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Second sentence of Rede über Zuwanderung: Steinmeier fordert Absage an völkische Ideologie, tagesschau.de, 25 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
He also says that immigration takes effort.
Word for word: He says also, immigration cost (subjunctive) strength.
The speaker reports that someone has claimed immigration requires strength or effort; the subjunctive marks the content as reported speech rather than the writer's own assertion.
A main clause with the reporting verb 'sagt' is followed by an indirect statement without the conjunction 'dass'. Because it reports what someone else claims, the verb appears in subjunctive one ('koste'), which for 'kosten' looks like the infinitive/stem form. The subject 'Zuwanderung' stands before the finite verb in this embedded clause.
Rules at work(5)
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koste
The reported claim uses subjunctive one to mark indirect speech; for 'kosten' the third-singular form equals the stem.
Reported speech in journalism and formal writing. It is built from the infinitive stem, and where its form would be identical to the ordinary present, Konjunktiv II is used instead to keep the reporting visible.
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sagt auch, Zuwanderung koste Kraft
The dass-clause is reported without the conjunction, leaving declarative order in the embedded clause.
A question inside another sentence becomes a subordinate clause and its verb moves to the end. A question word introduces it, and where there is none, ob does the job.
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Er sagt
The finite verb 'sagt' stands in second position after the subject in the 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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Er
The subject of the main clause 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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Kraft
'Kosten' takes its object in the accusative.
The accusative marks the direct object: the thing the action is done to. Only the masculine changes visibly, from der to den and from ein to einen, which is why the masculine is where accusative errors show.
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Words(6)
- er
he
pronounA1personal
- sagen
to say, to tell
verbA1sagen, sagte, hat gesagtmit habenweak
- auch
also, too
adverbA1modal
Focus particle; here it means the ministers are included among others already named.
- die Zuwanderung
immigration, inward migration
nounB2pl. Zuwanderungengen. Zuwanderungweak declension
- kosten
to cost, to take (effort)
verbA2kosten, kostete, hat gekostetmit habenweak
Takes an accusative object for what is cost or expended, not only money.
- die Kraft
strength, energy, force
nounB1pl. Kräftegen. Kraftstrong declension
In politics, 'politische Kraft' means a party or political movement.