Im Dialog lesen wir abwechselnd laut, damit jede Person einmal spricht.

In the dialogue we read aloud in turns so that each person speaks once.

Breakdown of Im Dialog lesen wir abwechselnd laut, damit jede Person einmal spricht.

• wir: we
• lesen: to read
• damit: so that
• im: in the; (masculine or neuter, dative)

Questions & Answers about Im Dialog lesen wir abwechselnd laut, damit jede Person einmal spricht.

Why does the sentence start with Im Dialog? What exactly is im?

Im is a contraction of in dem.

• in = in
• dem = the (dative form)

So im Dialog literally means in the dialogue.

German uses this contraction very often:

• im Haus = in the house
• im Buch = in the book
• im Dialog = in the dialogue

Here it refers to the context or activity: during / in the dialogue.

Why is Dialog capitalized?

Because Dialog is a noun, and all nouns are capitalized in German.

That is why you see:

• der Dialog
• die Person

This is one of the most noticeable differences from English spelling.

What does abwechselnd mean here?