Breakdown of Morgens spaziert der Student durch den Wald, bevor er zur Universität geht.
gehen
to go
zu
to
er
he
durch
through
Questions & Answers about Morgens spaziert der Student durch den Wald, bevor er zur Universität geht.
What does Morgens mean and why is it capitalized here?
It is a temporal adverb meaning in the mornings. It is capitalized here simply because it is the first word of the sentence; if you used it mid‑sentence, you would normally write morgens in lowercase.
Why is the verb spaziert placed before the subject der Student?
German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. Since Morgens occupies the first slot, spaziert comes next and the subject der Student follows.
Why is durch den Wald in the accusative case?
The preposition durch always governs the accusative. Here der Wald (masculine) becomes den Wald when you go through it.
Why is zur Universität used instead of something like in die Universität?
When you say you’re going to a place in the sense of “heading toward,” German uses zu + dative. Zu der Universität contracts to zur Universität. Using in die Universität would imply entering the building itself.
Why is there a comma before and why does appear at the end of the clause?