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Second sentence of Ernährungssicherheit: NABU-Studie zweifelt an Nutzen der EU-Agrarhilfen, tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
A new study by the NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) calls into question a central argument of the agriculture minister Rainer.
Word for word: A new study of-the NABU puts a central argument of agriculture-minister Rainer in question.
The sentence reports that a new study by the nature conservation organisation NABU challenges a key claim made by the federal agriculture minister Rainer; typical of news or journalistic prose.
A main clause with verb-second word order: the subject 'Eine neue Studie des NABU' occupies the first position, so the finite verb 'stellt' comes second, and the separable prefix 'infrage' is sent to the end of the clause. Genitive attributes ('des NABU', 'von Bundeslandwirtschaftsminister Rainer' rendered as genitive 'Bundeslandwirtschaftsministers') mark possession.
Rules at work(6)
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Eine neue Studie des NABU stellt
The subject fills the first position, so the finite verb must come second in this declarative 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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stellt ... infrage
'Infrage stellen' is separable, so the finite stem is second and the prefix 'infrage' moves to the end of the 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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stellt
The simple present is used to report current news, as German commonly does where English might use the present perfect.
The present describes what is happening now, what happens habitually, and very often what is going to happen, since German uses the present with a time expression where English would use a future.
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Eine neue Studie ... stellt
Third-person singular subject 'Studie' takes the -t form 'stellt'.
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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von Bundeslandwirtschaftsminister Rainer
'Von' always governs the dative, so the minister's title stands in 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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Bundeslandwirtschaftsminister
The long compound joins Bund + Landwirtschaft + Minister into one noun.
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(11)
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- neu
new
adjectiveA1
- die Studie
study
nounB1pl. Studiengen. Studieweak declension
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- der NABU
NABU (German nature conservation association)
nounC1pl. NABUsgen. NABUinvariable declension
Abbreviation of Naturschutzbund Deutschland; treated as masculine.
- infrage_stellen
to call into question, to challenge
verbC1stellt infrage, stellte infrage, hat infragegestelltmit habenseparableweak
Separable verb; the prefix 'infrage' goes to the end of the clause.
- zentral
central, key
adjectiveB2
- das Argument
argument (reason in a debate)
nounB1pl. Argumentegen. Argumentesstrong declension
Means a reasoned point in a discussion, not a quarrel.
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- der Bundeslandwirtschaftsminister
federal minister of agriculture
nounC1pl. Bundeslandwirtschaftsministergen. Bundeslandwirtschaftsministersweak declension
Official compound title; often shortened to Agrarminister.
- der Rainer
Rainer (male first name)
nounA1pl. Rainersgen. Rainersinvariable declension