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Questions & Answers about Das Flugzeug landet pünktlich.
Why is the sentence using das instead of der or die?
das is the nominative singular definite article for neuter nouns in German. Flugzeug is a neuter noun, so it takes das.
What grammatical case is das Flugzeug in?
It’s in the nominative case because it functions as the subject of the sentence (the entity performing the action).
Why is landet used and not landetet or landed?
landet is the correct third‑person singular present‑tense form of the verb landen. In German present tense you add –e, –st, or –t to the verb stem, so landen conjugates as:
- ich lande
- du landest
- er/sie/es landet
What part of speech is pünktlich here?
In this sentence, pünktlich functions as an adverb, modifying the verb landet to describe how the plane lands (i.e. on time or punctually).
Why is pünktlich placed at the end of the sentence?
German main clauses follow the “verb‑second” rule: the finite verb (landet) must appear in the second position. Manner adverbs like pünktlich commonly come after the verb and any objects, so they naturally sit toward the end.
Could we say Das Flugzeug pünktlich landet?
No. That word order would violate the verb‑second rule (the finite verb must be in the second position). If you want to emphasize pünktlich, you could front it:
Pünktlich landet das Flugzeug.
What’s the difference between pünktlich and rechtzeitig?
- pünktlich = “on time,” i.e. exactly at the scheduled or agreed moment.
- rechtzeitig = “in time” or “in good time,” often implying before a deadline or with a safety margin.
How would I say “The plane landed on time” (past tense)?
Use the perfect tense usually used for spoken past in German:
Das Flugzeug ist pünktlich gelandet.