Learn Hardcore German: Wir gehen heute zusammen zum Konzert. - We are going to the concert together today.

You can form a future with werden (Wir werden heute zum Konzert gehen), but in everyday speech this sounds more formal or extra-emphatic. For simple plans, present tense + time word (heute) is standard.

Why does the verb (gehen) come in second position after Wir?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here, gehen) must be in the second position in the sentence, no matter what comes first.

In this sentence, the first element is the subject:

Wir (1st position) gehen (2nd position) heute zusammen zum Konzert.

If you move another element to the front, the verb still stays second:

Heute gehen wir zusammen zum Konzert.
Zusammen gehen wir heute zum Konzert.

The verb stays second; other parts move around it.

Why is it “zum Konzert” and not “zu das Konzert” or “zu dem Konzert”?

Zu + dem contracts to zum in standard German:

zu dem Konzert → zum Konzert

This contraction is very common and sounds more natural. You would only use the full form zu dem Konzert if you wanted to emphasize that particular concert in contrast to another, and even then most speakers still say zum.

“zu das Konzert” is simply wrong, because zu with a masculine/neuter singular noun takes dem in the dative case, not das.

Why is Konzert in the dative case here?

The preposition zu always requires the dative case:

zu
- masculine noun → zu dem Mann (to the man) → zum Mann
zu
- neuter noun → zu dem Konzert (to the concert) → zum Konzert
zu
- feminine noun → zu der Schule (to the school) → often zur Schule (zu der → zur)

Since Konzert is neuter (das Konzert in nominative), its dative singular is dem Konzert, which contracts to zum Konzert.

Why is it “zum Konzert” and not “ins Konzert”?

Both zu and in can be translated as “to”, but they’re used differently:

zu + dative (→ zum Konzert)
- Focus on going to an event / person / institution.
- Very idiomatic for events:
  - zum Konzert gehen – go to the concert
  - zur Party gehen – go to the party
  - zum Arzt gehen – go to the doctor
in + accusative (→ ins Konzert, from in das Konzert)
- Literally “into the concert (hall / venue).”
- Grammatically possible but sounds unusual for a simple “go to a concert.” It may imply more the physical movement into a place rather than attending an event.

In practice, zum Konzert gehen is the normal, idiomatic expression for “to go to the concert.”

Why is there no article like “ein Konzert” (a concert)? Why is it “zum Konzert” and not “zu einem Konzert”?

Zum Konzert implies “to the concert”, usually referring to a specific concert that speaker and listener know about (e.g. “the concert we talked about / planned”).

You could say:

Wir gehen heute zu einem Konzert. – We’re going to a concert today. (some concert, not specified)

So:

zum Konzert → a particular, identifiable concert (“the concert”)
zu einem Konzert → just some concert, not specified

The sentence uses zum Konzert because it assumes a known or previously mentioned event.

What is the natural position of “heute” in the sentence? Could it be somewhere else?

In German, adverbs of time like heute are fairly flexible, but a common neutral position is after the verb and subject:

Wir gehen heute zusammen zum Konzert.

Other correct versions:

Heute gehen wir zusammen zum Konzert. (Time moved to the beginning for emphasis.)
Wir gehen zusammen heute zum Konzert. (Possible, but heute sounds slightly less neutral here.)

General guideline: Time–Manner–Place is a typical order within the “middle field”:
Wir gehen heute (time) zusammen (manner) zum Konzert (place).
So the given sentence follows a very standard and natural word order.

What exactly does “zusammen” add to the meaning? Is it necessary?

Zusammen means “together”, emphasizing that the people are going as a group and not separately.

Wir gehen heute zum Konzert. – We’re going to the concert today. (No information about whether you go as a group or individually.)
Wir gehen heute zusammen zum Konzert. – You’re explicitly saying that you’re going together.

Zusammen is not grammatically necessary, but it adds this nuance.
Position-wise, it fits naturally between heute and zum Konzert (time–manner–place).

What is the gender and plural of “Konzert”, and does that affect this sentence?

Gender: neuter – das Konzert (the concert)
Plural: die Konzerte (the concerts)

Case forms (singular):

Nominative: das Konzert (Das Konzert ist laut.)
Accusative: das Konzert (Wir mögen das Konzert.)
Dative: dem Konzert (Wir gehen zu dem Konzert. → zum Konzert.)
Genitive: des Konzerts (der Klang des Konzerts)

In this sentence, zu forces the dative, so we get zu dem Konzert → zum Konzert. The gender determines that dem is the correct dative article.

How would the meaning change if I used “fahren” instead of “gehen”?

gehen – to go on foot, or more abstractly “go” (to an event)
fahren – to go by vehicle (car, bus, train, bike, etc.)

Compare:

Wir gehen heute zum Konzert.
- Usually understood literally as we’re walking there (or more loosely: we’re going there, with no focus on transport).
Wir fahren heute zum Konzert.
- Implies using some kind of vehicle to get there.

Both are grammatically correct; you choose based on how you’re traveling (or the nuance you want).

Can I say “Wir zusammen gehen heute zum Konzert”?

No, that word order sounds unnatural/wrong in German.

In a main clause:

The finite verb must be in second position (V2 rule).
Adverbs (like heute, zusammen) and prepositional phrases (zum Konzert) go into the “middle field” after the verb.

Correct options include:

Wir gehen heute zusammen zum Konzert.
Wir gehen zusammen heute zum Konzert. (less neutral)
Heute gehen wir zusammen zum Konzert.
Zusammen gehen wir heute zum Konzert. (emphasis on “together”)

“Wir zusammen gehen …” puts zusammen between Wir and gehen, breaking the normal subject–verb order, so it sounds wrong.