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From Merz in der Sommerpause: Das Schweigen des Kanzlers, tagesschau.de, 19 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
In the end it will probably be around four weeks.
Word for word: At the end might it around four weeks be.
The speaker estimates that something (a duration) will turn out to be about four weeks; 'dürften' signals a hedged but fairly confident guess.
'dürften' is Konjunktiv II of 'dürfen' used epistemically to express a confident assumption ('probably'). 'Am Ende' is a temporal prepositional phrase in the dative. The verb 'sein' stands in second position after the fronted adverbial, agreeing with the subject 'es'.
Rules at work(5)
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dürften
'dürften' is Konjunktiv II of 'dürfen' used for a hedged assumption rather than permission.
The form for the hypothetical, the unreal and the polite. Wäre, hätte and the modals have their own forms; most other verbs use würde plus an infinitive.
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dürften es ... sein
The modal 'dürfen' loses its deontic sense and expresses epistemic probability: 'it will probably be'.
A modal can say how sure the speaker is rather than what is permitted or possible. Er muss krank sein means he must be ill in the sense of a deduction, and sollen reports what others claim.
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Am Ende dürften es
The fronted adverbial 'Am Ende' occupies first position, so the finite modal moves to second position.
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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dürften ... sein
The modal conjugates finitely while the main verb 'sein' appears as an infinitive at the end.
The six modals können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen and mögen say something about the main verb rather than naming an action. The modal is the finite verb in second position and the main verb goes to the end of the clause as an infinitive.
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es ... vier Wochen
With 'sein' both the subject 'es' and its complement 'vier Wochen' stand in the nominative.
The nominative marks the subject of the clause: whoever or whatever is doing the verb. It is also the case used after the verbs sein, werden and bleiben, so both sides of Das ist mein Bruder stand in the nominative.
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Words(8)
- am
at the, on the
prepositionA1governs dative
Fixed contraction of 'an dem'; 'am Ende' means 'in the end/at the end'.
- die Ende
end
nounA2pl. Endengen. des Endesmixed declension
- dürfen
to be allowed to, may
verbA1dürfen, durfte, hat gedurftmit habenmodal
In Konjunktiv II ('dürfte') it does not mean permission but a confident assumption: 'dürfte stimmen' = 'is probably correct'.
- es
it
pronounA1personal
Often a dummy subject, as in es geht darum.
- rund
around, approximately
adverbB1degree
- vier
four
numeralA1
- die Woche
week
nounA1pl. Wochengen. Wochestrong declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.