"Das Mittagessen beginnt."

Translation: The lunch begins.

[mazaudon]

no you do not need the article in English!

[VidhiPatel2]

We dont need the article in English but this is German. Their sentence construction maybe different and may need articles for the nouns. Best is not to compare everything with English...

[Neil395069]

When you're translating into English, i think you do.

[zengator]

"Lunch is beginning/starting," would be perfectly fine English.

[Zach1337]

I agree. "The lunch begins" just sounds weird.

[JonJLazar]

The article makes more sense if you translate it as: The lunch is beginning. Instead of The lunch begins. which may sound odd.

[Shiny_NoctowlPic]

You are right

[robinj]

agreed!

[SWgeek10056]

FYI it allows loose translation of the same general idea: "Lunch is starting" Don't be afraid to get creative with your translations :)

[LeoStrawberry]

Ok so I put "The dinner is ready" but apparently that's wrong and it's 'Lunch'?

Since I'm British (Northern) I always say 'Breakfast, Dinner, Tea' and It's the middle meal I'm referring to, is that wrong?

Frühstück (Breakfast) Mittagessen (Dinner) Abendessen (Tea) ?

I think it depends on where you're from but I've also heard these too:
'Breakfast, dinner, tea'
'Breakfast, dinner, supper'
'Breakfast, lunch, dinner'
'Breakfast, lunch, supper'

[sam5565]

Exactly the same for me!

[iancremona]

"This lunch begins" was wrong too

[Bob_Dean]

I put "That lunch starts" and it didn't accept "That"
How would you write,"That lunch begins" ?

[zengator]

Regardless of how un/likely it is that one would say "That lunch begins", the German is the same: "Das Mittagessen beginnt." But you could also say "Dieses Mittagessen beginnt." (Dies being declined similar to der).

An obsolete way would be "Jenes Mittagessen beginnt."

[Eldricht]

"This lunch begins" would Diese Mittagessen beginnt, I believe.

[alvaf]

Dieses Mittagessen beginnt

[Eldricht]

Ahh, off by an s, thank you for the correction!

[DietrichHe]

Tell me why I put the correct translation but it corrected me and said "luncheon" -.-

[RamiroF.]

Because it has nothing to do with breaks!

[awefulwaffle]

You use the definite article "the" when the noun refers to an object. You do not use the definite article when the noun refers to an activity.

Therefore, "The lunch begins" is correct because the noun "lunch" refers to an object, not an activity.

Here is an excerpt from the University of Toronto website for writing English as a second language:

Special cases in the use of the definite article

Place/object of activity nouns:

Certain nouns refer to either a place/object or to an activity. When they refer to an activity, do not use the definite article:

activity

• I go to bed at 11 o'clock.
• She went to school for many years.
• Many families eat dinner together.
• I shower before breakfast.
• They are at church.
• She is in class.

object

• Don't jump on the bed.
• The school was too small.
• The dinner was delicious.
• The breakfast was delicious.
• The church is very old.
• The class is in Room 102.

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/english-as-a-second-language/definite-article

[n4nova]

I just wanted to know why the translation "The lunch began" is wrong?
Thanks in advance

[Alibeg]

began is past tense, but beginnt is present.

[iivictor]

I wrote "The midday meal begins" and it was marked as wrong!

[Juanc30]

You don't reffer to "lunch" as "the midday meal" in you usual life, do you? ._.

[CapnDoug]

I do often refer to it as "noon meal" to avoid confusion about which meal I mean.

[pac2005]

The dinner is starting facepalm

[paru_life]

I put it like "the lunch break begins" .DL says wrong answer. Why is it so?