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Opening sentence of Fruchtnektar und Haferdrink: Bundesregierung will geplante Zuckersteuer ausweiten, tagesschau.de, 25 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The federal government wants to introduce a tax on sugary drinks.
Word for word: The federal government wants a tax on sugar-containing drinks to introduce.
Used in news or political reporting to announce that the German federal government intends to bring in a sugar tax on sweetened beverages.
A main clause with verb-second word order: the subject 'Die Bundesregierung' occupies the first position, the finite modal verb 'will' comes second, and the infinitive 'einführen' stands at the end, forming an infinitive construction with the modal 'wollen'. The noun phrase 'eine Steuer auf zuckerhaltige Getränke' is the accusative object; the preposition 'auf' governs the accusative here.
Rules at work(5)
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Die Bundesregierung will
In this declarative main clause the finite verb will occupies the second position after the 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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will ... einführen
The modal wollen is conjugated in second position while its dependent infinitive einführen moves to the end of the clause.
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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Die Bundesregierung
The subject of the sentence stands in the nominative case.
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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eine Steuer auf zuckerhaltige Getränke
The direct object of einführen and the noun governed by auf both appear in the accusative.
The accusative marks the direct object: the thing the action is done to. Only the masculine changes visibly, from der to den and from ein to einen, which is why the masculine is where accusative errors show.
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Bundesregierung
The noun is formed from Bund + Regierung, showing typical German compounding.
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(9)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Bundesregierung
federal government
nounB2pl. Bundesregierungengen. Bundesregierungstrong declension
- wollen
to want, to want to
verbA1wollen, wollte, hat gewolltmit habenmodal
Wollen has no umlaut in its conjugation: ich will, wir wollen.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- die Steuer
tax
nounB1pl. Steuerngen. Steuerstrong declension
Not to be confused with das Steuer (steering wheel/control).
- auf
on, onto
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Location takes the dative, movement towards the accusative.
- zuckerhaltig
sugary, containing sugar, sugar-laden
adjectiveB2zuckerhaltiger, am zuckerhaltigsten
- das Getränk
drink, beverage
nounA2pl. Getränkegen. Getränksstrong declension
- einführen
to introduce, to bring in, to implement
verbB1einführen, führte ein, hat eingeführtmit habenseparableweakgoverns accusative