Breakdown of Filmen begynder præcis kvart over syv.
syv
seven
begynde
to begin
filmen
the film
præcis
exactly
Questions & Answers about Filmen begynder præcis kvart over syv.
Why is there no word for 'a' before kvart? In English we say 'a quarter past'.
In Danish, you don't use the article en (a) when telling time with kvart. You just say kvart over (quarter past) or kvart i (quarter to).
How does the word over work when telling time?
Just like in English, over is used to mean 'past' the hour. So, kvart over syv translates directly to 'quarter past seven'. If the film were starting at 6:45, you would use i (to) instead: kvart i syv (quarter to seven).
What does præcis mean here, and could it go somewhere else in the sentence?
præcis means 'exactly' or 'precisely'. It sits right before the time phrase (kvart over syv) because it directly describes it. You will also often hear it placed at the very end of the sentence.
Why does the sentence start with Filmen instead of a separate word for 'the'?
In Danish, 'the' is usually expressed by adding a suffix to the end of the noun rather than using a separate word in front. Since film is an en-word, adding -en to the end gives you filmen (the film).