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From Testzentrum in Sachsen-Anhalt: So können Drohnen im Katastrophenfall helfen, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The former regional airport in Cochstedt southwest of Magdeburg, with a 2.5-kilometre-long runway, is the centre for drone research in Germany.
Word for word: The former regional airport in Cochstedt southwest of Magdeburg with a 2.5 kilometre long take-off and landing runway is the centre for drone research in Germany.
States that the disused airport at Cochstedt near Magdeburg now serves as Germany's centre for drone research.
A single main clause in the present tense with verb-second order. The long subject noun phrase contains an extended participial/adjectival phrase (ehemalige Regionalflughafen), prepositional phrases, and a compound noun Start- und Landebahn; the predicate is a copular sein + nominative complement das Zentrum.
Rules at work(9)
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ist
The finite verb ist stands in second position after the long fronted subject phrase.
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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Der ehemalige Regionalflughafen
Subject phrase is nominative; the copular complement das Zentrum is also 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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in Cochstedt ... mit einer ... Landebahn
in with location and mit both govern the dative.
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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Regionalflughafen, Drohnenforschung, Start- und Landebahn
Compounds are formed by juxtaposition; Start- und Landebahn shares article and adjective via ellipsis.
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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Der ... Regionalflughafen ... ist
Singular masculine subject takes third-person singular ist.
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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in Cochstedt
Location (no motion) requires dative after in.
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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einer ... langen ... Landebahn
After einer (mixed declension) the adjective takes -en in dative feminine.
After ein, kein and a possessive, the adjective takes strong endings exactly where the article shows nothing, which is the masculine nominative and the neuter nominative and accusative, and weak endings everywhere else.
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Der ehemalige Regionalflughafen
After the definite article der the adjective takes the weak ending -e.
After a definite article the adjective ending is e in the five nominative and accusative singular slots and en everywhere else, because the article has already shown the case and gender.
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ist
Simple present used for a current state of affairs.
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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Words(21)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- ehemalig
former, previous
adjectiveB1
- der Regionalflughafen
regional airport
nounB2pl. Regionalflughäfengen. Regionalflughafensstrong declension
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das Cochstedt
Cochstedt (town in Saxony-Anhalt)
nounC2gen. Cochstedtsstrong declension
- südwestlich
southwest of, southwestern
adverbB1local
With von it means 'southwest of' a place.
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- das Magdeburg
Magdeburg (city)
nounB1gen. Magdeburgsinvariable declension
- mit
with, by (means of transport)
prepositionA1governs dative
Always dative, including travel: 'mit dem Bus, mit dem Rad'.
- einer
a, an
determinerA1indefinite
- der Kilometer
kilometre
nounA1pl. Kilometergen. Kilometersstrong declension
Used without an article in measurements: 2,5 Kilometer lang.
- lang
long
adjectiveA1länger, am längsten
Postposed after a noun phrase it means 'for (the whole span of)': ihr Leben lang.
- der Start
start, take-off
nounA2pl. Startsgen. Startsstrong declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- die Landebahn
runway, landing strip
nounB1pl. Landebahnengen. Landebahnmixed declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- das
the
determinerA1definite
- 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 Drohnenforschung
drone research
nounC1pl. Drohnenforschungengen. Drohnenforschungmixed declension
- das Deutschland
Germany
nounA1pl. —gen. Deutschlandsinvariable declension