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Second sentence of Neuer Vorstoß auf EU-Ebene: Klingbeil fordert Übergewinnsteuer für Ölkonzerne, tagesschau.de, 22 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
Finance Minister Klingbeil therefore wants to make them pay up and – together with other EU states – is calling for a windfall profits tax.
Word for word: Finance-minister Klingbeil wants these therefore to the cash-box bite and demands – together with other EU-states – a excess-profit-tax.
The sentence reports that Germany's finance minister intends to tax certain companies (referred to by 'diese') heavily – the idiom 'jemanden zur Kasse bitten' means to make someone pay money – and, jointly with other EU countries, demands a special tax on excess profits. Typical of news or political reporting.
A main clause with verb-second word order: the subject 'Finanzminister Klingbeil' occupies position one, so the finite modal 'will' stands second. It governs the infinitive 'bitten' at the end of its verb phrase, while the coordinated finite verb 'fordert' shares the same subject and takes the direct object 'eine Übergewinnsteuer'. The demonstrative pronoun 'diese' is the accusative object of 'bitten'; 'zur' is the contraction of 'zu dem', with 'zu' governing the dative in the fixed expression 'zur Kasse bitten'. The parenthetical prepositional phrase 'zusammen mit anderen EU-Staaten' uses the dative after 'mit'.
Rules at work(11)
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Finanzminister Klingbeil will
The subject phrase fills first position, so the finite verb 'will' must stand 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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will ... fordert
Both finite verbs agree with the third-person singular subject 'Klingbeil'.
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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will diese ... zur Kasse bitten
The modal 'will' governs the bare infinitive 'bitten' at the end of the verb phrase.
The six modals können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen and mögen say something about the main verb rather than naming an action. The modal is the finite verb in second position and the main verb goes to the end of the clause as an infinitive.
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zur Kasse ... mit anderen EU-Staaten
'zu' and 'mit' both govern the dative, shown by 'der' contracted in 'zur' and the '-n' on 'Staaten'.
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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diese ... eine Übergewinnsteuer
'diese' is the accusative object of 'bitten' and 'eine Übergewinnsteuer' the accusative object of 'fordert'.
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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will ... fordert
The present tense of the modal and the full verb expresses current intention and demand.
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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und fordert
'und' coordinates two finite verbs sharing one subject without changing word order.
Und, aber, oder, denn and sondern join two main clauses and do not count as an element, so the word order after them is unchanged and the verb stays in second position.
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eine Übergewinnsteuer
The feminine accusative singular form 'eine' introduces a not-yet-specified tax.
Ein and eine decline like the definite article except that the masculine nominative and the neuter nominative and accusative carry no ending. Kein and the possessives follow exactly the same pattern.
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die Kasse, die Übergewinnsteuer
Both nouns are feminine, which determines the article forms 'zur' (zu der) and 'eine'.
Every German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender is a property of the word rather than of the thing it names, and it decides the form of every article, adjective and pronoun that refers to it, so it has to be learned with the noun.
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Finanzminister ... EU-Staaten ... Übergewinnsteuer
Three compounds are built from noun parts, with the final element fixing 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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diese
The demonstrative pronoun 'diese' points back to entities mentioned earlier in the text.
Dieser and jener decline like the definite article. The article forms themselves are also used demonstratively in speech, with stress doing the work: Den kenne ich.
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Words(16)
- der Finanzminister
finance minister
nounB2pl. Finanzministergen. Finanzministersstrong declension
Compound of Finanzen + Minister; refers to the head of the finance ministry.
- der Klingbeil
Klingbeil (surname)
nounC1gen. Klingbeilsstrong declension
- wollen
to want, to want to
verbA1wollen, wollte, hat gewolltmit habenmodal
Wollen has no umlaut in its conjugation: ich will, wir wollen.
- dieser
this, that one, these ones
pronounA2demonstrative
Here used pronominally for things already mentioned; declines like the definite article.
- deshalb
therefore, that is why
adverbA2causal
Refers back to a cause just mentioned; when it starts the clause the verb must come second.
- zu
to, at, too
prepositionA1governs dative
With verbs of movement it takes dative even though motion is involved.
- die Kasse
cash desk, till, fund, coffers
nounA2pl. Kassengen. Kasseweak declension
'Jemanden zur Kasse bitten' is an idiom meaning to make someone pay up.
- bitten
to ask, to request
verbA1bitten, bat, hat gebetenmit habenstronggoverns accusative and dative
Strong verb: bat, gebeten; distinguish from 'bitte' (please).
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- fordern
to demand, to call for
verbB1fordern, forderte, hat gefordertmit habenweak
Do not confuse with fördern (to promote).
- zusammen
together
adverbA1modal
- mit
with, by (means of transport)
prepositionA1governs dative
Always dative, including travel: 'mit dem Bus, mit dem Rad'.
- ander-
other, another, different
adjectiveA1
'die einen …, die anderen …' splits a group into two: 'some …, the others …'.
- der EU-Staat
EU state, member state of the European Union
nounB1pl. EU-Staatengen. EU-Staatesstrong declension
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- die Übergewinnsteuer
excess-profits tax, windfall-profits tax
nounC2pl. Übergewinnsteuerngen. Übergewinnsteuerstrong declension
Technical term from tax and financial journalism.