Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano.

Pogrzeb means funeral. It is a masculine noun in Polish.

In this sentence, pogrzeb is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular form:

• pogrzeb = funeral
• pogrzebu = of the funeral
• pogrzebem = with the funeral, etc.

Depending on context, it can sometimes feel close to burial/funeral ceremony, but funeral is the normal translation.

Because zaczynać się is the usual way to say to begin / to start when the thing itself is beginning.

Compare:

• Zaczynam pogrzeb. = I am starting the funeral.
  Here, someone actively starts something.
• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano. = The funeral starts in the morning.
  Here, the funeral itself begins.

So się is not really translated as itself here. It is just part of the verb pattern.

Się is a very common Polish clitic often used in:

• reflexive verbs
• middle-voice meanings
• verbs that are just normally used with się

In this sentence, it helps make zaczynać się mean to begin / to start.

So:

• zaczynać = to start something
• zaczynać się = to start / begin

English usually does not need a separate word here, so you normally do not translate się literally.

Zaczyna is the 3rd person singular present tense form of zaczynać.

The subject is pogrzeb (the funeral), which is singular, so the verb is singular too.

A few present-tense forms of zaczynać się:

• zaczynam się = I start / am starting
• zaczynasz się = you start
• zaczyna się = he/she/it starts
• zaczynamy się = we start
• zaczynają się = they start

In practice, you will most often see zaczyna się with things like:

• film zaczyna się o ósmej = the film starts at eight
• lekcja zaczyna się za chwilę = the lesson starts in a moment

Because it is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

Polish uses cases, and the subject of a normal sentence is usually in the nominative:

• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano. = The funeral starts in the morning.

If the noun had a different role, its form would change:

• Nie ma pogrzebu. = There is no funeral. / There isn’t a funeral.
  (pogrzebu = genitive)
• Idę na pogrzeb. = I’m going to the funeral.
  (pogrzeb here happens to look the same, but it is accusative)

So in your sentence, pogrzeb is nominative singular.

Rano means in the morning or simply in the morning time.

Polish often uses rano without any preposition:

• Wstaję rano. = I get up in the morning.
• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano. = The funeral starts in the morning.

This is different from English, which usually needs in the.

Be careful:

• rano = in the morning
• wcześnie = early

So:

• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano. = The funeral starts in the morning.
• Pogrzeb zaczyna się wcześnie. = The funeral starts early.

Grammatically, zaczyna się is present tense, but in Polish, the present tense is often used for scheduled future events.

So this sentence can mean:

• The funeral starts in the morning
• The funeral is starting in the morning
• The funeral begins in the morning

If you are talking about a planned event, this sounds completely normal in Polish, just like in English:

• The train leaves at six.
• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Pogrzeb ≈ POH-gzheb
• zaczyna ≈ za-CHY-na
• się ≈ roughly shyeh / sheng depending on accent and speed
• rano ≈ RA-no

A few helpful sound notes:

• rz usually sounds like the s in measure
• cz sounds like ch in chop, but harder
• y is a Polish vowel with no exact English equivalent
• ę is nasal, though at the end of się it is often pronounced less fully in everyday speech

Stress in Polish is usually on the second-to-last syllable:

• poGRZEB
• zaCZYna
• SIĘ
• RAno

Correct—Polish has no articles like a or the.

So pogrzeb can mean:

• a funeral
• the funeral

You understand which one is meant from context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the:

• The funeral starts in the morning.

But Polish simply says:

• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano.

Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English because case endings help show what each word is doing.

The most neutral order here is:

• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano.

But you could also say:

• Rano zaczyna się pogrzeb.
  This gives more emphasis to in the morning.
• Zaczyna się rano pogrzeb.
  Grammatically possible, but less neutral and more marked stylistically.

So the usual learner takeaway is:

• Polish word order can move around for focus or emphasis
• the standard, safest version is Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano

No. You could also hear:

• Pogrzeb rozpoczyna się rano.

This also means The funeral starts in the morning.

The difference is mainly style:

• zaczyna się = more everyday and common
• rozpoczyna się = a little more formal or official

For most situations, zaczyna się is perfectly natural.

Yes. That would use the perfective future:

• Pogrzeb zaczyna się rano.
  present form, often used for scheduled future
• Pogrzeb zacznie się rano.
  future: The funeral will start in the morning

Both are correct, but they feel slightly different:

• zaczyna się often sounds like a scheduled or matter-of-fact event
• zacznie się makes the future meaning more explicit

So both are useful, and native speakers use both.