Heute gehe ich trotz allem früh ins Bett, weil ich morgen wieder Nachtschicht habe.

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Questions & Answers about Heute gehe ich trotz allem früh ins Bett, weil ich morgen wieder Nachtschicht habe.

Why is it Heute gehe ich and not Ich gehe heute?

Both are correct. German allows flexible word order, but the finite verb (here gehe) must be in position 2 in a main clause.

  • If you start with Heute (a time expression in position 1), the verb stays in position 2 and the subject moves after it: Heute gehe ich …
  • If you start with the subject, you get the more neutral: Ich gehe heute …
    Starting with Heute puts a bit more focus on today (as opposed to other days).
Why does the verb go to the end in weil ich morgen wieder Nachtschicht habe?

Weil introduces a subordinate clause, and in subordinate clauses the finite verb goes to the end.
So: weil … habe (not weil … ich habe).
This is one of the most important word-order rules in German.

Why is there a comma before weil?
In German, subordinate clauses are normally separated with a comma from the main clause. Since weil starts a subordinate clause, you write: …, weil ….
What exactly does trotz allem mean, and how is it used?

Trotz allem means despite everything / in spite of everything. It’s a fixed phrase often used to signal: even though there are reasons not to, I’ll do it anyway.
It works like an adverbial phrase and can be placed fairly flexibly, but it’s very common in the middle field: … gehe ich trotz allem früh ins Bett …

Is trotz followed by dative or genitive? Why is it trotz allem?

Traditionally, trotz takes the genitive, and trotz allem reflects that: allem is the genitive form here (historically; it matches the dative form in this case).
In everyday speech, many speakers also use dative after trotz (more common in some regions), but trotz allem is standard and very common as a set expression.

What is going on with ins Bett? Why not in das Bett?

Ins is just a contraction of in + das:

  • in das Bettins Bett
    This contraction is extremely common in spoken and written German.
Why is it ins Bett (accusative) and not im Bett (dative)?

Because German uses:

  • accusative with in to express movement/direction (into): ins Bett gehen (go to bed)
  • dative with in to express location (in/inside): im Bett sein (be in bed)
Is früh ins Bett gehen a fixed phrase? Where does früh go?

Yes, ins Bett gehen is the standard way to say to go to bed. Adding früh gives to go to bed early.
Position is flexible, but the common, natural order is: früh ins Bett. You can also say ins Bett gehen, und zwar früh, but früh ins Bett gehen is the normal phrasing.

Why is German using present tense (gehe, habe) even though it’s about tonight and tomorrow?

German often uses the present tense for near-future plans when a time word makes the timing clear: Heute, morgen.
So Heute gehe ich … and morgen … habe are completely normal. You can use werde for future, but it’s usually unnecessary here.

What does wieder mean here, and where does it go?

Wieder means again (or once more). Here it implies: you have night shift again (it’s returning on your schedule).
Its position is typical: it sits before what it modifies—often before the noun phrase or the part that’s being repeated: morgen wieder Nachtschicht.

Why do you say Nachtschicht habe (“have night shift”)? Why not a verb like “work”?

German commonly uses Schicht haben to mean to be scheduled for a shift / to be on shift. It’s idiomatic:

  • Ich habe morgen Nachtschicht. = I’m on the night shift tomorrow / I have a night shift tomorrow.
    You could also say Ich arbeite morgen in der Nachtschicht, but Nachtschicht haben is shorter and very common.
Should there be an article: eine/die Nachtschicht?

Often no article is used when you mean the concept of being assigned that type of shift: Ich habe morgen Nachtschicht.
You can use an article depending on meaning:

  • Ich habe morgen eine Nachtschicht. = I have a (one) night shift tomorrow (more countable, one specific shift).
  • Ich habe morgen die Nachtschicht. = I have the night shift (the specific one in a roster, as opposed to someone else).
Why are Heute, Bett, and Nachtschicht capitalized?

German capitalizes:

  • all nouns: Bett, Nachtschicht
  • and words used as nouns (not the case here)
    Heute is capitalized because it’s the first word of the sentence (normally it would be lowercase in the middle of a sentence: … weil ich heute …)