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Questions & Answers about Ich habe gestern angefangen, meine Tasche für die Reise zu packen.
Why is the verb packen in its infinitive form with zu at the end of the sentence?
In German, verbs like anfangen (to begin) are often followed by an infinitive clause that explains what action is being started. The zu before packen marks the infinitive, and German sentence structure typically pushes such clauses to the end.
Why is the auxiliary verb haben used in forming the perfect tense instead of sein?
The verb anfangen is transitive and takes a direct object (meine Tasche). In German, most transitive verbs form their perfect tense with haben rather than sein. This rule explains the use of habe in the sentence.
Why is the time expression gestern placed between habe and angefangen?
German main clauses often follow a specific order known as the “Mittelfeld” (middle field). Time expressions like gestern typically come right after the finite verb (here, habe) to indicate when the action occurred, before the rest of the predicate.
What role does the comma play in this sentence?
The comma separates the main clause (Ich habe gestern angefangen) from the following infinitive clause (meine Tasche für die Reise zu packen). German punctuation rules require a comma before an infinitive clause that is introduced by zu, helping to clarify the sentence structure.
Why is meine Tasche in the accusative case?
Meine Tasche functions as the direct object of the infinitive packen. In German, direct objects take the accusative case, which is why the possessive adjective appears as meine rather than any other form.