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From Zahlen zum ersten Halbjahr: Mehr freiwillige Ausreisen abgelehnter Asylbewerber, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
In the first half of the current year, 9,276 people returned to their home countries under federal return programmes, the newspapers of the Funke Media Group reported, citing the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
Word for word: In the first half-year of the running year were 9,276 people in the framework of return-programmes of the federation into their homeland returned, reported the newspapers of the Funke Mediengroup under citation on the federal-office for migration and refugees (BAMF).
A news-style sentence reporting that nearly ten thousand people went back to their home countries through government return programmes; the subjunctive signals that the claim comes from the newspapers citing BAMF, not from the writer directly.
The sentence opens with a fronted temporal prepositional phrase, so the finite verb 'seien' stands in second position. 'Seien' is Konjunktiv I plural, marking indirect (reported) speech, and forms a perfect with the past participle 'zurückgekehrt' of the sein-verb 'zurückkehren'. The reporting clause 'berichteten die Zeitungen...' follows, itself in indicative preterite, and carries several genitive attributes ('des laufenden Jahres', 'des Bundes', 'der Funke Mediengruppe') and fixed prepositional phrases ('im Rahmen von', 'unter Berufung auf').
Rules at work(6)
-
seien ... zurückgekehrt, berichteten die Zeitungen
'Seien' is Konjunktiv I because the content is reported speech attributed to the newspapers, standard in German news writing.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
seien ... zurückgekehrt
'Zurückkehren' is a motion verb, so its perfect is formed with 'sein' rather than 'haben'.
Verbs of motion from one place to another and verbs of change of state take sein rather than haben in the perfect, along with sein, werden and bleiben themselves. Er ist gegangen, not er hat gegangen.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Im ersten Halbjahr ... seien
The fronted time phrase occupies first position, pushing the finite verb to second position.
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? -
des laufenden Jahres, des Bundes, der Funke Mediengruppe
Several noun phrases use the genitive to express 'of'-relationships between nouns.
The genitive shows possession and follows a small set of prepositions. Masculine and neuter nouns add s or es. In speech it is often replaced by von plus the dative, but it is alive in writing and in fixed expressions.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
unter Berufung auf das Bundesamt
'Berufung' is fixed to the preposition 'auf' with the accusative.
Many verbs are tied to one preposition and one case, and the pairing rarely matches the English one. Warten auf takes the accusative, denken an takes the accusative, teilnehmen an takes the dative.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
in ihre Heimat
'In' takes the accusative here because movement towards a destination is expressed.
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?
Words(29)
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- erster
first
adjectiveA1
- das Halbjahr
half-year, six-month period
nounB1pl. Halbjahregen. Halbjahresstrong declension
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- laufend
current, ongoing
adjectiveC1
Present participle of 'laufen' used as an adjective; 'das laufende Jahr' = the current year.
- das Jahr
year
nounA1pl. Jahregen. Jahresstrong declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- 9.276
9,276
numeralA2
- der Mensch
human being, person
nounA1pl. Menschengen. Menschenweak declension
Weak n-declension: the genitive singular is Menschen and every plural form is Menschen.
- der Rahmen
frame, context
nounB1pl. Rahmengen. Rahmensweak declension
Almost always met in the fixed phrase 'im Rahmen von' = within the scope of.
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- das Rückkehrprogramm
return programme
nounC1pl. Rückkehrprogrammegen. Rückkehrprogrammsstrong declension
- der Bund
federation, the federal state (Germany)
nounB1pl. Bündegen. Bundesmixed declension
In German politics 'der Bund' means the federal level of government.
- ihr
their, her
determinerA2possessive
Refers to feminine or plural possessors; here 'its' (the commission's).
- die Heimat
home, homeland
nounB1pl. Heimatengen. Heimatstrong declension
- zurückkehren
to return, to go back
verbB2zurückkehren, kehrte zurück, ist zurückgekehrtmit seinseparableweakin + accusative (destination)
- berichten
to report
verbB1berichten, berichtete, hat berichtetmit habenweaküber + accusative
- die Zeitung
newspaper
nounA2pl. Zeitungengen. Zeitungmixed declension
- Funke
spark, (proper name) Funke Media Group
nounC2
- die Mediengruppe
media group
nounB2pl. Mediengruppengen. Mediengruppemixed declension
- unter
under, among, citing
prepositionA2governs accusative or dative
'unter Berufung auf' is a set journalistic phrase meaning 'citing'.
- die Berufung
appeal, vocation, citation (of a source)
nounC1pl. Berufungengen. Berufungstrong declension
In 'unter Berufung auf' it means invoking/citing a source, not 'vocation'.
- auf
on, onto
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Location takes the dative, movement towards the accusative.
- das Bundesamt
federal office, federal agency
nounB2pl. Bundesämtergen. Bundesamtesstrong declension
- für
for
prepositionA1governs accusative
Here für Dienstag names the day the forecast applies to, not a beneficiary.
- die Migration
migration
nounB2pl. Migrationengen. Migrationmixed declension
Formal register word; Alltagssprache often uses Wanderung or Zuwanderung.
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- der Flüchtling
refugee
nounB2pl. Flüchtlingegen. Flüchtlingsweak declension
- BAMF
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees
nounC1