Breakdown of Im Kurs lesen wir verschiedene Bücher.
wir
we
das Buch
the book
lesen
to read
im
in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
Questions & Answers about Im Kurs lesen wir verschiedene Bücher.
Why is it Im and not In dem?
Im is a standard contraction of in dem.
So Im Kurs literally = in dem Kurs.
You can always un-contract it to In dem Kurs lesen wir verschiedene Bücher, which is grammatically correct but sounds a bit heavier or more formal in everyday speech. Im is what you would normally use in spoken German.
Why is Kurs in the dative case here?
Because of im (in dem).
The preposition in can take either accusative or dative:
- Accusative = movement into something
- Ich gehe in den Kurs. – I’m going into the course.
- Dative = location / being in something
- Ich bin im Kurs. – I’m in the course.
In your sentence, im Kurs describes a location or setting (“in the course / during the course”), not movement, so dem Kurs (dative) is required, and that contracts to im Kurs.
Why does the sentence start with Im Kurs and not with Wir?