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From Bis mindestens März 2027: Grenzkontrollen sollen erneut verlängert werden, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The Federal Interior Minister at the time, Nancy Faeser (SPD), had ordered this in order to curb the number of unauthorized entries.
Word for word: The then federal-interior-minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had this ordered, around the number of-the unauthorized entries to-curb.
Reports that Interior Minister Faeser gave an order whose aim was to reduce illegal border entries; typical journalistic register.
A main clause in the pluperfect: the finite auxiliary 'hatte' stands in second position and the past participle 'angeordnet' closes the clause. An 'um ... zu' purpose infinitive clause follows, with the zu-infinitive 'einzudämmen' at its end; a separable verb in a zu-infinitive inserts 'zu' between prefix and stem.
Rules at work(7)
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hatte dies angeordnet
The auxiliary 'hatte' plus past participle expresses that the order preceded the event being reported.
The pluperfect describes what had already happened before some other past event. It is built like the perfect but with hatte or war instead of hat or ist, and it very often appears in a clause introduced by nachdem.
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um die Zahl der unerlaubten Einreisen einzudämmen
Purpose is expressed by um + zu-infinitive with the infinitive in final position.
Um plus an infinitive with zu at the end expresses purpose. It works only where both clauses share a subject; where they do not, damit is used instead.
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angeordnet
The separable verb anordnen forms its participle as prefix + ge + stem + t: angeordnet.
A weak verb forms its participle as ge plus stem plus t, a strong verb as ge plus a often changed stem plus en. Verbs with an inseparable prefix and verbs ending in ieren take no ge at all.
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hatte
After the fronted subject phrase the finite verb occupies second position 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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einzudämmen
A separable verb in the zu-infinitive places zu between prefix and stem: einzudämmen.
Many verbs, adjectives and nouns take an infinitive introduced by zu, which stands at the end of its clause. With a separable verb the zu goes between the prefix and the stem, giving aufzustehen.
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der unerlaubten Einreisen
The genitive phrase marks what the number consists of: the number of unauthorized entries.
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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angeordnet
Anordnen is separable; the prefix rejoins the stem in the participle with ge- inserted.
Some verbs carry a prefix that detaches in a main clause and moves to the very end: aufstehen becomes Ich stehe um sieben auf. The prefix is stressed, which is what tells a separable prefix from an inseparable one. In a subordinate clause and in the infinitive the verb stays whole.
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Words(14)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- damalig
of that time, then, at that time
adjectiveB2-, -
Usually attributive only; 'die damalige Ministerin' = the minister who held office then.
- die Bundesinnenministerin
Federal Minister of the Interior (female)
nounB2pl. Bundesinnenministerinnengen. Bundesinnenministerinweak declension
- die Nancy
Nancy (given name)
nounA1pl. Nancysgen. Nancyinvariable declension
- die Faeser
Faeser (surname)
nounA1pl. Faesersgen. Faesersstrong declension
- die SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
nounB1pl. SPDsgen. SPDinvariable declension
Feminine abbreviation, used without an article when naming the party affiliation.
- haben
to have
verbA1haben, hatte, hat gehabtmit habenirregular
As an auxiliary it forms the perfect tenses of most verbs.
- dies
this, that
pronounB1demonstrative
'Dies' is a shortened form of 'dieses', common in formal writing for 'this (situation/fact)'.
- anordnen
to order, to decree, to arrange
verbB2anordnen, ordnete an, hat angeordnetmit habenseparableweak
- um
in order to
conjunctionA2subordinating
In 'um ... zu + infinitive' it introduces a purpose clause with no explicit subject.
- die Zahl
number, figure
nounA2pl. Zahlengen. Zahlstrong declension
'die Zahl der ...' takes a genitive complement; do not confuse with 'die Nummer'.
- unerlaubt
unauthorized, illegal, not permitted
adjectiveB2unerlaubter, am unerlaubtesten
- die Einreise
entry (into a country), immigration
nounB1pl. Einreisengen. Einreisestrong declension
- eindämmen
to curb, to contain, to keep in check
verbC1eindämmen, dämmte ein, hat eingedämmtmit habenseparableweak
Literally 'to dam up'; common with abstract objects like numbers, inflation, epidemics.