Breakdown of Zum Frühstück esse ich Müsli mit Quark, Trauben und Kirschen.
und
and
essen
to eat
ich
I
mit
with
Questions & Answers about Zum Frühstück esse ich Müsli mit Quark, Trauben und Kirschen.
What does zum mean, and why is it one word?
Zum is a contraction of zu dem.
- zu = a preposition
- dem = the dative form of das
- das Frühstück is neuter, so after zu it becomes dem Frühstück
So:
- zu dem Frühstück → zum Frühstück
In this sentence, zum Frühstück is the normal German way to say for breakfast or at breakfast.
Why is Frühstück capitalized?
Because Frühstück is a noun, and all German nouns are capitalized.
That is true even when the word would not be capitalized in English.
Compare:
- das Frühstück = the breakfast → capitalized
- frühstücken = to eat breakfast → not capitalized
Why is the word order Zum Frühstück esse ich ... instead of Ich esse ...?
In a German main clause, the finite verb normally has to be in second position.
Here, Zum Frühstück has been placed first. That means the verb esse must come next, and the subject ich comes after it:
- Zum Frühstück | esse | ich ...
This is completely normal German word order.
Could I also say ?