1

To say "one morning in May I flew to London", should I say

(a) Ein Morgen im Mai bin ich nach London geflogen.

or

(b) Einen Morgen ...

or other possibilities?

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

When you have a when-indication then it is neither "ein Morgen" nor "einen Morgen" but "eines Morgens" or "an einem Morgen". - Eines Morgens wachte Herr K. auf und fand, dass er ein käfer war. (Adapted from Kafka, The Metamorphosis).

By the way, the word Morgen has different meanings:

  • morgen, adverb, is the next day
  • morgens, adverb, means in the morning
  • eines Morgens is an adverb-group, meaning on the morning of a certain day (a when-indication)
  • ein Morgen Land is a measure of area. What a farmer can plough during one morning/the first half of a day.
Improve this answer
1
  • The last bullet point is not to be confused with Morgenland (the East as in the middle/far East)
    – codesparkle
    Feb 19, 2014 at 2:06
2

I would say this is 2. case (Genitiv)

"Eines Morgens im Mai flog ich nach London"

So you have an indefinite article on "morning" because you don't name a specific date and a question like "Q: Wessen Morgen im Mai? A: Eines." That expression is than followed by a dependent clause.

I think it could also have something to do with temporal adverbs

You can find a similar example on Duden in the examples list.

Improve this answer
1
  • There are adverbs of time in German having the form of a genitive. But it is not a normal genitive, it is an "adverbial genitive", a when-indication in the form of a genitive. One might explain: When was it? - It was the time of a (certain) morning. Es war die Zeit irgendeines Morgens.
    – rogermue
    Feb 17, 2014 at 22:05

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.