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Opening sentence of Merz in der Sommerpause: Das Schweigen des Kanzlers, tagesschau.de, 19 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
Heat, a debate about reform, and yet another drone incident: this summer offers plenty of occasions to speak out.
Word for word: Heat, reform-debate and still another drone-incident: this summer offers many occasions, oneself to express.
Typical journalistic opening: several news topics are listed as reasons why one might comment or take a position this summer.
A fronted list of three noun phrases in apposition serves as the topic, followed by a colon and a main clause with verb-second word order. 'Dieser Sommer' is nominative subject; 'viele Anlässe' accusative object. The comma before 'sich zu äußern' introduces an infinitive clause with zu, placed at the end because German puts infinitive clauses after the noun they depend on.
Rules at work(6)
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Dieser Sommer bietet
The fronted topic list occupies position one, so the finite verb bietet must come second.
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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sich zu äußern
The dependent verb appears as a zu-infinitive clause placed after its governing noun Anlässe.
Many verbs, adjectives and nouns take an infinitive introduced by zu, which stands at the end of its clause. With a separable verb the zu goes between the prefix and the stem, giving aufzustehen.
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sich zu äußern
sich äußern is a reflexive verb whose reflexive pronoun precedes the infinitive.
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.
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Dieser Sommer
The subject of bietet takes 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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viele Anlässe
The direct object of bieten takes 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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Reformdebatte, Drohnen-Vorfall
Both nouns are compounds formed from two nouns.
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(14)
- die Hitze
heat, hot weather
nounA2pl. Hitzengen. der Hitzestrong declension
For a heatwave German usually says die Hitze or eine Hitzewelle.
- die Reformdebatte
debate about reform
nounC1pl. Reformdebattengen. Reformdebatteweak declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- noch
still, yet
adverbA1temporal
Before a comparative, 'noch stärker' means 'even stronger'.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- der Drohnen-Vorfall
drone incident
nounB2pl. Drohnen-Vorfällegen. Drohnen-Vorfallsstrong declension
- dieser
this, that
determinerA2demonstrative
Takes the same endings as the definite article; the dative neuter form is "diesem".
- der Sommer
summer
nounA1pl. Sommergen. des Sommersstrong declension
- bieten
to offer, to provide
verbB2bieten, bot, gebotenmit habenweak
- viel
many, much
adjectiveA2
'viel' before plural countable nouns means 'many'; its comparative is the irregular 'mehr'.
- der Anlass
occasion, reason, cause
nounB1pl. Anlässegen. Anlassesstrong declension
Plural is Anlässe with umlaut.
- sich
himself/herself/themselves, itself
pronounA2reflexive
Always refers back to the subject; here it is fixed to the verb 'sich mehren'.
- zu
marker before infinitives
particleA1
Only certain verbs and expressions allow a zu-infinitive; it also exists as a preposition 'to'.
- äußern
to express oneself, to comment, to voice (an opinion)
verbB2äußern, äußerte, geäußertmit habenweak
Almost always used reflexively: sich zu etwas äußern = to comment on something.