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From Soziale Gerechtigkeit: Wie gerecht ist die deutsche Klimapolitik?, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The energy transition is to be designed in as socially fair a way as possible, from the subsidy programmes for electric cars or heating systems to the CO2 price.
Word for word: The energy-transition shall as-possibly social fair designed become, from the funding-measures for E-cars or heating-systems to the CO2-price.
Typical of political and journalistic writing on climate policy: the speaker demands that the energy transition be implemented in a socially fair way, and stresses that this applies to every instrument involved, from subsidies for electric cars and heating systems to carbon pricing.
The modal verb 'soll' (3rd person singular, agreeing with the feminine nominative subject 'die Energiewende') combines with the passive infinitive 'gestaltet werden' to say that something should be done to the subject. 'Möglichst' (superlative of 'möglich' used adverbially) scales the predicative adjectives 'sozial gerecht', which stand uninflected because they follow the verb. The phrase 'von den Fördermaßnahmen ... bis zum CO2-Preis' marks a range: 'von' and 'zu' (contracted with 'dem' to 'zum') govern the dative, while 'für' governs the accusative.
Rules at work(7)
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soll ... gestaltet werden
The modal 'soll' governs a bare infinitive at the end of the clause and expresses that the action is demanded or intended rather than simply happening.
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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gestaltet werden
The past participle 'gestaltet' plus the infinitive 'werden' forms the passive infinitive, so the subject 'die Energiewende' undergoes the action instead of performing it.
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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Die Energiewende soll
The finite verb 'soll' stands in second position after the subject phrase, as required in a German 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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Die Energiewende
The subject of the passive sentence appears in the nominative, marked by the feminine article 'die'.
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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von den Fördermaßnahmen
'Von' always takes the dative, hence 'den Fördermaßnahmen' in the dative plural.
Aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von and zu always take the dative. Several of them contract with the article: von dem becomes vom, zu der becomes zur.
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für E-Autos oder Heizungen
'Für' always takes the accusative, so the coordinated nouns stand in the accusative plural.
Durch, für, gegen, ohne and um always take the accusative, whatever they mean and whatever follows them.
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Energiewende, Fördermaßnahmen, E-Autos, CO2-Preis
All four key nouns are compounds whose gender and plural come from the final element (Wende, Maßnahme, Auto, Preis).
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(18)
- die
the
determinerA1definite
- die Energiewende
energy transition, shift to renewable energy
nounC1pl. Energiewendengen. Energiewendemixed declension
- sollen
should, to be supposed to
verbA2sollen, sollte, gesolltmit habenmodal
In reporting, 'soll' signals that something is planned or claimed rather than fact.
- möglichst
as ... as possible
adverbB1degree
Stands directly before the adjective or adverb it scales: 'möglichst schnell'.
- sozial
social
adjectiveA2sozialer, am sozialsten
- gerecht
fair, just
adjectiveB1gerechter, am gerechtesten
- gestalten
design, shape, organize
verbB1gestalten, gestaltete, hat gestaltetmit habenweak
- werden
become, will (future auxiliary)
verbA2werden, wurde, ist gewordenmit habenirregular
Also the passive auxiliary; do not confuse with bekommen (= receive).
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Fördermaßnahme
subsidy programme, funding measure, support scheme
nounC1pl. Fördermaßnahmengen. Fördermaßnahmemixed declension
- für
for
prepositionA1governs accusative
Here für Dienstag names the day the forecast applies to, not a beneficiary.
- das E-Auto
electric car
nounB1pl. E-Autosgen. E-Autosstrong declension
- oder
or
conjunctionA1coordinating
- die Heizung
heating, heating system, radiator
nounA2pl. Heizungengen. Heizungmixed declension
- bis
until, to, as far as
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Alone it takes the accusative ('bis Montag'); with 'zu' it means 'up to and including' and follows the dative.
- zu
to, at, too
prepositionA1governs dative
With verbs of movement it takes dative even though motion is involved.
- der CO2-Preis
CO2 price, carbon price
nounC1pl. CO2-Preisegen. CO2-Preisesmixed declension