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From Mehr als 186.000 Soldaten: Bundeswehr erreicht Personalziel für dieses Jahr, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
The number of applications for a position with the Bundeswehr in this July was, at around 47,300, 26 percent above the value of the same month last year.
Word for word: The number of-the applications for a position at the Bundeswehr lay in this July with around 47,300 by 26 percent above the value of-the previous-year-month.
A news-style statistic: roughly 47,300 people applied for a job with the German armed forces this July, which is 26 percent more than in July of the previous year.
A declarative main sentence with the verb 'liegen' in the preterite (lag) in second position. The subject is the noun phrase 'Die Zahl der Bewerbungen', where 'Zahl' takes a genitive complement. Prepositional phrases modify it, and 'mit rund 47.300' and 'um 26 Prozent' are adverbials specifying the figure and the degree of difference before the comparative phrase 'über dem Wert des Vorjahresmonats' (dative after 'über' expressing static position).
Rules at work(6)
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lag
In this declarative main sentence the finite verb stands in second position after the 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
lag
News reports typically use the simple 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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der Bewerbungen
'Zahl' governs a genitive attribute: the number OF applications.
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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über dem Wert
'über' takes the dative here because it expresses static position (above), not movement.
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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bei der Bundeswehr
'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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Vorjahresmonats
The compound 'Vorjahresmonat' links 'Vorjahr' and 'Monat' and shows the masculine genitive -s.
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(20)
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Zahl
number, figure
nounA2pl. Zahlengen. Zahlstrong declension
'die Zahl der ...' takes a genitive complement; do not confuse with 'die Nummer'.
- die Bewerbung
application, job application
nounB1pl. Bewerbungengen. Bewerbungstrong declension
- für
for
prepositionA1governs accusative
Here für Dienstag names the day the forecast applies to, not a beneficiary.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- die Stelle
position, job, place
nounB1pl. Stellengen. Stellestrong declension
- bei
at, near, with
prepositionA2governs dative
'bei 42 Prozent' = 'at 42 percent', standard in poll reporting.
- die Bundeswehr
German armed forces, federal army
nounB1pl. Bundeswehrengen. Bundeswehrmixed declension
Refers specifically to the German military; usually used without an article in headlines but normally with one.
- liegen
to lie, to be situated, (of figures) to stand at
verbA1liegen, lag, ist gelegenmit seinstrong
With figures, 'liegen bei/um/über' means 'stand at/by above' — common in statistics and news.
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- dies
this, that
determinerA1demonstrative
- der Juli
July
nounA1pl. Julisgen. Julisinvariable declension
Month names are masculine and not usually preceded by an article in dates.
- mit
with, by (means of transport)
prepositionA1governs dative
Always dative, including travel: 'mit dem Bus, mit dem Rad'.
- rund
around, approximately
adverbB1degree
- um
around, by (an amount), at (a time)
prepositionA1governs accusative
'um 26 Prozent' = 'by 26 percent'; essential pattern for describing differences.
- 26
twenty-six
numeralA1
- das Prozent
percent
nounA2pl. Prozentgen. Prozentsstrong declension
- über
over, above, about, via, by way of
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Accusative with movement or route, as here ('via the programme'); dative for static location.
- der Wert
value, figure
nounA2pl. Wertegen. Wertes/Wertsmixed declension
- der Vorjahresmonat
same month of the previous year
nounC1pl. Vorjahresmonategen. Vorjahresmonatsmixed declension