Экзамен начинается утром.

the exam

Breakdown of Экзамен начинается утром.

• утром: in the morning
• начинаться: to begin

Questions & Answers about Экзамен начинается утром.

What does each word in Экзамен начинается утром literally mean, and what are their grammar roles?

• Экзамен – exam, examination.

  • Noun, masculine, singular, nominative case.
  • It is the subject of the sentence (the thing that is starting).

• начинается – (it) starts / (it) begins.

  • 3rd person singular, present tense, imperfective aspect, reflexive verb начинаться.
  • It is the main verb.

• утром – in the morning.

  • Literally “by/with the morning”; it is the instrumental case of утро (morning), used adverbially.
  • It answers the question когда? – “when?”, so it functions as an adverbial of time.

So the structure is: Subject – Verb – Time expression.

Why is it начинается and not a form of начаться like начнётся?

Russian has two aspects for most verbs:

• начинаться – imperfective (ongoing, habitual, scheduled, process)
• начаться – perfective (single completed starting point, result, one-time event)

In the sentence:

• Экзамен начинается утром.
  
  • Imperfective начинаться, present tense → describes a scheduled / regular start (like a timetable).

If you say: