Questions & Answers about Wann fängt die Schule an?
Why is the word an at the very end of the sentence?
The verb here is anfangen (to start). It is a 'separable verb.' When you use it in a present tense sentence, it splits in two: the main part (fängt) takes the normal verb position right after the question word, and the prefix (an) gets kicked all the way to the end of the sentence.
The dictionary says 'to start' is anfangen. Why is it spelled fängt here?
anfangen is an irregular verb. When conjugated for third-person singular subjects like 'he', 'she', or 'it' (in this case, 'it' being die Schule), the vowel a changes to ä. That is why it becomes fängt.
Why do we say die Schule ('the school') when the English translation is just 'school'?
In English, we drop the 'the' when talking about institutions in a general sense, like 'school starts' or 'going to church'. German prefers to keep the definite article. Since Schule is a feminine noun, it uses the article die.
Why isn't there a translation for the word 'does' in the German sentence?
German doesn't use helping words like 'do' or 'does' to make questions. Instead of asking 'When does school start?', German just puts the action verb directly after the question word, literally asking 'When starts the school?'
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