Breakdown of Im Jahr 1932 war der Flug zwar gefährlich, aber die Pilotin hat den Atlantik wieder überquert.
sein
to be
haben
to have
aber
but
das Jahr
the year
wieder
again
gefährlich
dangerous
der Flug
the flight
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
zwar
admittedly
die Pilotin
the pilot (f)
der Atlantik
the Atlantic
überqueren
to cross
Questions & Answers about Im Jahr 1932 war der Flug zwar gefährlich, aber die Pilotin hat den Atlantik wieder überquert.
Why do we say Im Jahr 1932 here instead of just 1932?
Both are correct! In German, you can state a year by simply saying the number on its own (like 1932 war der Flug...). If you want to use the equivalent of "in", you must use the full phrase im Jahr (or im Jahre). You cannot just say in 1932 like we do in English.
How does the pair zwar ..., aber work in this sentence?
zwar ... aber is a common two-part connector meaning "admittedly ... but" or "it is true that ... but". Here, zwar acknowledges the fact that the flight was dangerous, and aber introduces the contrast: she crossed the Atlantic anyway.
Why is the word order war der Flug instead of der Flug war?
German uses "verb-second" word order in main clauses, meaning the conjugated verb (war) must be the second element. Because the time phrase Im Jahr 1932 takes up the first position, the subject (der Flug) has to slide to the other side of the verb.
Why doesn't the past participle überquert have a ge- prefix?
Verbs that start with the prefix über- are usually inseparable, especially when they mean to physically cross something like a street or an ocean. Inseparable verbs do not take the ge- prefix to form the past participle, so überqueren simply becomes überquert.
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