Breakdown of Der Film beginnt um acht Uhr.
acht
eight
der Film
the movie / the film
um
at (time)
die Uhr
the clock / o'clock
beginnen
to begin (formal, more than anfangen)
Questions & Answers about Der Film beginnt um acht Uhr.
How would I use this sentence with nachdem, for example to say 'After we eat, the film begins'?
To use nachdem (after) with a present tense main clause like Der Film beginnt..., the nachdem clause must be in the present perfect tense. You would say: Nachdem wir gegessen haben, beginnt der Film. This shows the eating is fully completed before the film starts.
Why do we use um for 'at' here?
In German, um is specifically used for exact clock times (like um acht Uhr). This is a good time to remind yourself that you use am for days or parts of the day (am Montag) and im for months or seasons (im Sommer).
Is beginnen a separable verb?
No. The prefix be- is inseparable, which means it never detaches to go to the end of the sentence. Because it is inseparable, its past participle does not take an extra ge- prefix, so 'has begun' is simply hat begonnen.
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