Learn Hardcore German: Das Konzert dauert sechzig Minuten.

dauern means “to last” or “to take (time).” In the sentence Das Konzert dauert sechzig Minuten, dauert is simply the third-person singular present tense form of dauern, agreeing with the singular subject Das Konzert.

Why isn’t there a preposition like für before sechzig Minuten?

When you use dauern to describe how long something lasts, the time expression stands on its own (functioning as an accusative time adverbial) and does not require für. Saying Das Konzert dauert für sechzig Minuten would be ungrammatical.

Why is Minuten in the plural form?

Because the quantity is more than one. In German, as in English, you use the plural of a noun when you count more than one of it. Here you have sixty Minuten, so Minute becomes Minuten.

Could you say Das Konzert dauert eine Stunde instead?

Yes. eine Stunde (“one hour”) is a perfectly natural alternative. Both sentences are correct, but one uses minutes and the other uses hours.

How do I form other duration statements with dauern?

The pattern is: Subject + dauern (conjugated) + time expression (in accusative). For example:

Der Film dauert zwei Stunden.
Die Pause dauert zehn Minuten.
Das Treffen dauert nicht lange.

Why is sechzig not inflected (e.g. sechziger)?

Cardinal numbers used directly as time expressions (like sechzig Minuten, zwei Stunden) remain uninflected. They function adverbially rather than as adjectives modifying a noun in a case that requires declension.

Can I change the word order, for example putting the time first?

Yes, German allows you to start with the time expression: Sechzig Minuten dauert das Konzert. This emphasizes the duration, but the standard neutral order is Das Konzert dauert sechzig Minuten.