Breakdown of Der Unterricht beginnt pünktlich.
pünktlich
on time
der Unterricht
the lesson
beginnen
to start
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Questions & Answers about Der Unterricht beginnt pünktlich.
Why is Der used instead of Die or Das?
In German every noun has a gender. Unterricht (meaning "class" or "teaching") is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine definite article der in the nominative case.
What case is Der Unterricht, and why?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. In German, the subject (the one performing the action) always appears in the nominative.
What’s the infinitive of beginnt, and how is this form created?
The verb is beginnen. beginnt is its 3rd person singular present tense form (er/sie/es beginnt), created by taking the stem beginn‑ and adding the ending ‑t.
Why does beginnt come in second position?
German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule: the conjugated verb must occupy the second position in the sentence, regardless of what comes first (subject, adverb, etc.).
What does pünktlich mean, and what part of speech is it?
pünktlich is an adverb (also used as an adjective) meaning “punctually” or “on time.” Here it modifies the verb beginnt, telling us how the class starts.