Breakdown of Der Anfang vom Semester ist im September.
sein
to be
vom
from the (von + dem) / of the (belonging to) / by the (agent in a passive clause)
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der September
September
der Anfang
the beginning
das Semester
the semester
Questions & Answers about Der Anfang vom Semester ist im September.
Why does the sentence use vom Semester instead of just von Semester?
vom is a contraction of the preposition von (of/from) and the dative article dem. The preposition von always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. Since Semester is a neuter noun (das Semester), "of the semester" becomes von dem Semester, which is naturally shortened to vom Semester.
Could I use the genitive case here to say "of the semester"?
Yes! You can also say Der Anfang des Semesters. Using the genitive case is more common in formal or written German, while using von + dative (like vom Semester) is very natural and common in everyday spoken German.
Why is it im September rather than just in September?
In German, months, seasons, and most parts of the day use the preposition in combined with the dative masculine article dem, which contracts to im. So, just like you would say im Sommer (in summer), you must say im September (in September).
How does the noun der Anfang relate to the verb for "to begin"?
der Anfang is the noun form of the verb anfangen (to begin or start). Because anfangen is a separable verb, you could actually rephrase this entire sentence using the verb instead of the noun: Das Semester fängt im September an.
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