GermanSentence

C1statement39 words6 rules

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.

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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)

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