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Questions & Answers about Das Jahr beginnt ruhig.
Why is the noun Jahr capitalized in German?
In German all nouns are always capitalized, regardless of their position in the sentence. Jahr is a noun (“year”), so you write it with an initial capital letter.
Why does the sentence start with Das Jahr and what case is it?
Das Jahr is the subject of the sentence, so it stands in the nominative case. Das is the definite article for neuter singular nouns in nominative.
Why is the verb beginnt placed second in the sentence?
German is a Verb‑Second (V2) language: in declarative main clauses, the finite verb must come in second position. Here the first position is occupied by the subject Das Jahr, so beginnt follows immediately.
What form of the verb is beginnt, and why not beginntet or begonnen?
Beginnt is the 3rd person singular present tense of beginnen (“to begin”). You form it by taking the stem “beginn-” and adding “-t” for er/sie/es. Beginntet would be past/imperfect subjunctive, and begonnen is the past participle, which you don’t use in a simple present statement.
Why is ruhig not inflected like an adjective (e.g. ruhiges)?
Here ruhig functions as an adverb modifying the verb “beginnt,” describing how the year begins. Adverbs in German are not inflected; only adjectives that directly modify nouns take endings.
Could you use anfangen instead of beginnen?
Yes, you can say Das Jahr fängt ruhig an. Anfangen is a separable‑prefix verb meaning “to start/begin.” In present tense the prefix “an” moves to the end: fängt … an.
What’s the nuance of ruhig here compared to other words like leise or still?
Ruhig emphasizes a general calm or peaceful atmosphere (“peaceful start”). Leise means “quiet” in the sense of low volume/sound. Still is closer to “silent.” So ruhig fits best when you want to convey that things are calm rather than literally silent.