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Opening sentence of Brand in jüdischem Altenheim : Anschlag in München nach 56 Jahren offenbar aufgeklärt, tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
In 1970, seven people died in an attack on a Jewish old people's home in Munich.
Word for word: 1970 died with an attack on a Jewish old-age-home in Munich seven people.
Reports a historical fact: a 1970 bombing attack on a Jewish retirement home in Munich killed seven people. Typical of news or historical writing, which prefers the preterite over the perfect.
A simple declarative sentence in the preterite. The fronted time expression '1970' occupies the first position, so the finite verb 'starben' comes second (verb-second rule); the subject 'sieben Menschen' follows the adverbial phrases. 'bei einem Anschlag' uses the dative after the two-way preposition 'bei'; 'auf ein jüdisches Altenheim' uses accusative after directional 'auf'.
Rules at work(5)
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1970 starben bei einem Anschlag ... sieben Menschen
The fronted time expression occupies position one, forcing the finite verb into second position while the subject follows later.
In a German main clause the finite verb is always the second element. The first element can be the subject, but it can just as easily be a time expression, an object or a whole subordinate clause; whatever it is, it counts as one element and the verb follows it. This is why putting something other than the subject first pushes the subject after the verb.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
starben
Historical narration typically uses the simple preterite rather than the perfect.
The simple past is the written narrative past. In speech it survives mainly in sein, haben and the modals, where hatte and war are far commoner than the perfect forms.
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bei einem Anschlag
'Bei' always takes the dative, hence 'einem Anschlag'.
An, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor and zwischen take the accusative when the phrase answers where to, and the dative when it answers where. The distinction is movement across a boundary against position, not motion against stillness.
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starben ... sieben Menschen
The plural subject 'sieben Menschen' requires the plural preterite form 'starben'.
The finite verb takes an ending that matches its subject in person and number. The endings for regular verbs in the present are e, st, t, en, t, en.
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1970 ... bei einem Anschlag auf ein jüdisches Altenheim in München
The adverbials follow the typical order time before place.
When several adverbial phrases stand in the middle field, the usual order is time, then manner, then place. This is the opposite of the common English order and it is why Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin sounds right.
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Words(11)
- sterben
to die
verbA1sterben, starb, ist gestorbenmit seinstrongan + dative
Perfect is formed with 'sein': ist gestorben.
- bei
at, near, with
prepositionA2governs dative
'bei 42 Prozent' = 'at 42 percent', standard in poll reporting.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- der Anschlag
attack, bombing
nounB2pl. Anschlägegen. Anschlagsstrong declension
Typically a violent, often politically motivated attack.
- auf
on, onto
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Location takes the dative, movement towards the accusative.
- jüdisch
Jewish
adjectiveB1
- das Altenheim
old people's home, retirement home
nounB1pl. Altenheimegen. Altenheimsstrong declension
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das München
Munich
nounA1gen. Münchensstrong declension
- sieben
seven
numeralA1
- der Mensch
human being, person
nounA1pl. Menschengen. Menschenweak declension
Weak n-declension: the genitive singular is Menschen and every plural form is Menschen.