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Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.

Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.
In the course one person is allowed to read the dialogue aloud each day.
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Questions & Answers about Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.

Why is it Im Kurs and not In dem Kurs? What does im mean?

Im is simply the contracted form of in dem.

  • in = in
  • dem = the (dative, masculine or neuter singular)
  • in dem Kurs → im Kurs

You use in + dative when you talk about a location (where something happens):

  • im Kurs = in the course / in class (location, dative)
  • in dem Raum → im Raum (in the room)
  • in dem Büro → im Büro (in the office)

So im Kurs is grammatically:
in (preposition) + dem (dative article) + Kurs (dative noun) → contracted to im Kurs.

Why is the verb darf in second position after Im Kurs?

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

In the sentence:

Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.

  • First position (slot 1): Im Kurs (a prepositional phrase)
  • Second position (slot 2): darf (finite verb, from dürfen)

Everything else (time, subject, object, adverbs, infinitives) comes after the finite verb:

  • Im Kurs | darf | jeden Tag | eine Person | den Dialog | laut | vorlesen.

If you moved the subject to the front, the verb would still stay in second position:

  • Eine Person darf im Kurs jeden Tag den Dialog laut vorlesen.
Why is it darf and not kann? Aren’t both “can”?

Both dürfen and können are often translated as “can”, but they are different:

  • dürfen = to be allowed to, to have permission to
  • können = to be able to, to have the ability/possibility to

In the sentence:

Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.

the idea is about permission in the course (a rule: one person is allowed each day), not about who is physically able to read.

Compare:

  • Im Kurs darf nur eine Person sprechen.
    → Only one person is allowed to speak.
  • Im Kurs kann nur eine Person sprechen.
    → Only one person is able to speak (sounds like the others have no ability to speak at all – usually not what you mean).

So darf is correct here because we’re talking about what is permitted.

Why is jeden Tag in the accusative and not dative?

Jeden Tag is an example of the accusative of time. German often uses the accusative case to say “for how long” or “when/how often” without a preposition:

  • jeden Tag = every day (accusative)
  • nächsten Montag = next Monday (accusative)
  • den ganzen Abend = the whole evening (accusative)

The noun Tag is masculine. The accusative masculine singular article/adjective ending is:

  • der Tag (nominative)
  • den Tag (accusative)
  • jeder Tag (theoretically nominative)
  • jeden Tag (accusative)

So jeden shows accusative masculine singular.

You could also use a preposition like an or an jedem Tag, but jeden Tag is the normal, short way to say “every day”.

Where can I put jeden Tag in the sentence? Is the current position fixed?

The position of jeden Tag is flexible. Adverbials (time, place, manner) can often move around as long as the verb stays in second position.

Original:

  • Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.

Other natural options:

  • Im Kurs darf eine Person jeden Tag den Dialog laut vorlesen.
  • Jeden Tag darf im Kurs eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.
  • Eine Person darf im Kurs jeden Tag den Dialog laut vorlesen.

Neutral “typical” order (time–manner–place is a common rule of thumb, but not strict):

  • Time: jeden Tag
  • Place: im Kurs

So you might also hear:

  • Jeden Tag darf eine Person im Kurs den Dialog laut vorlesen.

All of these are grammatically correct; the choice slightly changes emphasis, not basic meaning.

How do I know that eine Person is the subject and den Dialog is the object?

You identify subject and object mainly by case, not position.

  • eine Person is in the nominative:
    • Feminine nominative singular: eine Person
  • den Dialog is in the accusative:
    • Masculine accusative singular: den Dialog

Basic pattern:

[Subject, nominative] + [verb] + [direct object, accusative]

So:

  • eine Person (nominative) = the subject (who does something)
  • den Dialog (accusative) = the direct object (what is being read)

This remains true even if you move parts around:

  • Den Dialog darf im Kurs jeden Tag eine Person laut vorlesen.

The case endings still show:

  • eine Person = nominative → subject
  • den Dialog = accusative → object

So in German, word order is more flexible because case endings carry this grammatical information.

Why is it den Dialog and not der Dialog?

Because Dialog is masculine and is used here as a direct object → accusative case.

Masculine singular definite article:

  • Nominative: der Dialog (subject)
  • Accusative: den Dialog (direct object)

In the sentence:

… eine Person [liest] den Dialog …

den Dialog answers: “What is being read?” → direct object → accusative.

If Dialog were the subject, you’d have nominative der Dialog:

  • Der Dialog wird im Kurs laut vorgelesen.
    (The dialog is read aloud in the course.)

So the switch der → den signals the change from subject to object.

Why does the sentence use eine Person instead of just saying “someone” (jemand)?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different flavors:

  • eine Person = one person (literally one individual; a bit more neutral/formal)
  • jemand = someone (an indefinite pronoun; sounds a bit less formal)

Your sentence:

Im Kurs darf jeden Tag eine Person den Dialog laut vorlesen.

suggests a rule or organization: each day one person is allowed to read the dialog aloud. It’s a bit like saying “one person per day”.

Compare:

  • Im Kurs darf jeden Tag jemand den Dialog laut vorlesen.
    → “Every day someone is allowed to read the dialog aloud.”
    This focuses more on the fact that there is some person each day, but not on the “one-person rule”.

Using eine Person makes it clearer that we’re talking about exactly one person per day (not several), and sounds a bit more formal or rule-like.

What does laut do here? Is it an adjective or an adverb, and why doesn’t it change form?

In this sentence, laut is an adverb meaning “aloud” / “out loud” / “loudly”:

den Dialog laut vorlesen = to read the dialog aloud

Adverbs in German (like in English) do not decline: they don’t change endings for gender, number, or case. So laut stays laut in all contexts when used adverbially:

  • Er spricht laut. – He speaks loudly.
  • Sie liest den Text laut vor. – She reads the text aloud.

When laut is an adjective before a noun, it does change endings:

  • ein lauter Dialog (a loud dialogue – nominative masculine)
  • einen lauten Dialog (accusative masculine)
  • eine laute Stimme (a loud voice – nominative feminine)

In your sentence, since laut describes how the reading is done (manner), not a noun, it is an adverb, so it keeps the base form.

What is vorlesen, and why is lesen at the end while darf is in the middle?

Vorlesen is a separable verb:

  • lesen = to read
  • vorlesen = to read aloud (to someone)

In the infinitive form, it’s written as one word: vorlesen.
In a normal present-tense sentence without a modal verb, it splits:

  • Ich lese den Dialog vor.
    (finite verb lese in 2nd position, separable prefix vor at the end)

With a modal verb like dürfen, the structure changes:

  • The modal verb is conjugated and stands in second position: darf
  • The main verb stays in the infinitive at the end of the clause: vorlesen

So:

Im Kurs darf … vorlesen.

The prefix vor- stays attached to lesen in the infinitive vorlesen; it is not separated in this modal + infinitive construction.

Other examples:

  • Sie will den Dialog vorlesen.
  • Wir müssen den Text noch einmal vorlesen.

In all those, the finite verb (will, müssen, darf) is second, and the infinitive (vorlesen) is at the end.