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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 latest development is a giant drone that can fly up into the stratosphere.
Word for word: The newest development is a giant-drone, which as-far-as into the stratosphere fly can.
A statement describing a new technological development: a very large drone capable of flying into the stratosphere, typical of technical or journalistic prose.
A main clause with the verb 'ist' in second position and a relative clause introduced by 'die', whose finite verb 'kann' stands at the end. 'kann' is a modal verb with the infinitive 'fliegen' before it. The relative pronoun 'die' is feminine nominative singular, agreeing with 'Riesendrohne'.
Rules at work(10)
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Die neueste Entwicklung ist
The finite verb 'ist' occupies the second position of 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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die ... fliegen kann
In the relative clause the modal 'kann' comes last with the infinitive 'fliegen' before it.
In a subordinate clause the finite verb stands last. Where the clause also holds a participle or an infinitive, the finite verb goes after them, so the order at the end is participle then auxiliary.
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, die bis in die Stratosphäre fliegen kann
The relative pronoun 'die' introduces a clause modifying 'Riesendrohne'.
A relative pronoun takes its gender and number from the noun it refers back to, and its case from the job it does inside the relative clause. The clause is verb-final and always separated by a comma.
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Die neueste Entwicklung
The subject of the sentence is 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.
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bis in die Stratosphäre
Directional 'in' takes the accusative for movement into a place.
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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in die Stratosphäre
'in' takes the accusative because motion towards a destination is expressed.
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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fliegen kann
'kann' is conjugated and pushes its infinitive 'fliegen' 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 neueste Entwicklung
After the definite article the superlative 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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neueste
'neueste' is the superlative of 'neu', formed with -est-.
German adds er and st rather than using more and most, however long the adjective. Many one syllable adjectives take an umlaut, and the superlative before a noun takes an ordinary adjective ending while a standalone one uses am plus sten.
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Riesendrohne
The noun combines 'Riese' and 'Drohne' into one word.
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(12)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- neu
new
adjectiveA1
- die Entwicklung
development
nounB1pl. Entwicklungengen. Entwicklungmixed 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'.
- die Riesendrohne
giant drone, huge drone
nounC1pl. Riesendrohnengen. Riesendrohnestrong declension
Standard spelling is 'Riesendrohne' or more commonly 'Riesendrohne' with the base word 'Drohne' (with h).
- die
who, which, that
pronounA2relative
Demonstrative 'die' pointing back to a previously mentioned noun; stronger than plain 'sie'.
- 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.
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- die Stratosphäre
stratosphere
nounC1pl. Stratosphärengen. Stratosphärestrong declension
- fliegen
to fly
verbA1fliegen, flog, ist geflogenmit seinstrong
- können
can, be able to, may, might (as könnte)
verbA1können, konnte, hat gekonntmit habenmodal
könnte is the Konjunktiv II and softens a claim into a possibility.