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Questions & Answers about De film begint straks.
What does the word straks mean in this sentence?
The word straks means “soon” or “shortly.” It indicates that the event (the film beginning) will happen in the near future without specifying an exact time.
Why is the definite article de used with film instead of het?
In Dutch, every noun has a grammatical gender. The noun film is of the common gender, and such nouns take the definite article de rather than het.
How is the verb begint formed, and what is its root form?
Begint is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb beginnen (meaning “to begin”). In Dutch, the infinitive beginnen loses the -en ending and adds a -t in the third-person singular, resulting in begint.
What is the word order in the sentence De film begint straks compared to English?
The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Adverb order. De film is the subject, begint is the verb, and straks is an adverb expressing time. This order is quite similar to English (“The film begins soon”), though Dutch often places time expressions directly after the verb.
Can the sentence be rearranged for emphasis, for example by starting with straks?
Yes, Dutch allows flexible word order. You can say Straks begint de film to emphasize the timing. While the meaning remains the same—“The film begins soon”—this inversion highlights that the film will start shortly.