Learn Hardcore German: Abends schaue ich eine Serie mit deutschen Untertiteln, damit ich beim Hören viel Neues verstehe. - In the evening I watch a series with German subtitles so that I understand many new things while listening.

In this sentence, the time expression Abends is put in first position for emphasis (when the action happens). Because of the verb‑second rule, the verb schaue must then come next, and the subject ich is pushed behind the verb:

Abends schaue ich eine Serie …
(Time) – (Verb) – (Subject) – (rest)

You can also say:

Ich schaue abends eine Serie …

This is equally correct. The meaning is almost the same; starting with Abends just slightly emphasizes the time more.

What is the difference between abends, am Abend, and jeden Abend?

All three relate to the evening, but the nuance is different:

abends
= in the evenings / in the evening (as a general, repeated habit)
It implies a regular or typical time:
- Abends lese ich gern. – I like reading in the evenings.
am Abend
= in the evening (on a specific evening or as a more concrete time)
More like one occasion or a more defined time frame:
- Am Abend treffen wir uns. – We’ll meet in the evening (tonight).
jeden Abend
= every evening
Explicitly says it happens every single evening:
- Jeden Abend schaue ich eine Serie.

In your sentence, Abends suggests a general routine, similar to “in the evenings” / “at night (usually)”.

Why is it eine Serie and not einen Serie or something else?

Serie is:

feminine: die Serie
singular accusative (direct object of schaue)

German cases for die Serie are:

Nominative: die Serie (subject)
Accusative: die Serie (direct object)
Dative: der Serie
Genitive: der Serie

With the indefinite article (a / an), feminine singular is:

Nominative: eine Serie
Accusative: eine Serie

Since Serie is the direct object (what I watch), we need accusative feminine singular, which is also eine Serie.

Einen would be masculine accusative (e.g. einen Film), so it doesn’t match the gender of Serie.

Why is there no article before deutschen Untertiteln?

Untertitel here is used in the plural: subtitles.

After the preposition mit, German requires the dative case:

mit + Dativ → mit deutschen Untertiteln

In the indefinite plural (no specific set, just “with German subtitles”), German often omits the article:

mit deutschen Untertiteln – with German subtitles
mit roten Schuhen – with red shoes
mit guten Freunden – with good friends

If you wanted to be more specific, you could add an article, but usually you don’t in this kind of phrase. The version without an article is the most natural here.

Why is Untertiteln in the dative plural, and how can I see that from deutschen Untertiteln?

Two things tell you it’s dative plural:

The preposition mit always takes the dative case.
Plural nouns in the dative usually get an extra -n if they don’t already end in -n or -s.

So:

Nominative plural: die Untertitel
Dative plural: den Untertiteln

The full phrase is:

mit deutschen Untertiteln

Here:

mit → dative
Untertiteln → plural noun with -n ending = dative plural
deutschen → adjective in dative plural (the ending -en also tells you “dative plural with article omitted or weak declension pattern”)

What does damit mean here, and how is it different from um … zu or so dass?

In this sentence, damit introduces a purpose clause:

… damit ich beim Hören viel Neues verstehe.
= … so that I understand a lot of new things while listening.

Rough differences:

damit
- full clause (with subject and finite verb)
  Often: so that / in order that
- Ich lerne viel, damit ich die Prüfung bestehe.
  I study a lot so that I pass the exam.
um … zu
- infinitive
  Also expresses purpose, but with no subject change (the subject of both parts must be the same):
- Ich lerne viel, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
  I study a lot (in order) to pass the exam.

You cannot easily use um … zu in your sentence because the structure would become quite clumsy, and damit is the natural choice when you want to keep a full clause ich … verstehe.

so dass (often written sodass)
More about result than intention: so that / with the result that
- Es war laut, sodass ich nichts verstanden habe.
  It was loud, so (as a result) I understood nothing.

Here, damit clearly expresses intention/purpose: I watch with subtitles in order that I understand more.

Why does the verb verstehe go to the end in damit ich beim Hören viel Neues verstehe?

Because damit introduces a subordinate clause (Nebensatz).

In German subordinate clauses with a subordinating conjunction like dass, weil, wenn, damit, the finite verb normally goes to the very end:

Ich schaue eine Serie, damit ich viel Neues verstehe.
(main clause) – comma – (subordinate clause with verb at the end)

Word order:

damit (conjunction)
ich (subject)
beim Hören viel Neues (other elements)
verstehe (conjugated verb at the end)

If that were a main clause instead, you would say:

Ich verstehe beim Hören viel Neues.
(Verb is in second position.)

What is beim Hören exactly, and why is Hören capitalized?

beim is a contraction of:

bei + dem → beim

So literally:

beim Hören = bei dem Hören = during the listening / while listening

In German, infinitives can become nouns if you use them in a noun role. When that happens, they are:

capitalized: das Hören
neuter: das Hören, das Lernen, das Lesen

So Hören is a nominalized verb (a verb turned into a noun). That’s why it’s capitalized.

beim Hören here means “while (I am) listening” or “during listening”, and it’s a natural way in German to express “when I listen” without a full clause like wenn ich höre.

What does viel Neues literally mean, and why is Neues capitalized and neuter?

Literally, viel Neues means “much new (stuff/things)”.

Grammatically:

neu is an adjective: new.
Neues is that adjective used as a noun (nominalized adjective).
It stands for new things / new stuff in a general way.
It is neuter and capitalized, like das Neue.

Patterns like this are common in German:

etwas Neues – something new
nichts Interessantes – nothing interesting
viel Gutes – a lot of good (things)
alles Wichtige – everything important

In your sentence:

viel Neues = a lot of new things (that I understand)

Why is the present tense verstehe used for what seems like a general habit?

German Präsens (present tense) is used for:

actions happening now
general facts or habits
often also for the near future

So:

Abends schaue ich …, damit ich … verstehe.

means something like:

I usually/regularly watch in the evenings so that I understand…

You do not need a special tense for habits (like English’s “I am watching” vs “I watch”). The simple present in German covers habitual actions naturally.

Could you also say Ich schaue abends eine Serie mit deutschen Untertiteln …? Does this change the meaning?

Yes, this is perfectly correct:

Ich schaue abends eine Serie mit deutschen Untertiteln, damit ich beim Hören viel Neues verstehe.

The factual meaning is the same.

Difference:

Abends schaue ich …: slight emphasis on when you do it (in the evenings).
Ich schaue abends …: more neutral; subject ich comes first, time adverb later.

Both sound natural. German allows this flexibility as long as the conjugated verb stays in second position.

Is there any difference between schauen, sehen, and gucken here?

All three can be used for watching TV or a series, but there are nuances:

sehen
More neutral and standard:
- eine Serie sehen, fernsehen
schauen
Also means “to watch / to look (at)”.
Common especially in southern Germany and Austria in the sense of “watch”:
- eine Serie schauen, fernsehen schauen
gucken (or kucken)
More colloquial; often heard in northern and western Germany:
- eine Serie gucken

In your sentence, schaue is perfectly fine. You could also say:

Abends sehe ich eine Serie …
Abends gucke ich eine Serie … (more colloquial/regional)

All three would be understood as “I watch a series …” in this context.