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.
Third sentence of Feuer nicht unter Kontrolle: Waldbrände im Hohen Venn und im Schwarzwald, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
A forest fire in the Black Forest has spread.
Word for word: A forest-fire in-the Black-Forest has itself spread-out.
Used in news reporting to say that a wildfire has grown larger and spread over a wider area.
A simple main clause in the perfect tense. The subject 'Ein Waldbrand' is in the nominative; 'im Schwarzwald' is a dative phrase of place after the two-way preposition 'in'. The perfect is formed with the auxiliary 'hat' plus the past participle 'ausgeweitet', which sits at the end because 'ausweiten' is a separable verb and the reflexive pronoun 'sich' belongs to it.
Rules at work(7)
-
Ein Waldbrand ... hat
The finite auxiliary 'hat' stands in second position after the subject phrase, as required in a German 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
hat sich ausgeweitet
'Sich ausweiten' forms its perfect with 'haben', even though it describes a change of state.
The perfect is the ordinary spoken past. It is built from the present of haben in second position and the past participle at the end of the clause. Most verbs take haben, including every verb with a direct object and every reflexive verb.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
ausgeweitet
The weak verb 'ausweiten' forms its participle with -t, and the separable prefix 'aus-' is reunited with the stem before ge-.
A weak verb forms its participle as ge plus stem plus t, a strong verb as ge plus a often changed stem plus en. Verbs with an inseparable prefix and verbs ending in ieren take no ge at all.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
ausgeweitet
In the past participle the separable prefix 'aus-' attaches back onto the verb: aus + ge + weit + et.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
im Schwarzwald
'In' takes the dative here because the fire is located in the Black Forest, not moving into it.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Ein Waldbrand
The subject of the sentence appears in the nominative case.
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? -
sich ausgeweitet
'Sich ausweiten' is reflexive; the accusative reflexive 'sich' refers back to the subject.
A reflexive verb takes a pronoun pointing back at the subject. The pronoun is usually accusative, but it turns dative as soon as the verb has another direct object, which is why it is ich wasche mich but ich wasche mir die Hände.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(7)
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- der Waldbrand
forest fire, wildfire
nounB1pl. Waldbrändegen. Waldbrandesstrong declension
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- der Schwarzwald
Black Forest
nounB1pl. Schwarzwäldergen. Schwarzwaldesstrong declension
A German mountain region; used without an article except in phrases like 'im Schwarzwald'.
- haben
to have
verbA1haben, hatte, hat gehabtmit habenirregular
As an auxiliary it forms the perfect tenses of most verbs.
- sich
himself/herself/themselves, itself
pronounA2reflexive
Always refers back to the subject; here it is fixed to the verb 'sich mehren'.
- ausweiten
to extend, to broaden
verbB2ausweiten, weitete aus, hat ausgeweitetmit habenseparableweak