Abends lasse ich den Rollladen unten, damit das Schlafzimmer dunkel bleibt.

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Breakdown of Abends lasse ich den Rollladen unten, damit das Schlafzimmer dunkel bleibt.

• bleiben: to stay
• dunkel: dark
• damit: so that

Questions & Answers about Abends lasse ich den Rollladen unten, damit das Schlafzimmer dunkel bleibt.

Why is ich after abends? Why not Ich lasse abends ...?

Because German main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

In this sentence, abends is placed first for emphasis or style. Once that happens, the conjugated verb must still stay in position 2:

• Abends lasse ich den Rollladen unten.
• Ich lasse abends den Rollladen unten.

Both are correct. The first one highlights in the evenings a bit more.

What does abends mean exactly, and why does it end in -s?

Abends means in the evening / in the evenings.

The -s is part of a common adverb form used with times of day:

• morgens = in the morning(s)
• mittags = at noon / midday
• nachmittags = in the afternoon(s)
• abends = in the evening(s)
• nachts = at night

So here abends is an adverb, not a noun phrase.

What is Rollladen? Is it the same as a curtain or a blind?

A Rollladen is usually a roller shutter, often the solid shutter on the outside of a window that can be pulled down.

It is not exactly the same as:

• der Vorhang = curtain
• die Jalousie = Venetian blind / slatted blind
• das Rollo = roller blind

So Rollladen usually suggests something sturdier and better at blocking light.