Breakdown of Im Jahr 1919 ist der Pilot zum ersten Mal gestartet.
sein
to be
das Jahr
the year
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
zum ersten Mal
for the first time
der Pilot
the pilot (m)
starten
to take off (aircraft)
Questions & Answers about Im Jahr 1919 ist der Pilot zum ersten Mal gestartet.
Can I just say in 1919 like we do in English?
No, that is a classic trap! In German, you can either say Im Jahr 1919 (literally 'in the year 1919') or simply use the number by itself: 1919 ist der Pilot... You can never translate the English 'in 1919' directly as in 1919.
Why is the verb ist before the subject der Pilot?
German main clauses strictly follow the verb-second rule. Since the time phrase Im Jahr 1919 takes up the first position in the sentence, the conjugated verb ist must take the second position. This pushes the subject der Pilot right after the verb.
Why do we use zum in the phrase zum ersten Mal?
The set phrase for 'for the first time' is zum ersten Mal. It uses the preposition zu, which always requires the dative case. Since das Mal (the time or occurrence) is neuter, the article becomes dem. Finally, zu and dem merge into the contraction zum.
Why does gestartet use ist instead of hat here?
The verb starten means 'to take off' or 'to depart' in this context, which describes a motion from one place to another. Verbs of motion form their conversational past tense (Perfekt) with sein rather than haben, which is why we see ist here.
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