Am Ende hängt das Regal waagerecht, und meine Schwester ist zufrieden.

Am is the contraction of an dem.

So:

• an dem Ende → am Ende

In German, these contractions are very common and usually sound more natural than the full form. In this expression, am Ende is the standard wording.

Also, because am = an dem, the noun Ende is in the dative here.

Here Am Ende means something like in the end, finally, or by the end.

It does not usually mean a physical location here, like at the end of something. Instead, it refers to the result after some process. In this context, the idea is probably:

• after all the work,
• once everything is done,
• the final result is that the shelf is level and the sister is satisfied.

Because German main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position, no matter what comes first.

So in:

• Am Ende | hängt | das Regal | waagerecht

the first position is the whole phrase Am Ende, and the verb hängt must come next.

If the sentence started with the subject, it would be:

• Das Regal hängt am Ende waagerecht.

But since Am Ende is moved to the front, the subject das Regal comes after the verb.

Because Regal is a neuter noun in German.

Its nominative singular article is therefore das:

• das Regal = the shelf

This is just something you have to learn with the noun. German articles are tied to grammatical gender, not natural gender.

German often uses different verbs depending on the position of an object:

• stehen = stand upright
• liegen = lie flat
• hängen = hang / be suspended

A shelf attached to a wall is commonly described with hängen, because it is mounted and hanging there.

So:

• Das Regal hängt an der Wand. = The shelf is hanging / mounted on the wall.

Using hängt here sounds more natural than just ist, because it describes the shelf’s physical placement.

Waagerecht means horizontal or level.

In this sentence it describes the position of the shelf:

• Das Regal hängt waagerecht. = The shelf is hanging level / horizontally.

It is an adjective in form, but here it is used predicatively or adverbially, meaning it describes the result or state rather than standing directly before a noun.

Because it is not placed before a noun.

German adjectives only take endings when they come directly before a noun:

• das waagerechte Regal = the level shelf

But after verbs like sein, bleiben, hängen, liegen, or stehen, the adjective usually has no ending:

• Das Regal ist waagerecht.
• Das Regal hängt waagerecht.

So waagerecht stays unchanged here.

Because meine Schwester is the subject of the second clause, so it is in the nominative.

Also:

• Schwester is a feminine noun
• the nominative singular form of mein with a feminine noun is meine

So:

• meine Schwester = my sister

Because zufrieden is a predicate adjective after sein.

Predicate adjectives do not take endings in German:

• Meine Schwester ist zufrieden. = My sister is satisfied/pleased.

But if the adjective comes before a noun, it does take an ending:

• meine zufriedene Schwester = my satisfied sister

So:

• after sein → zufrieden
• before a noun → zufriedene

When und connects two main clauses, the comma is often optional in modern German.

So both of these can be acceptable:

• Am Ende hängt das Regal waagerecht und meine Schwester ist zufrieden.
• Am Ende hängt das Regal waagerecht, und meine Schwester ist zufrieden.

Writers may include the comma to make the structure clearer or to show a slight pause.

No. Und is a coordinating conjunction, so it does not send the verb to the end.

The second clause keeps normal main-clause word order:

• meine Schwester ist zufrieden

Compare this with a subordinating conjunction like weil, where the verb goes to the end:

• ..., weil meine Schwester zufrieden ist.

So after und, the clause stays a normal main clause.

Yes. Both are in the present tense.

• hängt = present tense of hängen
• ist = present tense of sein

In German, the present tense often covers both English simple present and present progressive, depending on context. So:

• Das Regal hängt waagerecht can mean The shelf hangs level or The shelf is hanging level
• meine Schwester ist zufrieden = my sister is satisfied / pleased

Usually zufrieden means satisfied, pleased, or content.

In this sentence, pleased or satisfied is probably the best choice, because it suggests that the result is acceptable to the sister.

So the feeling is not just general happiness; it is more specifically:

• she approves,
• she is content with the outcome,
• she thinks the shelf is correctly installed.