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Opening sentence of Kurs der Bundesregierung: "Klimapolitik von der Kür zur Pflicht machen", tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The weeks full of heat, low water and forest fires were impossible to overlook — even for the federal government.
Word for word: The weeks full-of heat, low-water and forest-fires were un-overlookable — also for the federal government.
States that the hot, dry, fire-prone weeks were obvious to everyone, including the German government; typical journalistic commentary on climate events.
A plural subject 'Die Wochen' with the predicate adjective 'unübersehbar' takes copular 'waren' (preterite of sein). The extended noun phrase uses 'voller' + genitive with three coordinated genitive nouns. 'auch für die Bundesregierung' is an appended phrase with für + accusative.
Rules at work(6)
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Die Wochen ... waren unübersehbar
The finite verb waren occupies the second position after the long fronted subject phrase.
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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voller Hitze, Niedrigwasser und Waldbrände
'voller' governs the genitive, so the listed nouns stand in the genitive.
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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Die Wochen
The subject of sein appears 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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waren
Copula sein in simple past tense, standard in written narrative.
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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für die Bundesregierung
'für' always takes the accusative, hence die Bundesregierung.
Durch, für, gegen, ohne and um always take the accusative, whatever they mean and whatever follows them.
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Niedrigwasser, Waldbrände, Bundesregierung
Three compounds whose head noun determines gender and plural.
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'.
- die Woche
week
nounA1pl. Wochengen. Wochestrong declension
- voller
full of
adjectiveB2
Used with the genitive and behaves like a preposition; not to be confused with voll.
- die Hitze
heat, hot weather
nounA2pl. Hitzengen. der Hitzestrong declension
For a heatwave German usually says die Hitze or eine Hitzewelle.
- das Niedrigwasser
low water level
nounC1pl. Niedrigwassergen. Niedrigwassersstrong declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- der Waldbrand
forest fire, wildfire
nounB1pl. Waldbrändegen. Waldbrandesstrong declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- unübersehbar
impossible to overlook, glaringly obvious
adjectiveC1unübersehbarer, am unübersehbarsten
- auch
also, too
adverbA1modal
Focus particle; here it means the ministers are included among others already named.
- für
for
prepositionA1governs accusative
Here für Dienstag names the day the forecast applies to, not a beneficiary.
- die Bundesregierung
federal government
nounB2pl. Bundesregierungengen. Bundesregierungstrong declension