Breakdown of Der Film startet bald im Kino.
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
das Kino
the cinema
der Film
the movie
bald
soon
starten
to start
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Questions & Answers about Der Film startet bald im Kino.
Why is the verb form startet used here, and what does it tell us about the subject?
startet is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the regular verb starten. In German you remove -en to get the stem (start-) and then add -et (instead of just -t) because stems ending in -t or -d require that extra e in 2nd and 3rd person. Since Der Film is a singular noun, we use the appropriate ending for “he/it” – in this case -et.
Why is bald placed before im Kino instead of after it?
German typically follows a Time–Manner–Place (TMP) order for adverbs and adverbial phrases. Here bald (time: “soon”) comes first, and im Kino (place: “at the cinema”) comes later. So bald im Kino means “soon at the cinema.”
What case is used after the preposition in in im Kino, and why is it contracted as im?
Because we’re expressing a static location (“where?”), in takes the dative case. The definite article for “the cinema” (das Kino) in dative is dem, and in + dem contracts to im. So im Kino = in dem Kino.
What’s the difference between im Kino and ins Kino?
- im Kino = in dem Kino (dative) for static location: “at the cinema.”
- ins Kino = in das Kino (accusative) for motion toward: “into the cinema.”
Here the film is shown at the cinema, not “moving into” it, so we use im Kino.
Why is Kino capitalized, but im is not?
In German, all nouns (like Kino) must always be capitalized. Articles, prepositions, and their contractions (like in, dem, im) are not nouns, so they remain lowercase.
Can I use a different verb instead of startet, such as beginnt or a separable verb?
Yes. You could say:
- Der Film beginnt bald im Kino. (“beginnen” is slightly more formal)
- Der Film fängt bald im Kino an. (using the separable verb anfangen)
All these sentences are grammatically correct; they just differ in style.
Why is the present tense used here when referring to a future event?
German often uses the simple present to talk about the near future when the context is clear. It’s more idiomatic than constantly using the future tense (wird starten). Listeners understand that “startet bald” means “will start soon.”
Could I say Der Film wird bald im Kino starten instead?
Yes. That uses the future construction with werden and is perfectly correct. It’s simply more explicit about the future. Many speakers prefer the present tense for near-future events, but both forms work.
Why doesn’t bald need a preposition?
bald is a temporal adverb (modifying the verb), not a noun or noun phrase, so it doesn’t require a preposition. You say startet bald (“starts soon”) directly.