Learn Hardcore German: Am Wochenende sitze ich im Gartenstuhl, schaue in den Sternenhimmel und bin einfach zufrieden, als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe. - At the weekend I sit in the garden chair, look at the starry sky and am simply content, as if time briefly stood still.

am = contraction of an dem (preposition an
- dative article dem)
Wochenende is a neuter noun (das Wochenende), so in the dative singular it becomes dem Wochenende → am Wochenende

For time expressions like days, parts of days, weekends, German commonly uses an + dative:

am Montag – on Monday
am Abend – in the evening
am Wochenende – on/at the weekend

Why is it “sitze ich” and not “ich sitze” after “Am Wochenende”?

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the conjugated verb must be in second position.

The first position can be any one element: subject, time, place, object, etc.
After that, the finite verb must come.

Here, the first element is the time phrase “Am Wochenende”, so the verb comes next:

Am Wochenende sitze ich...
- 1st position: Am Wochenende
- 2nd position: sitze (finite verb)
- 3rd position: ich (subject)

If you start with the subject instead, you get:

Ich sitze am Wochenende im Gartenstuhl...

Both are correct; the meaning is the same, but the emphasis changes slightly.

Why are all three verbs in the present tense (sitze, schaue, bin) even though this sounds like a habitual situation?

German uses the present tense (Präsens) more broadly than English. It can express:

Now: Ich sitze gerade im Gartenstuhl. – I’m sitting in the garden chair right now.
Habits / regular actions: Am Wochenende sitze ich im Gartenstuhl. – I (usually) sit in the garden chair at the weekend.
Scheduled future in many cases: Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. – I’m going to Berlin tomorrow.

In this sentence, the present tense describes a habitual / typical weekend situation. English might say:

“On weekends I sit in the garden chair, look at the starry sky and just feel content...”

So German does not need something like “I will sit” or “I usually sit”; present is enough, and adverbs or context show the habitual meaning.

Why is it “im Gartenstuhl” and not “in dem Gartenstuhl” or “auf dem Stuhl”?

“im” is simply the contraction of “in dem”:

in dem Gartenstuhl → im Gartenstuhl

So grammatically, “im Gartenstuhl” = “in dem Gartenstuhl”. The article is dative because in with a location (where?) uses the dative case.

As for in vs. auf:

im Stuhl / im Gartenstuhl – idiomatic when the chair is more like a seat you “sit in”, often with armrests or like a lounge chair.
auf dem Stuhl – more common with a simple chair; literally “on the chair”.

Both forms may be heard with Gartenstuhl, depending on style and regional preference. Here, “im Gartenstuhl” paints the image of being comfortably in the chair, almost nestled into it.

What exactly is “Gartenstuhl”? Why is it one word?

“Gartenstuhl” is a compound noun:

Garten (garden) + Stuhl (chair) → Gartenstuhl (garden chair / outdoor chair)

German very often combines nouns into one long noun instead of using a phrase like “chair for the garden.”

So instead of:

ein Stuhl für den Garten – a chair for the garden

German prefers:

ein Gartenstuhl – a garden chair

This is a standard pattern:

Gartenhaus – garden shed
Küchentisch – kitchen table
Bürostuhl – office chair

Why is it “schaue in den Sternenhimmel” and not something like “schaue den Sternenhimmel an” or “schaue zu dem Sternenhimmel”?

All of these are possible, but they have slightly different nuances.

schaue in den Sternenhimmel
- in
  - accusative (den) expresses movement / direction of gaze:
- literally “I look into the starry sky.”
- This sounds poetic, like your eyes are traveling into the sky’s depth.
schaue den Sternenhimmel an
- jemanden/etwas anschauen – to look at someone/something
- More neutral: “I look at the starry sky.”
- Very idiomatic in everyday German.
schaue zum Sternenhimmel
- Would sound odd or overly literal; zu is not normally used with schauen in this sense.

In the given sentence, “in den Sternenhimmel schauen” adds a slightly poetic, atmospheric tone.

What is “Sternenhimmel” exactly, and why is there an extra -en- in the middle?

“Sternenhimmel” is another compound noun:

die Sterne – the stars
der Himmel – the sky
→ der Sternenhimmel – the starry sky / sky full of stars

The -en- between Stern and Himmel is a kind of linking element (Fugenlaut). It often appears in compounds and can come from an old plural or genitive form:

Sternenhimmel (from Sterne
- Himmel)
Kindergarten (Kinder + Garten)
Augenblick (Augen + Blick)

So Sternenhimmel is the usual, correct word for a sky filled with stars.

Why is it “bin einfach zufrieden” and not “ich bin einfach zufrieden” or “bin ich einfach zufrieden”?

In the coordinated main clause:

... sitze ich im Gartenstuhl, schaue in den Sternenhimmel und bin einfach zufrieden ...

there is one explicit subject, “ich,” at the beginning of the first verb group:

(ich) sitze, (ich) schaue, und (ich) bin ...

German does not need to repeat the subject with each verb in a list; it’s understood to be the same ich throughout.

So fully written out, it would be:

Am Wochenende sitze ich im Gartenstuhl, schaue ich in den Sternenhimmel und bin ich einfach zufrieden...

But repeating ich would sound heavy and unnatural here, so it’s omitted after the first verb. That’s standard and very common.

“bin ich einfach zufrieden” would also invert subject and verb and sound like a question or a special emphasis, which is not intended here.

What does “einfach” mean here? Does it mean “easy”?

“einfach” has several meanings. Here it means “simply / just”, not “easy”:

ich bin einfach zufrieden – I’m simply / just content.

Other meanings:

Das ist einfach. – That is easy.
Es ist einfach schön hier. – It is just/simply beautiful here.

In this sentence, einfach adds an emotional nuance: not a complicated or excited kind of happiness, just a quiet, pure contentment.

What is the function of “als ob” in this sentence? Is it the same as “as if”?

Yes. “als ob” means “as if” and introduces a subordinate clause that describes an unreal or imagined comparison:

... als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe.
... as if time briefly stood still.

Key points:

als ob introduces a clause with the finite verb at the end (standard subordinate clause word order).
It often triggers the use of Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) to show unreality, imagination, or comparison, which is why we get bliebe instead of bleibt.

You can often replace als ob with als würde + infinitive:

als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe
als würde die Zeit kurz stehen bleiben

Both are correct; the original is slightly more literary/formal.

Why is it “stehen bliebe” and not “stehen bleibt” or “stehen bleiben würde”?

The phrase is: “als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe.”

Konjunktiv II (subjunctive):
- After als ob, German often uses Konjunktiv II to signal that this is unreal / imagined.
- The verb bleiben in Konjunktiv II (simple form) is bliebe.
“stehen bleiben” is a separable verb:
- Infinitive: stehen bleiben
- Present: die Zeit bleibt stehen
- In subordinate clauses, the separable prefix part (stehen) goes before the conjugated verb at the end:
  - ..., dass die Zeit stehen bleibt.
Combine both points:
- Subordinate clause + Konjunktiv II:
- als ob die Zeit stehen bliebe

You could also say:

als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bleibt – grammatically OK, but feels more like stating it as real.
als würde die Zeit kurz stehen bleiben – also correct; uses the “würde + infinitive” form of Konjunktiv II.

The original “stehen bliebe” is a concise, slightly more literary subjunctive form.

What does “kurz” mean in “die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe”? Is it “short” or something else?

Here, “kurz” is an adverb and means “briefly / for a moment”, not “short” (as an adjective):

kurz stehen bleiben – to stop briefly, to halt for a moment

So:

als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe
→ as if time stopped for a moment.

Examples of the same usage:

Kannst du kurz warten? – Can you wait a moment?
Ich muss dich kurz sprechen. – I need to speak to you briefly.

Why is there a comma before “als ob”, and how do the commas work in this long sentence?

The commas follow standard German rules:

Between main clauses with the same subject:
- Am Wochenende sitze ich im Gartenstuhl, schaue in den Sternenhimmel und bin einfach zufrieden
- The subject ich is only stated once, but three main-clause verbs are coordinated: sitze, schaue, bin.
- The comma between sitze and schaue is optional in modern German; many writers include it for clarity.
Before a subordinate clause:
- ..., als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe.
- A comma before als ob is mandatory, because it introduces a subordinate clause.

So the structure is:

Main clause: Am Wochenende sitze ich im Gartenstuhl, schaue in den Sternenhimmel und bin einfach zufrieden,
Subordinate clause: als ob die Zeit kurz stehen bliebe.