第二次世界大战是在1939年开始的。

It was in 1939 that the Second World War broke out.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

=1 第二次世界大战 Dìèr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn World War II
=1 第二次世界大战 Dì-èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn World War II
=2 是 shì
  1. to be (followed by substantives only)
  2. correct; right; true
  3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well
  4. (adverb for emphatic assertion)
=2 是 shì variant of 是 shì
3 在 zài
  1. to exist; to be alive
  2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at
  3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
=4 年 Nián surname Nian
=4 年 nián year

classifier: 個
=4 年 nián
  1. grain
  2. harvest (old)
  3. variant of 年 nián
5 开始 kāishǐ
  1. to begin
  2. beginning
  3. to start
  4. initial

classifier: 個
=6 的 de
  1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
  2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
  3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
  4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 pígéde "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 pǎotángrde "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 xīnde "new one")
  5. also pr. dì or di in poetry and songs
=6 的 dī a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士 dīshì)
=6 的 dí really and truly
=6 的 dì (bound form) bull's-eye; target