Learn Hardcore German: Die Zuschauer klatschen laut im Stadion. - The spectators clap loudly in the stadium.

The article die can be feminine singular or plural, but here it’s plural, because…
The verb is klatschen (ending in -en), which is the form used with sie (Plural):
- sie klatscht = she claps
- sie klatschen = they clap
So die Zuschauer klatschen = the spectators clap / are clapping.

Note: the singular is der Zuschauer and the plural is die Zuschauer – the noun itself doesn’t change; only the article and the verb show plural here.

What case is die Zuschauer in, and why isn’t it den Zuschauern?

Die Zuschauer is in the nominative plural case, because it is the subject of the sentence (the ones doing the clapping).

Nominative plural: die Zuschauer – subject
- Die Zuschauer klatschen laut im Stadion.
Dative plural: den Zuschauern – used, for example, as an indirect object
- Den Zuschauern gefällt das Spiel. – The spectators like the game.

So here, since they are the subject, we must use nominative: die Zuschauer.

Why is the verb klatschen and not klatscht?

German verbs change form depending on the subject:

For klatschen (to clap) in the present tense:

ich klatsche
du klatschst
er/sie/es klatscht
wir klatschen
ihr klatscht
sie klatschen

The subject is die Zuschauer = sie (Plural) = they, so the correct form is klatschen.

If it were just one spectator, it would be:

Der Zuschauer klatscht laut im Stadion.

What is the difference between klatschen and applaudieren?

Both can mean to clap / to applaud, but they differ a bit in usage:

klatschen
- More everyday, casual, very common.
- Often used on its own:
  - Die Zuschauer klatschen. – The spectators clap.
- Often combined with Beifall:
  - Die Zuschauer klatschen Beifall. – The spectators applaud.
applaudieren
- Slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.
- Grammatically, it usually takes the dative:
  - Die Zuschauer applaudieren dem Sänger. – The spectators applaud the singer.

In your sentence, klatschen is the most natural verb.

Why is it laut and not laute or lauten?

Here laut is an adverb, describing how they clap (loudly).

In German:

Adjectives before a noun change their ending:
- ein lauter Applaus – a loud applause
- mit lautem Applaus – with loud applause
Adverbs (describing verbs, adjectives, or whole sentences) do not change:
- Die Zuschauer klatschen laut. – The spectators clap loudly.

Since laut describes the verb klatschen, it acts as an adverb and stays in the basic form: laut.

Could I also say Die Zuschauer klatschen im Stadion laut? Is the word order fixed?

Yes, Die Zuschauer klatschen im Stadion laut is grammatically correct, but it has a slightly different rhythm and emphasis.

Neutral, typical order (and the most natural here):

Die Zuschauer klatschen laut im Stadion.
- laut (manner) before im Stadion (place) fits the common order:
  time – cause – manner – place (TeKaMoLo).

If you say:

Die Zuschauer klatschen im Stadion laut.

you push a bit more focus onto im Stadion (as the setting) and then add laut almost as an afterthought. It’s not wrong, but the original sounds more idiomatic for a neutral statement.

What exactly is im in im Stadion, and why is it not in das Stadion?

im is the contraction of in dem:

in = in
dem = dative singular of der/das
in dem Stadion → im Stadion

The preposition in is a two-way preposition (Wechselpräposition). It takes:

Dative when it answers “Where?” (location, no movement):
- Sie sind im Stadion. – They are in the stadium.
Accusative when it answers “Where to?” (movement into):
- Sie gehen in das Stadion. – They go into the stadium.

In your sentence, they are already in the stadium (location), so you need dative: im Stadion (= in dem Stadion).

What gender is Stadion, and what is its plural?

Stadion is neuter:

Singular: das Stadion
Plural: die Stadien

Examples:

Singular: Das Stadion ist voll. – The stadium is full.
Plural: Die Stadien in Deutschland sind modern. – The stadiums in Germany are modern.

In your sentence, im Stadion uses the dative singular of das Stadion:
in dem Stadion → im Stadion.

Is there any difference between Zuschauer and Publikum?

Yes, there is a nuance:

Zuschauer
- Literal meaning: “on-lookers / watchers”.
- Typically used for individual people watching something, especially sports or TV.
- Plural form: die Zuschauer (but the noun itself is the same in singular and plural).
Publikum
- More like audience as a collective group, often for concerts, theater, shows, etc.
- Grammatically singular (das Publikum), but it refers to many people:
  - Das Publikum klatscht. – The audience claps.

In your sentence, die Zuschauer fits very well with im Stadion (sports context).

What tense is klatschen here, and can this form also talk about the future?

Klatschen in this sentence is in the Präsens (present tense).

Die Zuschauer klatschen laut im Stadion.
→ The spectators are clapping / clap loudly in the stadium.

In German, the Präsens can also be used to talk about the near future, especially with a time expression:

Morgen klatschen die Zuschauer wieder im Stadion.
– Tomorrow the spectators will clap in the stadium again.

So the same form klatschen can describe present or scheduled/near-future events, depending on context.

How do you pronounce Zuschauer and Stadion?

Approximate pronunciation:

Zuschauer: [ˈtsuːˌʃaʊ̯ɐ]
- Zu: like tsoo (but short ts
  - long u as in zoo).
- schau: like English shou in shout, but without the final *t.
- er at the end: in many accents like a weak -uh sound.
Stadion: [ˈʃtaːdi̯ɔn]
- Sta: shtaa (German st at the start of a word is often sht).
- di: like dee.
- on: similar to on, not nasal like in French.

So roughly: “TSOO-shou-er” and “SHTAA-dee-on”.