Breakdown of Der Erstflug 1903 war ein Meilenstein für die Luftfahrt.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
für
for
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Der Erstflug 1903 war ein Meilenstein für die Luftfahrt.
Why is there no word for 'in' before 1903?
In German, you cannot use in directly before a year like we do in English. You have two choices: either state the year completely by itself (as seen here with 1903), or use the phrase im Jahr 1903 (in the year 1903). Saying in 1903 is always incorrect in German.
Is Erstflug just the words for 'first' and 'flight' pushed together?
Exactly! The prefix Erst- is used to mean 'first' or 'maiden' when attached to a noun. Here it combines with der Flug (the flight) to make der Erstflug (the maiden flight). You will see this prefix in other words too, like die Erstausgabe (the first edition).
Why is it für die Luftfahrt instead of just für Luftfahrt like in the English 'for aviation'?
German generally uses definite articles (der, die, das) for broad, abstract concepts and industries much more often than English does. So 'for aviation' becomes für die Luftfahrt. Also, remember that the preposition für always takes the accusative case, which is why the feminine article stays die.
What makes up the word Luftfahrt?