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From Ausgaben deutlich gestiegen: Sozialhilfe kostet 21,5 Milliarden Euro , tagesschau.de, 21 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The social welfare agencies paid out around 21.5 billion euros net, and thus 6.1 percent more than in the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office reported. The largest item remained basic security in old age and in cases of reduced earning capacity.
Word for word: The social-welfare-carriers paid net around 21.5 billion euros and thereby 6.1 percent more than in-the previous-year, shared the Statistical Federal Office with. The largest item remained the basic-security in age and with earning-reduction.
A typical news/official statistics report: welfare bodies paid about 21.5 billion euros net, 6.1% up on the year before, according to Destatis; the biggest expenditure category was still basic old-age and disability security.
Two declarative sentences. The first is a main clause with a reporting clause 'teilte das Statistische Bundesamt mit' containing a separable verb (mitteilen); the fronted main clause functions as the direct object of mitteilen. The second sentence uses bleiben as a linking verb with a nominative predicate noun.
Rules at work(8)
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zahlten netto rund
The finite verb zahlten stands in second position after the subject phrase Die Sozialhilfeträger.
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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zahlten ... teilte ... blieb
Written news reports use the preterite rather than the perfect for past events.
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.
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teilte ... mit
The prefix mit- of mitteilen separates and moves to the end of the reporting clause.
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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Die Sozialhilfeträger zahlten
Plural subject takes the plural preterite form zahlten.
The finite verb takes an ending that matches its subject in person and number. The endings for regular verbs in the present are e, st, t, en, t, en.
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mehr als im Vorjahr
mehr als introduces a comparative comparison; größte is the superlative of groß.
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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teilte das Statistische Bundesamt mit
The reported content is fronted, so the reporting clause behaves like a final-position element with its separable prefix closing 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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Der größte Posten blieb die Grundsicherung
Both subject Posten and predicate noun Grundsicherung after bleiben are 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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bei Erwerbsminderung
bei always governs the dative.
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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Words(25)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- Sozialhilfeträger
social welfare agency, body administering social assistance
nounC1
- zahlen
to pay
verbA1zahlen, zahlte, hat gezahltmit habenweak
- netto
net, after deductions
adverbB1modal
- rund
around, approximately
adverbB1degree
- die Milliarde
billion
nounB1pl. Milliardengen. Milliardemixed declension
German 'Milliarde' = English billion (10^9), not milliard confusion.
- der Euro
euro
nounA1pl. Eurogen. Eurostrong declension
The plural is identical to the singular: zehn Euro.
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- damit
with that, thereby, by doing so
adverbB1modal
Often points forward or back to a whole clause, not just a thing.
- 6,1
6.1
numeralA1
German uses a comma as decimal separator.
- das Prozent
percent
nounA2pl. Prozentgen. Prozentsstrong declension
- mehr
more
adverbA1degree
Comparative of viel; before nouns it works like a quantifier with no article.
- als
as, than, when (past)
conjunctionA2correlative
here 'als Land' means 'as a country'; also used for comparisons and after 'als' in past-time clauses
- im
in the
prepositionA1governs dative
Fixed fusion of in + dem; the dative is built in.
- das Vorjahr
previous year
nounB1pl. Vorjahregen. Vorjahresstrong declension
- mitteilen
announce, report, communicate
verbB2mitteilen, teilte mit, hat mitgeteiltmit habenseparableweakgoverns dative
Separable; common in news style as 'teilte X mit' = 'X announced'.
- statistisch
statistical
adjectiveB2statistischer, am statistischsten
- das Bundesamt
federal office, federal agency
nounB2pl. Bundesämtergen. Bundesamtesstrong declension
- groß
big, great
adjectiveA1größer, am größten / das größte
- der Posten
item (in an account), position, post
nounB2pl. Postengen. Postensstrong declension
In accounting contexts means a line item or entry.
- bleiben
stay, remain
verbA2bleiben, blieb, ist gebliebenmit seinstrong
Takes sein in the perfect, not haben.
- die Grundsicherung
basic income support, basic security
nounC1pl. Grundsicherungengen. Grundsicherungmixed declension
- das Alter
age
nounA2pl. Altergen. Altersstrong declension
- bei
at, near, with
prepositionA2governs dative
'bei 42 Prozent' = 'at 42 percent', standard in poll reporting.
- die Erwerbsminderung
reduced earning capacity, incapacity for work
nounC2pl. Erwerbsminderungengen. Erwerbsminderungmixed declension