Der Stern am Himmel beginnt zu leuchten, wenn die Nacht dunkel wird.

The star in the sky begins to shine when the night becomes dark.

Breakdown of Der Stern am Himmel beginnt zu leuchten, wenn die Nacht dunkel wird.

• dem: the
• zu: to
• die Nacht: the night
• werden: to become
• der Stern: the star
• der Himmel: the sky
• beginnen: to begin
• leuchten: to shine
• dunkel: dark

Questions & Answers about Der Stern am Himmel beginnt zu leuchten, wenn die Nacht dunkel wird.

Why do we say am Himmel instead of im Himmel?

In German, am Himmel (short for an dem Himmel) indicates “at” or “on the sky”, suggesting a point of reference visible in the sky. Saying im Himmel (“in the sky”) could sound like it is literally inside something. So am Himmel is more natural when talking about objects we see against the sky.

Why do we use beginnt zu leuchten instead of just beginnt leuchten?

In German, when one verb indicates the start or continuation of another action (like beginnen, anfangen, etc.), you typically use zu before the second verb in the infinitive form. So you get beginnt zu leuchten. You could also say fängt an zu leuchten, and the pattern with zu remains the same.

Why is the verb wird at the end in the clause wenn die Nacht dunkel wird?

In German subordinate clauses (clauses introduced by words like wenn, dass, weil, etc.), the conjugated verb goes to the final position. So after wenn, everything else follows, and then you place wird at the end.

What does wenn mean here, and what is the difference between wenn and wann?

Here, wenn means “when” in a conditional or temporal sense, indicating “whenever this happens.” Wann is used for direct or indirect questions about time, for example: Weißt du, wann die Nacht dunkel wird? But in this sentence, wenn sets a condition for when the star begins to shine.

Why does the sentence use die Nacht with a definite article?

In German, words like die Nacht or der Tag are often used with the definite article when referring to them in a general or familiar sense. It’s considered a standard expression to speak about die Nacht as a known period of time, similar to how one talks about die Sonne in general contexts.