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From Eröffnung in Cochstedt: Forschungszentrum soll Drohnenabwehr verbessern, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
"That is the idea at this point: hybrid threats as a driver of erosion of trust in the state," warned Dobrindt. At the site of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), technologies for secure use as well as for detection and defence against drones are to be developed and tested.
Word for word: That is the idea at this place: hybrid threat as erosion-driver of-the state-trust", warned Dobrindt. At-the site of-the German Centre for air- and space-travel shall technologies to-the secure use as-well-as to-the detection and defence of drones developed and tested become.
A news report: Dobrindt warns that hybrid threats undermine trust in the state, and announces that drone-related technologies will be developed and tested at the DLR site.
The first sentence is a quoted statement in verb-second order with copular ist; the quotation contains a nominal phrase with a genitive attribute (des Staatsvertrauens). The reporting clause warnte Dobrindt stands after the quote in inverted order. The second sentence is a passive construction: sollen + past participles entwickelt and erprobt + werden (modal passive with werden-infinitive). An and zu contract with the article (am, zur); an takes dative for location, zu governs dative, von governs dative, für accusative.
Rules at work(10)
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warnte
The reporting verb uses the simple preterite, standard in written news German.
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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entwickelt und erprobt werden
The participles plus final werden form a passive describing what is done to the technologies.
Werden plus a past participle. The agent, when it is mentioned at all, follows von for a person and durch for a means. In the perfect passive the participle of werden appears as worden rather than geworden.
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sollen ... werden
Sollen combines with the passive infinitive to report an intended measure.
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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Das ist
The finite verb ist occupies the second position after the subject das.
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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ist ... sollen
Both main clauses are set in the present tense.
The present describes what is happening now, what happens habitually, and very often what is going to happen, since German uses the present with a time expression where English would use a future.
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an dieser Stelle
An takes the dative here because it describes location, not movement.
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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des Staatsvertrauens
The genitive marks the noun depending on Erosionstreiber.
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.
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und sowie
Und and sowie join nouns and participles without changing word order.
Und, aber, oder, denn and sondern join two main clauses and do not count as an element, so the word order after them is unchanged and the verb stays in second position.
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sollen Technologien
The plural subject Technologien agrees with the plural finite form sollen.
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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Erosionstreiber des Staatsvertrauens
Compounds like Erosionstreiber and Staatsvertrauen are built from noun + noun.
German builds long nouns by joining shorter ones. The last part carries the gender and the plural, and everything before it modifies what follows, so a compound is read from the right.
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Words(33)
- das
that, what
pronounA1demonstrative
Before a comma, das is usually a pronoun introducing a relative clause, not the article.
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Idee
idea
nounA2pl. Ideengen. Ideemixed declension
- an
on, at, by
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for points in time and location (am Montag), accusative for direction.
- dieser
this, that
determinerA2demonstrative
Takes the same endings as the definite article; the dative neuter form is "diesem".
- die Stelle
position, job, place
nounB1pl. Stellengen. Stellestrong declension
- hybrid
hybrid
adjectiveC1
- die Bedrohung
threat
nounB2pl. Bedrohungengen. Bedrohungmixed declension
- als
as, than, when (past)
conjunctionA2correlative
here 'als Land' means 'as a country'; also used for comparisons and after 'als' in past-time clauses
- der Erosionstreiber
driver of erosion
nounC2pl. Erosionstreibergen. Erosionstreibersstrong declension
- das Staatsvertrauen
trust in the state
nounC1gen. Staatsvertrauensstrong declension
- warnen
warn
verbB1warnen, warnte, hat gewarntmit habenweak
Fixed pattern 'warnen vor + dative': 'Er warnte vor Gefahren.'
- der Standort
location, site
nounB2pl. Standortegen. Standortsstrong declension
- deutsch
German
adjectiveA1deutscher, am deutschesten
- das Zentrum
centre, center
nounA2pl. Zentrengen. Zentrumsstrong declension
- für
for
prepositionA1governs accusative
Here für Dienstag names the day the forecast applies to, not a beneficiary.
- die Luftfahrt
aviation, aerospace
nounB2pl. Luftfahrtengen. Luftfahrtstrong declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- die Raumfahrt
space travel, spaceflight
nounB2pl. Raumfahrtengen. Raumfahrtstrong declension
- sollen
should, to be supposed to
verbA2sollen, sollte, gesolltmit habenmodal
In reporting, 'soll' signals that something is planned or claimed rather than fact.
- die Technologie
technology
nounB1pl. Technologiengen. Technologiestrong declension
- zu
to, at, too
prepositionA1governs dative
With verbs of movement it takes dative even though motion is involved.
- sicher
safe, secure, certain
adjectiveA2sicherer, am sichersten
- die Nutzung
use, utilization
nounB1pl. Nutzungengen. Nutzungstrong declension
- sowie
as well as, and
conjunctionB2coordinating
Formal written connector linking items in a list.
- die Erkennung
detection, recognition
nounB2pl. Erkennungengen. Erkennungstrong declension
- die Abwehr
defence, defense, repulsion
nounC1pl. Abwehrengen. Abwehrstrong declension
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- die Drohne
drone, drone aircraft
nounB1pl. Drohnengen. Drohneweak declension
- entwickeln
to develop, to evolve
verbB1entwickeln, entwickelte, hat entwickeltmit habenweak
- erproben
to test, to trial
verbC1erproben, erprobte, hat erprobtmit habenweak
- werden
become, will (future auxiliary)
verbA2werden, wurde, ist gewordenmit habenirregular
Also the passive auxiliary; do not confuse with bekommen (= receive).