Learn Hardcore German: Heute bin ich müde, und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit. - Today I am tired, and besides I have a lot of work.

Heute bin ich müde.
– Puts more focus on heute (today).
– Implicit contrast: maybe on other days you are not tired, but today you are.
Ich bin heute müde.
– More neutral; just states when you are tired.

German word order is quite flexible. Time expressions like heute can go at the beginning or later in the sentence, as long as the verb stays in second position in main clauses.

Why is it Heute bin ich müde and not Heute ich bin müde?

In German main clauses, the finite verb must be in second position (the verb-second rule).

Heute bin ich müde.
- Heute = first element
- bin = second element (the finite verb)
- ich müde = rest of the sentence

If you said Heute ich bin müde, the verb (bin) would be in third position, which breaks the rule and sounds wrong to native speakers.

So: exactly one element (a subject, time expression, object, etc.) goes in front of the verb; the verb comes second; everything else comes after.

Why does the verb come before the subject in bin ich and habe ich?

Because something else has been moved to the first position.

In a simple, neutral sentence:

Ich bin müde.
Ich habe viel Arbeit.

the subject (ich) is first, so the verb naturally comes second.

If you put another element first (like heute or außerdem), the verb still has to stay in second place, so the subject moves after the verb:

Heute bin ich müde.
- 1st: Heute
- 2nd: bin
- then: ich müde
Außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.
- 1st: Außerdem
- 2nd: habe
- then: ich viel Arbeit

This “inversion” (verb before subject) is completely normal and very common in German.

Why is there a comma before und in ..., und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit? I thought German often skips commas before und.

The comma here separates two main clauses:

Heute bin ich müde
(und) außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit

In modern German, a comma before coordinating conjunctions like und, oder, aber is often optional when they connect two main clauses. So both of these are correct:

Heute bin ich müde und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.
Heute bin ich müde, und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.

The comma is often used when:

the clauses are a bit longer, or
you want to make the separation clearer.

So the comma here is stylistic, not mandatory, but it’s completely fine.

What exactly does außerdem mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

Außerdem is an adverb meaning roughly:

besides,
in addition,
moreover,
on top of that.

It adds extra information to what was said before.

In main clauses, it typically appears in the "first element" position, triggering inversion:

Außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.
(literally: Besides that, have I a lot of work.)

With a connector like und, the connector is position 0, and außerdem can still be the first element of the clause:

..., und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.

You can also place außerdem a bit later, but then something else must be first:

Ich habe außerdem viel Arbeit. (1st: Ich, 2nd: habe)
Heute habe ich außerdem viel Arbeit. (1st: Heute, 2nd: habe)

All of these are correct; the position changes the rhythm and emphasis slightly.

Could I drop außerdem and just say Heute bin ich müde, und ich habe viel Arbeit?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatical:

Heute bin ich müde, und ich habe viel Arbeit.
Heute bin ich müde, und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.

The difference is nuance:

Without außerdem:
Just lists two facts: I’m tired and I have a lot of work.
With außerdem:
Highlights that the second fact is an additional burden on top of the first:
I’m tired, and on top of that I have a lot of work.

So außerdem adds a slightly more “complaining” or “piling up reasons” feeling.

Could I use auch instead of außerdem, like ..., und auch habe ich viel Arbeit?

Not in that position. Und auch habe ich viel Arbeit sounds unnatural.

You can use auch, but it goes in a different place:

Heute bin ich müde, und ich habe auch viel Arbeit.
Heute bin ich müde, und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.

Both are correct, but:

auch = also, too (more neutral)
außerdem = besides, moreover, on top of that (stronger “extra reason”)

Natural positions for auch are:

Ich habe auch viel Arbeit.
Heute habe ich auch viel Arbeit.

So use auch when you just want to add something; use außerdem when you want to stress that it’s an additional, somewhat separate point.

Why is it viel Arbeit with no article? When would I say viele Arbeiten instead?

Arbeit is usually an uncountable noun, like work in English.

Ich habe viel Arbeit.
= I have a lot of work (in general; not counted items)

No article is used with viel + uncountable noun:

viel Arbeit – a lot of work
viel Zeit – a lot of time
viel Geld – a lot of money

Arbeiten (plural) is used when you talk about separate pieces or types of work:

Ich muss noch viele Arbeiten schreiben.
= I still have to write many papers / assignments.
Die Bauarbeiten dauern noch eine Woche.
= The construction works will last another week.

So:

viel Arbeit = much work in general
viele Arbeiten = many specific jobs/tasks/papers, counted as items

What’s the difference between viel Arbeit haben and viel arbeiten?

They’re related but not identical:

Ich habe viel Arbeit.
= I have a lot of work (ahead of me / on my plate).
Focus: the amount of tasks or workload.
Ich arbeite viel.
= I work a lot (many hours, I spend a lot of time working).
Focus: the amount of time you actually spend working.

Example distinction:

You can have a lot of work but still not work much (you’re procrastinating).
You can work a lot but not have much work (you’re just slow or inefficient).

In your sentence, ich habe viel Arbeit fits because you are listing reasons:
1) I’m tired.
2) I have a lot of work (waiting for me).

Why is Arbeit capitalized, but viel is not?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, regardless of position in the sentence:

Arbeit is a noun → capital A.
Heute, ich, müde, viel, habe, bin, und, außerdem are not nouns → no capital letter (except at the start of the sentence).

So:

Arbeit, Zeit, Haus, Freund → always capitalized
viel, heute, müde, schön, gern → not capitalized (unless at the beginning of a sentence)

Heute is capitalized here only because it’s the first word of the sentence, not because of its word type.

Can I leave out und and just say Außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit as a new sentence?

Yes. Both are correct:

Heute bin ich müde, und außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.
Heute bin ich müde. Außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit.

The version with und:

Feels a bit more flowing and connected.

The version without und:

Makes außerdem stand out more as a separate point.
Can sound slightly more formal or “structured” in writing (like listing arguments).

So it’s a stylistic choice. Grammatically, Außerdem habe ich viel Arbeit is a perfectly fine independent sentence.

Is müde exactly the same as “tired”? Can it also mean “sleepy”?

müde usually translates as tired, and it covers both:

physically tired,
mentally tired,
or sleepy because you need rest.

Context decides which nuance is meant.

Some related words:

schläfrig – sleepy, drowsy (more specifically about wanting to sleep)
erschöpft – exhausted (stronger than müde)
kaputt (colloquial) – worn out, exhausted

In everyday speech, Ich bin müde is used very much like I’m tired in English, and often implies I feel like sleeping.