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How to Say ‘On Sunday I was at my parents' place.’ in German

Ich war am Sonntag bei meinen Eltern.

ikh vah ahm ZON-tahk bye MY-nen EL-tern

[ikh vah ahm ZON-tahk bye MY-nen EL-tern]

💬 Usage Tip: When you talk about the past, ich war "I was" is used far more than any longer past form of sein. It covers both "I was" and "I've been".

Phrase Breakdown

Ich war am Sonntag

ikh vah ahm ZON-tahk

I was on Sunday

'Am Sonntag' = on Sunday. The 'ch' in 'ich' is soft, like a hiss.

Example

Ich war am Sonntag müde.

I was tired on Sunday.

Words in this phrase

Ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

war

[vah]

was

Past tense of 'is', used to describe something that happened or existed in the past.

Example

Er war ein großer Krieger.

He was a great warrior.

[ahm]

on the

Contracted preposition and article used before days.

Example

Am Montag passt es leider nicht.

On Monday it unfortunately does not work.

Sonntag

[ZON-tahk]

Sunday

The seventh day of the week in Germany; most shops are closed.

Example

Am Sonntag schlafe ich lange.

On Sunday I sleep in.

bei meinen Eltern.

bye MY-nen EL-tern

at my parents' place.

'Bei' + dative = at someone's home. Stress EL- in 'Eltern'.

Example

Wir essen bei meinen Eltern.

We're eating at my parents' place.

Words in this phrase

bei

[bye]

with / at (someone's place)

Preposition with dative; 'bei jemandem' means at someone's home.

Example

Ich wohne bei meiner Oma.

I live at my grandma's.

meinen

[MY-nen]

Possessive 'my' in the accusative masculine form, used for a masculine direct object.

Example

Ich suche meinen Schlüssel.

I'm looking for my key.

Eltern

[EL-tern]

parents

Mother and father together; always plural in German.

Example

Meine Eltern wohnen in Berlin.

My parents live in Berlin.

Guides for German learners

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