Im Dezember sagt unsere Verwandtschaft immer, dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind.

In December our relatives always say that these evenings are the most beautiful part of the year.

Breakdown of Im Dezember sagt unsere Verwandtschaft immer, dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind.

• sein: to be
• in: in
• der Abend: the evening
• unser: our
• dass: that
• immer: always
• sagen: to say
• das Jahr: the year
• diese: these
• die Verwandtschaft: the relatives
• der Dezember: December
• das Schönste: the most beautiful thing

Questions & Answers about Im Dezember sagt unsere Verwandtschaft immer, dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind.

Why is it im Dezember and not in Dezember?

Im is a contraction of in dem. With months, German normally uses in + dative, so im Dezember is the standard way to say in December.

You will see the same pattern in:

• im Januar
• im Sommer
• im Jahr 2025

So here im Dezember is just the normal time expression.

Why is sagt in second position even though the sentence starts with Im Dezember?

German main clauses follow the verb-second rule. That means the finite verb must come in the second slot, no matter what comes first.

In this sentence:

• Im Dezember = first slot
• sagt = finite verb in second slot
• unsere Verwandtschaft = subject after the verb

So the structure is completely normal for German: Im Dezember sagt unsere Verwandtschaft immer, ...

If you started with the subject instead, that would also work: Unsere Verwandtschaft sagt im Dezember immer, ...

What exactly does unsere Verwandtschaft mean, and why is the verb singular?

Verwandtschaft is a collective noun. It means something like our relatives or our extended family/kin taken as one group.

Because it is grammatically singular, the verb is singular too:

• unsere Verwandtschaft sagt not
• unsere Verwandtschaft sagen

If you wanted to focus on the individual relatives, you could say: unsere Verwandten sagen ... That would use a plural verb.

Why is immer placed there? Could it go somewhere else?

Yes, immer can move, but its current position is very natural.

In Im Dezember sagt unsere Verwandtschaft immer, dass ... immer sits in the middle of the main clause and modifies sagt or the whole statement: they always say this.

Other word orders are possible, for example:

• Unsere Verwandtschaft sagt im Dezember immer, dass ...
• Immer sagt unsere Verwandtschaft im Dezember, dass ...
  This is possible, but it sounds more marked or stylistically emphasized.

So the version in your sentence is the neutral, natural one.

Why is there a comma before dass?

In German, a subordinate clause introduced by dass must be separated from the main clause by a comma.

So:

• main clause: Im Dezember sagt unsere Verwandtschaft immer
• subordinate clause: dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind

This comma is not optional in standard German.

Is dass the same as das?

No.

• dass is a conjunction meaning that
• das is usually an article or pronoun meaning the or that/it

In your sentence, dass introduces a subordinate clause: ..., dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind.

A useful test is this:

• If it links two clauses, it is usually dass.
• If it can be replaced by which or works like an article, it is usually das.

Why does sind come at the very end of the dass clause?

Because dass introduces a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses normally send the finite verb to the end.

So:

• main clause: sagt is in second position
• subordinate clause: sind goes to the end

That is why you get: ..., dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind.

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in German.

What case is diese Abende?

It is nominative plural, because it is the subject of the subordinate clause.

You can tell because it is the thing that are something: diese Abende ... sind ...

So in the clause dass diese Abende das Schönste im Jahr sind the subject is diese Abende.

Why is it das Schönste even though Abende is plural?

Because das Schönste here is not simply describing Abende as a plural adjective. It is a nominalized superlative: literally something like the most beautiful thing or the best part.

So the sentence does not mean:

• these evenings are the most beautiful evenings

It means more like:

• these evenings are the best/nicest thing in the year

German often uses neuter singular for this kind of abstract idea:

• das Beste
• das Schönste
• das Wichtigste

That is why das Schönste is singular and neuter.

What case is das Schönste here?

It is also nominative.

After the verb sein, German uses a predicate nominative, not an accusative object. So both parts are nominative:

• diese Abende = nominative subject
• das Schönste im Jahr = nominative predicate

This is similar to English in sentences like He is the winner.

Why is it im Jahr? Could German also say des Jahres?

Yes. Im Jahr is a normal, everyday way to say in the year or during the year.

So: das Schönste im Jahr means the nicest/best thing in the year.

You could also hear: das Schönste des Jahres This means almost the same thing, but it sounds a bit more compact, formal, or literary.

So:

• das Schönste im Jahr = very natural and everyday
• das Schönste des Jahres = also correct, slightly more elevated in style

Could you say am schönsten instead of das Schönste?

Yes, but it would mean something slightly different.

• Diese Abende sind das Schönste im Jahr.
  = These evenings are the best/nicest thing in the year.

• Diese Abende sind am schönsten.
  = These evenings are the nicest/most beautiful.

The first uses a noun-like phrase, das Schönste, and treats the evenings as the best thing.
The second simply says that the evenings are most beautiful, usually in comparison with other times or evenings.

So both are correct, but they are not exactly the same idea.