Breakdown of In sechzig Tagen beginnt der Sommerurlaub.
in
in
der Tag
the day
beginnen
to begin
sechzig
sixty
Questions & Answers about In sechzig Tagen beginnt der Sommerurlaub.
Why does in take the dative case in in sechzig Tagen rather than the accusative?
When in denotes a point in time in the future (English “in X days”), it always governs the dative case. So in sechzig Tagen literally means “in sixty days,” and Tagen is the dative plural of der Tag.
Could you say in sechzig Tage instead of in sechzig Tagen?
No. Temporal in requires dative, so you must use Tagen (dative plural). Using Tage (nominative or accusative plural) here would be ungrammatical.
Why is the verb beginnt placed before der Sommerurlaub when the time expression comes first?
German main clauses follow the V-second rule: the conjugated verb must be the second element. Because in sechzig Tagen is the first element (a time phrase), beginnt jumps to the second position, and der Sommerurlaub follows it.
Could I also say Der Sommerurlaub beginnt in sechzig Tagen? Is that less correct?
You can absolutely say Der Sommerurlaub beginnt in sechzig Tagen. It’s equally correct; you’re just choosing to put the subject first. Beginning with the time phrase (as in the original) simply emphasizes “in sixty days.”