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From Zahlen zum ersten Halbjahr: Mehr freiwillige Ausreisen abgelehnter Asylbewerber, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
In 2024, according to the figures, there were still 10,358 people.
Word for word: 2024 were it the figures according-to still 10,358 people.
Reports that some number of people stood at 10,358 in 2024; 'den Angaben zufolge' attributes the figure to reported sources, common in news style.
A statement with the verb in second position ('waren'), fronted time expression '2024', and the dummy subject 'es' with the real subject '10.358 Menschen' in the plural. The postposition 'zufolge' follows its dative object 'den Angaben' (dative plural).
Rules at work(5)
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2024 waren es
The fronted time adverbial occupies first position, so the finite verb 'waren' must come second.
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.
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waren
The past state is expressed with the simple preterite of sein, standard for sein and in written style.
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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den Angaben zufolge
The postposition zufolge governs the dative, hence dative plural 'den Angaben'.
The dative marks the indirect object, usually the person something is given, said or shown to. A number of common verbs take a dative object where English would use a direct one, and several prepositions always take it.
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Menschen
Mensch is a weak noun taking -en in all forms except nominative singular; here the plural form coincides.
A group of masculine nouns takes an n or en in every case but the nominative singular: der Student but den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten. Most denote people and many end in e, ent, ist or ant.
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den Angaben zufolge
The phrase 'den Angaben zufolge' is typical journalistic hedging attributing information to sources.
Sie, always capitalised, is the polite form for one person or several. It takes the same verb form as the third person plural, so only the capital letter and the context tell Sie and sie apart.
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Words(8)
- 2024
2024
numeralA1
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- es
it
pronounA1personal
Often a dummy subject, as in es geht darum.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Angabe
statement of information, figure given in a report
nounB1pl. Angabengen. Angabeweak declension
'eigenen Angaben zufolge' = 'according to one's own account'; common in journalism.
- zufolge
according to
prepositionB2governs genitive
Follows its noun phrase: 'den Angaben zufolge'; governs the dative.
- noch
still, yet
adverbA1temporal
Before a comparative, 'noch stärker' means 'even stronger'.
- der Mensch
human being, person
nounA1pl. Menschengen. Menschenweak declension
Weak n-declension: the genitive singular is Menschen and every plural form is Menschen.