Asking the model to read this sentence.
A sentence nobody has read before takes a minute or two, because it means asking a language model. Nothing is lost if you leave this page: the address keeps the result.
From Teillegalisierung in Deutschland: Wo Cannabis boomt und wo es Probleme gibt, tagesschau.de, 21 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
"The decriminalisation was an important step and a success", says Georg Wurth of the German Hemp Association.
Word for word: "The decriminalisation was an important step and a success", says Georg Wurth from the German Hemp Association.
A news-style quotation in which a spokesman states that decriminalising cannabis was both an important step and a success; the reporting verb 'sagt' attributes the words to Georg Wurth of the German Hemp Association.
A direct quotation in the indicative is followed by the reporting clause 'sagt Georg Wurth vom Deutschen Hanfverband'. The subject of the quote, 'Die Entkriminalisierung', is feminine nominative singular; 'war' is the preterite of 'sein'. The two noun phrases 'ein wichtiger Schritt' and 'ein Erfolg' are coordinated predicate nominatives after the copula, so both take nominative with mixed adjective endings after the indefinite article. 'vom' is a contraction of 'von dem' with dative.
Rules at work(6)
-
sagt Georg Wurth
The quoted sentence occupies the prefield, so the finite verb sagt comes second in the reporting 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Die Entkriminalisierung war ein wichtiger Schritt und ein Erfolg
With the copula sein both the subject and the predicate noun phrases stand in the 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
war
The copula sein appears in its preterite form war to place the statement in the past.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
ein wichtiger Schritt
After the indefinite article ein the adjective takes the mixed ending -er in the nominative masculine.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
vom Deutschen Hanfverband
von governs the dative, so Hanfverband appears in the dative singular with the weak adjective ending -en.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Die Entkriminalisierung
Nouns ending in -ung are always feminine, which determines the article die.
Every German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender is a property of the word rather than of the thing it names, and it decides the form of every article, adjective and pronoun that refers to it, so it has to be learned with the noun.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(14)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Entkriminalisierung
decriminalisation
nounC1pl. Entkriminalisierungengen. Entkriminalisierungweak declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- wichtig
important
adjectiveA1wichtiger, am wichtigsten
- der Schritt
step, measure (figurative)
nounA2pl. Schrittegen. Schrittesstrong declension
In political texts Schritt often means 'a measure or move', not a literal step.
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- der Erfolg
success
nounA2pl. Erfolgegen. Erfolgesstrong declension
- sagen
to say, to tell
verbA1sagen, sagte, hat gesagtmit habenweak
- der Georg
George (male first name)
nounA1pl. Georgsgen. Georgsstrong declension
- der Wurth
Wurth (surname)
nounC2pl. Wurthsgen. Wurthsstrong declension
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- deutsch
German
adjectiveA1deutscher, am deutschesten
- der Hanfverband
hemp association, cannabis lobby group
nounC2pl. Hanfverbändegen. Hanfverbandesstrong declension