- Forum >
- Topic: German >
- "I go to bed at ten."
"I go to bed at ten."
Translation:Ich gehe um zehn ins Bett.
33 Comments
EDIT: See below for a native-speaker's input!
By my understanding, it would unusually emphasise um zehn. Duo's example is more neutral-sounding in its emphasis.
Resources:
https://yourdailygerman.com/2015/01/07/german-word-order/
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~deutsch/Grammatik/WordOrder/WordOrder.html
Sorry, I disagree. The word order of Sebasann sounds strange. The word order is incorrect, even by using a strong emphasis. I would always say:
- Ich gehe um zehn ins Bett.
- or Um zehn gehe ich ins Bett.
- or Ins Bett gehe ich um zehn.
914
But why? Though? Is time always before space except when the space is emphasized to the beginning?
German syntax follows the following order Time > Manner > Place. Here "um elf" is time and "ins bett" is place so "um elf" comes first. Other orders will sound extremely weird. It would be like saying in English : "I'm going by car at night home" as opposed to : "I'm going home by car at night" (English has a different adverb order).
You can say it Time, Manner, Location (TeMPo), it's easier to remember for learners ;)
I don't understand why not either. Same problem with me. Anyway, if both make sense, or any other versions as others have written, then why say it is wrong? We are at a very inexpert level here and it is complicated enough! And don't do it without explanation when so many posts query it!
German follows the TeMPo rule: Time, Manner, Location.
"I go this summer by car to the beach". Sounds complicated but German was created to give a hard time to the people who are crazy enough to want to learn it!
My German teacher in France always told me to remember the TeMPo! Temps, Manière, Lieu which in English would be Time, Manner (way), Location (place).
Remember: TeMPo!
I am guessing that the preposition um can mean at. I thought it meant around or about. Would this sentence be clear that you are saying you go to bed at ten o'clock and not around ten o'clock?
Um is used with specific time and means in that context "at" : "um sechs Uhr", "um zwei Uhr sechzehn"...
It is a correct German sentence, but the meaning is not exactly the same. Would be "I go to sleep" rather than "I go to bed". You may consider that nit-picky, but I remember that, when I was young, I always told my parents I'd go to bed, because I didn't plan to sleep but rather read.
Because "zu Bett" is a fixed expression for saying that you go to sleep. If you say "zum Bett" it will be understood only as that you are moving towards the bed.
Btw., it's the same in English: "go to bed" vs. "go to the bed".
You mean "ins Bett" is a fixed expression for saying that you go to sleep.
No, I meant "zu Bett". You can say "ins Bett" as well. The latter is more common today, "zu Bett" is a more elvated style.
This has already been answered before. Please check all comments before posting to keep the forums clear.
To answer your question :
German syntax follows the following order Time > Manner > Place. Here "um elf" is time and "ins bett" is place so "um elf" comes first. Other orders will sound extremely weird. It would be like saying in English : "I'm going by car at night home" as opposed to : "I'm going home by car at night" (English has a different adverb order).
German follows the TeMPo rule: Time, Manner, Location.
"I go this summer by car to the beach". Sounds complicated but German was created to give a hard time to the people who are crazy enough to want to learn it!
Why isn't "zehn Uhr" correct, when it means 10 O'clock? It should mean the same thing.
Please, when your answer is marked wrong, copy-paste the full answer. Your mistake might lie elsewhere (the words order for example) and not in zehn Uhr in itself.
This choice of preposition gets me every time because (I personally, I guess) make a clear distinction between going TO bed and getting IN bed.
Going in bed doesn't make sense in English. You "go to bed" or you "GET INTO bed." "Go IN bed" doesn't exist. But in German the difference exists. "Ich gehe ins bett", means going to sleep, and "Ich gehe zum bett" means more or less "I am going towards the bed".
