Breakdown of Am Ufer mache ich ein Foto vom Mond, bevor wir nach Hause gehen.
Questions & Answers about Am Ufer mache ich ein Foto vom Mond, bevor wir nach Hause gehen.
am is a contraction of an dem.
- an = at/on (a location boundary)
- dem = dative form of der (masculine/neuter definite article)
So am Ufer literally means an dem Ufer = at the shore/riverbank. Contractions like am, im, zum, vom are very common in everyday German.
Ufer is a neuter noun: das Ufer. In the dative singular (after an used as a location), das becomes dem, so you get an dem Ufer → am Ufer.
Also, the singular is normal here because you’re talking about “the shore” as a place, not multiple shores.
Some prepositions (including an) can take either case:
- Dative = location / “where?” (no movement toward)
- Accusative = direction / “where to?” (movement toward)
Here, Am Ufer mache ich... describes where the photo is taken (location), so it’s dative.
German follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb is in position 2.
If you put something other than the subject first (here: Am Ufer), the verb still must be second, so the subject moves after the verb:
- Am Ufer (1) mache (2) ich (3) ...
This is called inversion and is completely normal.
Yes. That would be the more “neutral” word order: subject first.
Both are correct:
- Am Ufer mache ich... (emphasizes the location / sets the scene)
- Ich mache am Ufer... (emphasizes the subject ich a bit more)
Foto is neuter: das Foto.
So:
- ein Foto (nominative/accusative neuter indefinite article)
Here it’s the direct object of mache, so it’s accusative, and ein Foto stays ein Foto.
German often uses a “light verb” construction: ein Foto machen = to take a photo.
You can also say:
- Ich fotografiere den Mond. = I photograph the moon.
But ein Foto machen is extremely common and natural.
vom is a contraction of von dem.
- von usually takes dative
- dem Mond is dative masculine singular (because der Mond)
So ein Foto vom Mond literally means a photo of/from the moon → idiomatically a photo of the moon.
Both exist, but they feel different:
- ein Foto vom Mond = very common, everyday phrasing
- ein Foto des Mondes = genitive; sounds more formal/literary or like a caption
In modern spoken German, von + dative often replaces the genitive in contexts like this.
Because bevor introduces a subordinate clause (Nebensatz), and German normally requires a comma before subordinate clauses:
- ..., bevor wir nach Hause gehen.
This comma is standard and expected.
In subordinate clauses introduced by words like bevor, weil, dass, wenn, the finite verb typically goes to the end:
- bevor wir nach Hause gehen (verb gehen at the end)
That’s one of the biggest word-order differences from English.
They mean different things:
- nach Hause = to home (direction, going somewhere)
- zu Hause = at home (location, already there)
Since the sentence describes going home, nach Hause gehen is correct.
Yes, often. German frequently uses the present tense for planned or near-future actions when the context makes it clear:
- bevor wir nach Hause gehen = before we go home (later)
You could also say bevor wir nach Hause gehen werden, but that’s usually unnecessary and can sound heavy.
Ufer is the “shore/bank” of an inland body of water (river/lake). For the sea coast you more often hear:
- die Küste (coast)
- der Strand (beach)
That said, context can still allow Ufer in broader use, but it most naturally suggests river/lake.
Approximate pronunciations:
- Ufer: OO-fer (long u)
- Foto: FOH-toh (first syllable stressed)
- bevor: beh-FOR (stress on -vor)
- Hause (in nach Hause): HOW-zuh (the s sounds like z)