Breakdown of Am Wochenende arbeite ich im Ehrenamt, und wir haben eine klare Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben.
Questions & Answers about Am Wochenende arbeite ich im Ehrenamt, und wir haben eine klare Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben.
German has the verb‑second rule: in a main clause, the conjugated verb must be the second element.
You are allowed to put something other than the subject in first position for emphasis, for example a time expression:
- Am Wochenende arbeite ich im Ehrenamt.
1st element: Am Wochenende (time)
2nd element: arbeite (verb)
3rd element: ich (subject)
If you start with ich, you still keep the verb in second position:
- Ich arbeite am Wochenende im Ehrenamt.
Both sentences are correct.
- Ich arbeite am Wochenende … is neutral.
- Am Wochenende arbeite ich … emphasizes when you work (as opposed to during the week, for example).
am is a contraction of an dem:
- an (preposition) + dem (dative article, masculine/neuter) → am
Wochenende is neuter: das Wochenende.
With time expressions like on the weekend, German usually uses an + dative:
- an dem Wochenende → am Wochenende = on the weekend
You do not say im Wochenende here.
im = in dem is used more for being inside something (in a house, in a box) or within a period:
- im Sommer (in summer, within the summer period)
- am Wochenende (on/at the weekend, a specific time frame)
So am Wochenende is the natural fixed phrase for “on weekends / at the weekend”.
In am Wochenende, Wochenende is in the dative case.
Reason:
- The preposition an can take dative or accusative.
- With time expressions like am Montag, an diesem Tag, am Wochenende, an is used with the dative.
You can see the dative from dem inside am:
- an + dem Wochenende → am Wochenende
→ dem is the dative singular article for das Wochenende.
Ehrenamt literally means something like “honorary office” and refers to voluntary, usually unpaid work (often in clubs, churches, charities, local organizations, etc.).
im Ehrenamt = in (my) voluntary role / in (my) volunteer position
- im = in dem (in the) + dative
- Suggests a specific function or role, like holding a position in an association.
ehrenamtlich (adjective/adverb) = voluntary, unpaid (as a helper/worker)
- Ich arbeite ehrenamtlich. = I work as a volunteer / I do voluntary work.
Roughly:
- Ich arbeite im Ehrenamt.
→ I work in a volunteer position (as an office, role, or function). - Ich arbeite ehrenamtlich.
→ I work on a voluntary basis.
In many everyday contexts, they overlap and both just mean you’re doing unpaid volunteer work.
im is a contraction of in dem:
- in (preposition) + dem (dative) → im
The noun Ehrenamt is neuter: das Ehrenamt.
Now, preposition in can take dative (location) or accusative (direction/motion):
- Dative (where?): Ich arbeite im Ehrenamt.
→ I work in the volunteer position (location/state). - Accusative (where to?): Ich gehe in das Ehrenamt.
→ I go into the volunteer position (movement into it) – this sounds odd and is rarely said.
In this sentence we’re talking about where you work (your role), not movement into it, so in + dative → im Ehrenamt.
In German, a comma is mandatory when und connects two independent main clauses (each with its own subject and conjugated verb).
Here we have:
- Am Wochenende arbeite ich im Ehrenamt
- Subject: ich
- Verb: arbeite
- wir haben eine klare Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben
- Subject: wir
- Verb: haben
Since both halves are full sentences, German rules require:
- Am Wochenende arbeite ich im Ehrenamt, und wir haben eine klare Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben.
In English, the comma before and is often optional in such a case; in German, it is obligatory in modern standard spelling.
The key points:
- Vereinbarung is feminine: die Vereinbarung.
- In the sentence, it is a direct object → accusative singular feminine.
- The article eine is the accusative feminine form of eine (same as nominative for feminine).
- klare is an adjective between article and noun; with eine
- feminine singular + accusative, the ending is -e.
So the correct form is:
- eine klare Vereinbarung
- eine (feminine, accusative)
- klare (adjective, feminine accusative ending -e)
- Vereinbarung (feminine noun)
ein klarer Vereinbarung is wrong because:
- Vereinbarung is not masculine, so klarer (masc. nom.) doesn’t match.
- For feminine accusative, you need klare, not klarer.
All three can involve some kind of “agreement”, but with different flavors:
Vereinbarung
- Neutral “agreement, arrangement”.
- Can be written or verbal, formal or semi‑formal.
- Focus is on the fact that something has been mutually agreed.
- In this sentence, eine klare Vereinbarung suggests clear rules / a clear understanding.
Abmachung
- More informal/colloquial, like a deal, an arrangement you make with someone.
- Often used in everyday speech.
- Less formal than Vereinbarung in many contexts.
Vertrag
- Contract in the strict sense, usually written and legally binding.
- Very formal and legal.
So using Vereinbarung here nicely expresses that you and others have agreed clearly on who does what, without necessarily implying a formal, signed contract.
Here über means “about / regarding”:
- eine Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben
→ an agreement about our tasks / responsibilities
Common patterns:
- eine Diskussion über etwas – a discussion about something
- Informationen über etwas – information about something
- eine Vereinbarung über etwas – an agreement about something
Why not:
- für = “for” → usually indicates purpose or recipient:
- eine Vereinbarung für unsere Aufgaben would sound more like “an agreement for our tasks” (not idiomatic in this context).
- von = “of/from” → usually indicates origin or possession:
- eine Vereinbarung von unseren Aufgaben doesn’t express “about” and sounds wrong here.
So über is the natural choice to express the topic or content of the agreement.
In über unsere Aufgaben, Aufgaben is in the accusative plural.
The preposition über can take either:
- accusative (most common, especially with meanings like “about”), or
- dative (mainly with some static “over/above” meanings, and less frequent).
With the meaning “about/regarding”, über almost always takes the accusative:
- Wir sprechen über das Problem. (accusative)
- eine Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben (accusative plural)
You see the accusative plural in the form unsere Aufgaben (no distinct article form, but the pattern with über + “about” meaning tells you it’s accusative).
Breakdown:
- Aufgaben is the plural of die Aufgabe (task, assignment, duty).
- After über (meaning “about”), we use accusative plural.
- The possessive unser- must agree with:
- person: 1st person plural (wir) → stem unser-
- number: plural (Aufgaben)
- case: accusative plural
For unser- in plural accusative, the ending is -e:
- unsere Aufgaben
You would see other forms in other cases:
- Dative plural: über Vereinbarungen mit unseren Aufgaben (not the case here)
- Genitive plural: unserer Aufgaben
- Nominative plural: unsere Aufgaben (same form as accusative)
So unsere is correct here because it’s accusative plural matching Aufgaben.
Yes, you can say:
- Ich arbeite am Wochenende im Ehrenamt, und wir haben eine klare Vereinbarung über unsere Aufgaben.
This is fully correct and very natural.
Meaning-wise:
- Both versions describe the same facts.
- The difference is mainly emphasis and information structure.
Am Wochenende arbeite ich im Ehrenamt, …
- Emphasizes when you do this work.
- Often used when you contrast it with something else (e.g., unter der Woche arbeite ich bezahlt, am Wochenende ehrenamtlich).
Ich arbeite am Wochenende im Ehrenamt, …
- Slightly more neutral, starting with the subject ich.
Grammatically, both respect the verb‑second rule:
- Am Wochenende / Ich = first element
- arbeite = second element (the finite verb)
So you can choose based on what you want to highlight.