Vor der Videokonferenz prüft die Dozentin, ob die Webcam funktioniert.

This is a time expression meaning before the video conference. In German, it is very common to put time information at the beginning of the sentence.

Because that first element takes the first position, the conjugated verb must come next:

• Vor der Videokonferenz prüft die Dozentin ...
• not: Vor der Videokonferenz die Dozentin prüft ...

This is the normal verb-second pattern in German main clauses.

Because vor is a preposition, and here it is used in a temporal sense: before the video conference.

When vor expresses time, it takes the dative case.
So:

• nominative: die Videokonferenz
• dative: der Videokonferenz

That is why you get Vor der Videokonferenz.

Not always. Vor is a two-way preposition (Wechselpräposition), so it can take either:

• dative for location/state or time
• accusative for direction/movement toward

Examples:

• Ich warte vor dem Gebäude. = I am waiting in front of the building. → dative
• Ich gehe vor das Gebäude. = I go to a position in front of the building. → accusative
• Vor der Videokonferenz = before the video conference → dative because it is temporal

Because the sentence is a main clause, and German main clauses usually follow the verb-second rule.

The first position is occupied by Vor der Videokonferenz, so the finite verb must be in the second position:

1. Vor der Videokonferenz
2. prüft
3. die Dozentin

If the subject came first, the sentence would also be correct:

• Die Dozentin prüft vor der Videokonferenz, ob die Webcam funktioniert.

Both are grammatical, but the original sentence emphasizes the time phrase a bit more.

Die Dozentin means the lecturer / female instructor.

It is the feminine form of:

• der Dozent = male lecturer
• die Dozentin = female lecturer

The ending -in is a very common way to form feminine nouns for people in German.

Because ob die Webcam funktioniert is a subordinate clause.

In German, subordinate clauses are normally separated from the main clause by a comma. So the comma is required here:

• Die Dozentin prüft, ob die Webcam funktioniert.

This is similar to English checks whether the webcam works, though German punctuation is stricter and more regular in these cases.

Ob means whether / if in the sense of whether something is the case.

Here:

• prüft, ob die Webcam funktioniert
• checks whether the webcam works

This is not the same as English if used for conditions.

Compare:

• Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt. = I don’t know whether he is coming.
• Wenn er kommt, ... = If he comes, ...

So ob introduces an indirect yes/no question.

Because ob die Webcam funktioniert is a subordinate clause, and in German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb usually goes to the end.

So:

• main clause: Die Dozentin prüft ...
• subordinate clause: ..., ob die Webcam funktioniert.

This is one of the most important word-order rules in German.

Not in this sentence.

• ob = whether
• wenn = if/when in a conditional or time sense

Here the lecturer is checking whether the webcam works, so ob is correct.

Compare:

• Sie prüft, ob die Webcam funktioniert. = She checks whether the webcam works.
• Wenn die Webcam funktioniert, beginnt die Konferenz. = If the webcam works, the conference begins.

So ob and wenn are not interchangeable here.

Yes. In German, Webcam is usually feminine:

• die Webcam

So in nominative singular, it appears as die Webcam.

As with many nouns, grammatical gender has to be learned together with the word:

• die Webcam
• die Konferenz
• der Computer
• das Mikrofon

Funktioniert is the 3rd person singular present tense of funktionieren:

• ich funktioniere
• du funktionierst
• er/sie/es funktioniert

Here the subject is die Webcam, which is grammatically she/it in the third person singular, so the verb is funktioniert.

There actually is one: die.

In ob die Webcam funktioniert, die Webcam is the subject of the subordinate clause, and die is the definite article meaning the.

So the clause literally breaks down as:

• ob = whether
• die Webcam = the webcam
• funktioniert = works / is functioning

Yes. German word order is flexible, but the structure rules still apply.

For example, these are all possible:

• Vor der Videokonferenz prüft die Dozentin, ob die Webcam funktioniert.
• Die Dozentin prüft vor der Videokonferenz, ob die Webcam funktioniert.

Both are correct. The difference is mostly focus:

• starting with Vor der Videokonferenz emphasizes the timing
• starting with Die Dozentin emphasizes who is doing the action

But in both versions, the subordinate clause still keeps the verb at the end:

• ..., ob die Webcam funktioniert.

Yes, prüfen works very well here. It means to check, to examine, or to verify.

In technical or practical contexts, German often uses:

• prüfen = check/verify
• kontrollieren = check/inspect
• testen = test

So this sentence could also be understood as the lecturer verifying that the webcam works properly. Prüfen sounds completely natural here.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Vor → roughly fohr
• der → like dair with a light r
• Videokonferenz → VEE-deh-oh-kon-feh-RENTS
• prüft → the ü has no exact English equivalent; shape your lips as for oo but say ee
• die Dozentin → dee doh-tsen-TEEN
• ob → op or ob depending on accent
• die Webcam → dee WEB-cam
• funktioniert → funk-tsyo-NEERT

Natural stress in the sentence usually falls on important content words, especially:

Vor der Videokonferenz prüft die Dozentin, ob die Webcam funktioniert.