Im Kurs lesen wir dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.

German main clauses follow the verb-second rule: the finite verb has to be in the second position.

So in:

Im Kurs lesen wir dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.

the first position is Im Kurs, and the second position is lesen. The subject wir comes after the verb.

Compare:

• Wir lesen im Kurs dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.
• Im Kurs lesen wir dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.

Both are correct. The second version puts a little more emphasis on in class / in the course.

Im is a contraction of in dem.

• in dem Kurs → im Kurs

This is extremely common in German.

Here, in means in and dem is the dative form of der. Because Kurs is masculine, dem is the right form in the dative.

So:

• der Kurs = the course/class
• in dem Kurs = in the course
• im Kurs = same thing, just contracted

The preposition in can take either accusative or dative, depending on meaning:

• accusative for movement toward somewhere
• dative for location

Here, im Kurs describes a location or setting: in class / during the course, not movement into it.

So German uses the dative:

• im Kurs = in dem Kurs

If it were about movement, you might see accusative instead, for example:

• Wir gehen in den Kurs. = We go into the class/course.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Kurs often means:

• a course
• a class
• sometimes a specific lesson group

So Im Kurs lesen wir dieselbe Kurzgeschichte could naturally be understood as:

• In the course, we read the same short story
• In class, we read the same short story

In everyday English, In class is often the most natural translation.

Again, this is because of the German verb-second rule.

In English, the subject usually comes before the verb:

• We read ...

In German, the subject does not always have to come first. If another element is placed first, the verb still stays second:

• Im Kurs = first position
• lesen = second position
• wir = then the subject

This is very normal German word order.

It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of lesen.

Ask: What are we reading?
Answer: dieselbe Kurzgeschichte

So the sentence structure is:

• wir = subject
• lesen = verb
• dieselbe Kurzgeschichte = direct object, therefore accusative

Since Kurzgeschichte is feminine singular, the accusative form here is:

• dieselbe Kurzgeschichte

For feminine singular, the nominative and accusative forms look the same here, so you do not see a visible change.

Dieselbe means the same.

It comes from derselbe / dieselbe / dasselbe, which changes form to match the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Because Kurzgeschichte is feminine singular, the form is:

• dieselbe Kurzgeschichte

This means everyone is reading one and the same short story, not just a similar one.

This is a very common question.

In careful German:

• dieselbe = the very same one
• die gleiche = an identical one / one just like it

So:

• Wir lesen dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.
  = We are all reading the exact same short story.

• Wir lesen die gleiche Kurzgeschichte.
  = This is often used in everyday speech too, but strictly speaking it can mean a copy or an identical version rather than the very same item.

In real-life German, many speakers use dieselbe and die gleiche more loosely than grammar books suggest. But the textbook distinction is still worth knowing.

Because dieselbe is the standard form meaning the same.

It is written as one word:

• derselbe (masculine)
• dieselbe (feminine)
• dasselbe (neuter)

So:

• dieselbe Kurzgeschichte = the same short story

Writing die selbe separately is generally not the standard spelling for this meaning.

Because dieselbe already functions like a determiner.

In English, we say:

• the same short story

In German, dieselbe already includes the idea of the, so you do not add another article:

• dieselbe Kurzgeschichte
• not die dieselbe Kurzgeschichte

So dieselbe is doing the job that the same does in English.

Because all nouns are capitalized in German.

So:

• Kurs
• Kurzgeschichte

both begin with capital letters because they are nouns.

This is one of the most noticeable spelling differences between English and German.

It is a compound noun:

• kurz = short
• Geschichte = story

So Kurzgeschichte literally means short story.

German makes compound nouns very freely, and the last part usually tells you the basic category of the word. Here, the main word is Geschichte, so the whole thing is a kind of story.

Also, Geschichte is feminine, which is why:

• die Kurzgeschichte
• dieselbe Kurzgeschichte

Yes.

German present tense often covers both:

• we read
• we are reading

So:

Im Kurs lesen wir dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.

can mean either, depending on context.

If the context is about what is happening right now, English may prefer:

• In class, we are reading the same short story.

If it is about a regular class activity or a general statement, English may prefer:

• In class, we read the same short story.

German usually does not need a separate progressive form like English does.

You know from both meaning and sentence structure.

In a German main clause, the subject does not have to come first. It can come after the verb if something else is placed in first position.

Here:

• Im Kurs = adverbial phrase
• lesen = finite verb
• wir = subject

So even though wir is after the verb, it is still the one doing the action.

This is perfectly normal in German:

• Heute gehen wir ins Kino.
• Im Kurs lesen wir dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.

Yes, it is completely natural.

It is a normal, clear sentence with standard word order:

• setting first: Im Kurs
• verb second: lesen
• subject after the verb: wir
• object at the end: dieselbe Kurzgeschichte

A speaker might also say:

• Wir lesen im Kurs dieselbe Kurzgeschichte.

That is equally natural, just with a different emphasis.