, schön, schwierig, wichtig, etc.) German often uses this zu + infinitive clause:

Es ist schön, dich zu sehen. = It is nice to see you.
Es ist schwierig, früh aufzustehen. = It is difficult to get up early.

So here:
Es ist sehr angenehm, in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören.
= It is very pleasant to lie in the hammock and listen to music.

Can I drop the second zu and say zu liegen und Musik hören?

In this kind of construction, you should repeat “zu” for each infinitive, so the standard form is:

… zu liegen und Musik zu hören. ✅

*… zu liegen und Musik hören. ❌ sounds wrong or at least non-standard in written German.

Treat zu like part of the infinitive: if you are listing several verbs in the same zu-clause, each one normally gets its own zu:

zu essen und zu trinken
zu lesen und zu schreiben

Could I say the whole activity first, like In der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören ist sehr angenehm?

Yes, that is completely correct:

In der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören ist sehr angenehm. ✅

Difference in feel:

Es ist sehr angenehm, …
– Very common, neutral; starts with a light “it is” and postpones the long clause.
In der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören ist sehr angenehm.
– Slightly more formal or emphatic; puts strong focus on the activity right away.

Both sentences mean the same thing.

Why is Musik used without an article here?

Musik is often treated as an uncountable mass noun, similar to English music. In general statements like “listen to music” you normally don’t use an article:

Ich höre Musik. = I listen to music.
Er mag laute Musik. = He likes loud music.

You would use an article when you are talking about a specific or limited kind of music:

die Musik = that (specific) music
- Ich höre die Musik nicht gern. = I don’t like that music.
eine Musik is rare and sounds technical/poetic; usually avoided.

So Musik without article is natural here.

Does Musik hören mean “to hear music” or “to listen to music”?

In practice, Musik hören usually corresponds to English “to listen to music”, i.e. doing it deliberately for enjoyment.

Ich höre Musik.
→ Normally understood as “I’m listening to music.”

For just accidentally hearing music in the background, German might add something like mitbekommen, hören, im Hintergrund etc.:

Ich höre im Hintergrund Musik. = I hear music in the background.
Ich habe die Musik nur nebenbei gehört. = I only heard the music in passing.

Why not use an -ing-like form, e.g. something like “das Liegende” or “liegend”, instead of the zu-infinitive?

English often uses -ing forms as nouns or clauses:

Lying in the hammock and listening to music is very pleasant.

German does not usually use participles this way for general actions. The natural equivalents are:

zu-infinitive clause (as in the original sentence)
- Es ist sehr angenehm, in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören.
A full clause with dass (less common/natural here)
- Es ist sehr angenehm, dass man in der Hängematte liegt und Musik hört. (clunkier)

A construction like:

*Es ist sehr angenehm, in der Hängematte liegend Musik zu hören. ❌

sounds foreign and unidiomatic in standard German.

You can nominalize the verbs, but it sounds heavy:

Das Liegen in der Hängematte und das Hören von Musik ist sehr angenehm.
→ grammatically possible, but stylistically stiff; not how people normally say it.

Why is it in der Hängematte zu liegen und Musik zu hören, and not Musik zu hören und in der Hängematte zu liegen? Is that order fixed?

The order is not grammatically fixed. You could say:

Es ist sehr angenehm, Musik zu hören und in der Hängematte zu liegen. ✅

Both orders are possible. The chosen order usually reflects what feels more “natural” or what the speaker wants to emphasize first.

In the original, the “setting” (in der Hängematte zu liegen) comes first, then the additional activity (Musik zu hören). That’s a very typical, natural order.

What exactly does angenehm mean here, and how is it different from schön or gemütlich?

angenehm literally means “pleasant, agreeable, comfortable (in a neutral sense)”. About this activity, it suggests:

it feels good,
it’s relaxing,
there is nothing unpleasant about it.

Compared to related words:

schön = “nice, beautiful, lovely” → a bit more emotional / aesthetic.
gemütlich = “cozy, snug, comfortable (atmosphere)” → more about warmth and comfort, often physical and emotional coziness.

So:

Es ist sehr angenehm, … → It is very pleasant.
Es ist sehr schön, … → It is very nice / lovely.
Es ist sehr gemütlich, in der Hängematte zu liegen. → Lying in the hammock feels very cozy.