Word
Das Familienfest beginnt um acht Uhr.
Meaning
The family celebration begins at eight o'clock.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Das Familienfest beginnt um acht Uhr.
die Uhr
the clock
acht
eight
beginnen
to begin
das Familienfest
the family celebration
Questions & Answers about Das Familienfest beginnt um acht Uhr.
Why is das used with Familienfest?
In German, every noun has a gender. Familienfest is a compound noun formed from Familie (family) and Fest (celebration), and it inherits the neuter gender from Fest. Therefore, the correct definite article to use is das.
How is the verb beginnt formed, and why is it used in this sentence?
Beginnt is the third-person singular form of the verb beginnen (to begin). Since Das Familienfest is a singular subject, the verb must agree by being in the third-person singular. Additionally, in German main clauses the finite verb occupies the second position, which is why beginnt follows the subject immediately.
What role does the preposition um play in the phrase um acht Uhr?
In this context, um is used to indicate a specific point in time. It translates to “at” in English, so um acht Uhr means “at eight o’clock.” Using um is standard in German when stating the exact time an event occurs.
How is the compound noun Familienfest structured, and why are its components combined into one word?