Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.

A walk in the park is relaxing.

Breakdown of Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.

• sein: to be
• in: in
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• der Park: the park
• der Spaziergang: the walk
• ein: a; (masculine, nominative)
• erholsam: restful

Questions & Answers about Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.

Why does the sentence use Ein Spaziergang (a walk) and not Der Spaziergang (the walk)?

Using ein here makes the statement general:

• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.
  → Taking a walk in the park (in general) is relaxing.

If you say Der Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam, it sounds more like you are talking about a specific walk that you both know about, for example:

• Der Spaziergang im Park gestern war erholsam.
  → The walk in the park yesterday was relaxing.

So:

• ein = a typical / any such walk (general statement)
• der = a particular, known walk (specific event)

What gender is Spaziergang, and how does that affect the sentence?

Spaziergang is masculine: der Spaziergang.

Because of that:

• Nominative singular: ein Spaziergang
• If you changed the case, it would influence the article:
  
  • Accusative: einen Spaziergang (Ich mache einen Spaziergang.)
  • Dative: einem Spaziergang (Bei einem Spaziergang kann man entspannen.)

In this sentence, Spaziergang is the subject (Nominative), so you use ein Spaziergang.

What exactly is im Park, and why is it not written as in dem Park?

im is a contraction of in dem:

• in (in) + dem (the, dative singular, masculine/neuter) → im

So im Park literally = in dem Park.
You use dem because:

• Park is masculine: der Park
• After many location prepositions (like in with a static location), German uses the dative case:
  
  • Wo? (Where?) → Dative: im Park
  • Wohin? (Where to?) → Accusative: in den Park

In this sentence you are talking about being in the park, not moving into it, so it’s im Park (dative).

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

It’s about location vs. movement:

• im Park (in dem Park) – Dative:

  • Answer to Wo? = Where?
  • Describes location: in the park
  • Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.
    → A walk that takes place in the park is relaxing.

• in den Park – Accusative:

  • Answer to Wohin? = Where to?
  • Describes movement into the park:
  • Wir gehen in den Park.
    → We are going to the park.

Your sentence describes where the walk takes place, not the movement to that place, so it uses im Park.

Why is erholsam not declined (no ending like -e, -en, etc.)?

Erholsam here is a predicate adjective (after the verb sein):

• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.
  
  • subject: Ein Spaziergang im Park
  • verb: ist
  • predicate adjective: erholsam

Predicate adjectives in German never take endings. They stay in their base form:

• Das Buch ist neu. (not neues)
• Die Kinder sind müde. (not müden)
• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam. (not erholsame)

Adjectives only get endings when they are in front of a noun:

• ein erholsamer Spaziergang
• der erholsame Spaziergang

Could I also say Spaziergänge im Park sind erholsam? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, that is also correct, and very similar in meaning:

• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.
  → A walk in the park is relaxing. (Talking about a typical single event.)

• Spaziergänge im Park sind erholsam.
  → Walks in the park are relaxing. (Talking about such walks in general, in plural.)

Both are generic statements; the nuance is:

• Singular with ein feels like “a typical instance of this activity”.
• Plural feels like “this kind of activity in general”.

Can I change the word order to Im Park ist ein Spaziergang erholsam?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam. (more neutral)
• Im Park ist ein Spaziergang erholsam. (slight emphasis on im Park)

By moving Im Park to the front, you highlight the place. It’s like saying:

• In the park, a walk is relaxing.

The meaning is basically the same; it’s mainly a question of emphasis and style.

What is the nuance of erholsam compared to entspannend?

Both can often be translated as relaxing, but they focus on slightly different things:

• entspannend:

  • focuses on the process of relaxing, reducing tension
  • used more for experiences, activities, effects:
    
    • Die Massage war sehr entspannend.

• erholsam:

  • focuses on rest, recovery, regeneration
  • often used with sleep, holidays, breaks, walks in nature:
    
    • Der Schlaf war nicht sehr erholsam.
    • Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.

In your sentence, erholsam fits very well because a walk in the park helps you recover and recharge.

Where would I put sehr if I want to say “very relaxing”?

You put sehr directly in front of erholsam:

• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist sehr erholsam.

You cannot put it between ist and ein Spaziergang, and you don’t attach any ending to sehr; it stays invariable.

Why is Spaziergang capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of where they appear in the sentence.

• Ein Spaziergang im Park ist erholsam.
  
  • Spaziergang = noun → capitalized
  • Park = noun → capitalized
  • ein, im, ist, erholsam = article, preposition, verb, adjective → not capitalized (unless at the beginning of a sentence)

Recognizing capitalization is a helpful way to spot nouns when you read German texts.

What is the difference between ein Spaziergang machen and spazieren gehen?

Both refer to going for a walk, but they differ in structure and style:

• einen Spaziergang machen

  • uses the noun Spaziergang
  • more like “to take a walk”
  • Wir machen einen Spaziergang im Park.

• spazieren gehen

  • uses the verb spazieren
    • gehen
  • more like “to go walking / to go for a walk”
  • Wir gehen im Park spazieren.

Your sentence uses the noun form Spaziergang, but you could also build a similar idea verbally:

• Im Park spazieren zu gehen ist erholsam.
  (Infinitive construction; more formal/literary.)