Breakdown of Im Sommer helfe ich außerdem ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
Questions & Answers about Im Sommer helfe ich außerdem ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in second position (the “verb‑second rule”).
- Im Sommer = 1st element (a time phrase)
- helfe = 2nd element (the verb)
- ich = 3rd element (the subject)
So: Im Sommer helfe ich … is correct.
Im Sommer ich helfe … would put the verb in 3rd position, which breaks the rule and is ungrammatical in a normal main clause.
Yes, you can say:
- Ich helfe im Sommer außerdem ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
Both versions are correct:
Im Sommer helfe ich außerdem ehrenamtlich …
– Emphasis on “in summer / during the summer” (when you do it).Ich helfe im Sommer außerdem ehrenamtlich …
– More neutral emphasis on “I”, then you add when, how, and where.
German lets you move such adverbial parts (time, place, manner) around for emphasis, as long as the verb stays in 2nd position.
Im is a contraction of in dem.
- in = in
- dem = “the” in dative singular, masculine or neuter
So:
- Im Sommer = in dem Sommer = in (the) summer / during summer
We almost always say im Sommer, not in dem Sommer, unless we want to be very specific (e.g. in dem Sommer, als ich 18 war – “in the summer when I was 18”).
Yes, in German, seasons are nouns and are therefore capitalized:
- der Sommer (summer)
- der Winter (winter)
- der Frühling (spring)
- der Herbst (autumn/fall)
They stay capitalized whether you use them alone (Sommer) or in a phrase like im Sommer, because all nouns are capitalized in German.
Außerdem is an adverb meaning in addition / besides / furthermore. In a main clause, it usually appears early in the “middle field” (the part between the verb and sentence-final elements).
Your sentence:
- Im Sommer (1st position)
- helfe (2nd position, verb)
- ich (subject)
- außerdem ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See (middle field/rest)
Other natural options:
- Außerdem helfe ich im Sommer ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
- Ich helfe außerdem im Sommer ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
What you cannot do in a normal main clause is put außerdem in first position and then something before the verb, like:
- ✗ Außerdem ich helfe im Sommer … (wrong – verb is not in 2nd position)
So: außerdem is fairly flexible, but the main verb must stay in 2nd place.
Both can be translated as also, but they’re used differently.
außerdem = in addition, furthermore, besides that
- introduces an extra, somewhat separate piece of information
- often at the start of a clause
- sounds a bit more structured or formal
auch = also, too, as well
- directly adds something to what was said before
- is often closer to the word it modifies
Compare:
Im Sommer helfe ich außerdem ehrenamtlich …
→ In summer, I also (in addition to other things) volunteer …Im Sommer helfe ich auch ehrenamtlich …
→ Could sound like: In summer, I also help on a voluntary basis (besides doing something else in the same place, or besides helping in some other way).
Both are possible, but außerdem feels more like “this is one more separate activity I do.”
ehrenamtlich means “on an honorary/voluntary basis, unpaid”, typically in an organized role (club, association, charity, public institution).
- ehrenamtlich arbeiten / helfen = to work/help in an unpaid, usually official function.
freiwillig means voluntary (not forced, done of one’s own free will), and doesn’t itself say anything about payment or an official role.
- You can do freiwillig overtime at work and still get paid.
- You can do ehrenamtlich work in a club and not get paid.
In your sentence, ehrenamtlich is very natural: it suggests you’re doing organized unpaid work in the youth hostel.
Because in can take either dative or accusative:
- dative = location (where something is)
- accusative = direction (where something is going)
Here we are describing where you help: in a youth hostel → that’s location, so we use the dative.
- feminine noun: die Jugendherberge
- dative singular: der Jugendherberge
- with indefinite article: einer Jugendherberge
Compare:
- Ich helfe in einer Jugendherberge. (location → dative)
- Ich gehe in eine Jugendherberge. (direction → accusative)
Jugendherberge is:
- gender: feminine
- nominative singular: die Jugendherberge
- dative singular: der Jugendherberge
With the indefinite article (“a”):
- nominative: eine Jugendherberge
- dative: einer Jugendherberge
In the sentence, in einer Jugendherberge is a dative phrase indicating location → so we use einer.
Jugendherberge is a compound noun:
- die Jugend = youth
- die Herberge = hostel, lodging
Together: die Jugendherberge = youth hostel (a hostel, typically for young people, school groups, hikers, etc.).
Some forms:
- singular: die Jugendherberge
- plural: die Jugendherbergen
- dative singular (with “in” for location): in der / in einer Jugendherberge
am is a contraction of an dem:
- an = at, on, by
- dem = dative singular (masculine or neuter)
So:
- an dem See → am See
We choose dem (dative) here because we talk about location: at/by the lake.
- Ich bin am See. (location → dative: an dem See)
- Ich gehe an den See. (direction → accusative: an den See)
In your sentence, you’re describing where the youth hostel is located: am See = by the lake (dative).
See can mean two different things in German, with two different genders:
der See (masculine) = lake
- der See, am See, an den See
die See (feminine, mostly singular) = sea (often in poetic or set phrases)
- zur See fahren, auf See sein
In am See with the meaning by the lake, See is masculine: der See → dative: dem See → am See.
Yes, helfen usually takes a dative object (the person you are helping):
- Ich helfe den Kindern. – I help the children.
- Ich helfe meinen Eltern.
In your sentence, the recipient of help is not mentioned. The focus is on the activity and place, not on whom you’re helping:
- Im Sommer helfe ich außerdem ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
This is like saying in English:
In summer I also volunteer at a youth hostel by the lake.
We understand that you help the people there (guests, staff, youth groups), but German doesn’t need to spell that out.
You could say:
- Im Sommer arbeite ich außerdem ehrenamtlich in einer Jugendherberge am See.
Both are grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:
- helfen = to help, support, assist; implies you’re giving help to someone/something. Very common with ehrenamtlich for charity/social work.
- arbeiten = to work; more neutral, focuses on the fact that you are performing work (paid or unpaid).
With ehrenamtlich, helfen strongly suggests voluntary support / volunteering.
arbeiten + ehrenamtlich is also fine; it just highlights the “work” aspect a bit more.