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From Naturschutzgebiet Hohes Venn: Löscharbeiten in Belgien - Brandgeruch in Köln, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The fire did not spread any further towards the German border during the night or the morning, said the fire brigade spokesman of the border town of Monschau, Tobias Schell.
Word for word: The fire has itself in the night and on-the morning not further direction German border spread-out, said the fire-brigade-spokesman of-the border-town Monschau, Tobias Schell.
A news-style sentence reporting that a fire chief stated the fire stopped spreading towards the German border overnight and in the morning. Konjunktiv I signals that the speaker distances themselves from the claim.
This is reported speech (indirect statement) without a subordinating conjunction: the quoted clause stands first and ends with its finite verb 'habe' plus participle 'ausbreitet' in Konjunktiv I, the standard mood for attributing a claim to a speaker. The reporting clause 'sagte der Feuerwehrsprecher...' follows in second position of the whole sentence. 'sich ausbreiten' is a reflexive verb ('sich' accusative); 'in der Nacht' is dative after temporal 'in', 'am Vormittag' contracts 'an dem'; 'Richtung' is a noun used prepositionally with the following noun phrase 'deutscher Grenze' in the genitive.
Rules at work(7)
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habe ... ausgebreitet
The reported statement uses Konjunktiv I ('habe') instead of the indicative, the standard way news German attributes a claim to a source.
Reported speech in journalism and formal writing. It is built from the infinitive stem, and where its form would be identical to the ordinary present, Konjunktiv II is used instead to keep the reporting visible.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Das Feuer habe sich ... ausgebreitet, sagte
The quoted clause is an indirect statement with the conjunction omitted; the finite verb 'habe' sits next to the final participle, giving the bracket structure typical of embedded clauses.
In a subordinate clause the finite verb stands last. Where the clause also holds a participle or an infinitive, the finite verb goes after them, so the order at the end is participle then auxiliary.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
habe sich ... ausgebreitet
'Sich ausbreiten' is inherently reflexive, so the accusative reflexive pronoun 'sich' must appear.
A reflexive verb takes a pronoun pointing back at the subject. The pronoun is usually accusative, but it turns dative as soon as the verb has another direct object, which is why it is ich wasche mich but ich wasche mir die Hände.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
in der Nacht
'In' takes the dative here because the phrase denotes time, not motion into a place.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
sagte der Feuerwehrsprecher
After the fronted quotation occupying first position, the finite verb 'sagte' must stand second in the main clause.
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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sagte
Written narrative such as news reports uses the simple preterite 'sagte' 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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der Feuerwehrsprecher der Grenzstadt Monschau
'Der Grenzstadt Monschau' is a genitive attribute specifying whose spokesman is meant.
The genitive shows possession and follows a small set of prepositions. Masculine and neuter nouns add s or es. In speech it is often replaced by von plus the dative, but it is alive in writing and in fixed expressions.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(22)
- das
the
determinerA1definite
- das Feuer
fire
nounA1pl. Feuergen. Feuersstrong declension
- haben
to have
verbA1haben, hatte, hat gehabtmit habenirregular
As an auxiliary it forms the perfect tenses of most verbs.
- sich
himself/herself/themselves, itself
pronounA2reflexive
Always refers back to the subject; here it is fixed to the verb 'sich mehren'.
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Nacht
night
nounA1pl. Nächtegen. Nachtmixed declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- an
on, at, by
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for points in time and location (am Montag), accusative for direction.
- der Vormittag
morning, forenoon
nounA2pl. Vormittagegen. Vormittagsstrong declension
- nicht
not
adverbA1negation
Negates single words or phrases directly before them; sentence negation places it later.
- weit
far, wide
adverbA2degree
'weiter' here means 'further onward'.
- die Richtung
direction, towards
nounB1pl. Richtungengen. Richtungweak declension
Often used without an article before place names to mean 'towards'.
- deutsch
German
adjectiveA1deutscher, am deutschesten
- die Grenze
border, boundary
nounA2pl. Grenzengen. Grenzemixed declension
Fixed pattern: die Grenze zu + dative = border with.
- ausbreiten
to spread, to spread out
verbB1breitet aus, breitete aus, hat ausgebreitetmit habenseparableweak
Usually reflexive ('sich ausbreiten') when something spreads such as fire or news.
- sagen
to say, to tell
verbA1sagen, sagte, hat gesagtmit habenweak
- der Feuerwehrsprecher
fire brigade spokesman
nounC1pl. Feuerwehrsprechergen. Feuerwehrsprechersstrong declension
- die Grenzstadt
border town
nounB2pl. Grenzstädtegen. Grenzstadtmixed declension
- das Monschau
Monschau (town in the Eifel)
nounC1gen. Monschausinvariable declension
- Tobias
Tobias (male given name)
nounA1
- Schell
Schell (surname)
nounC1