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From Kurs der Bundesregierung: "Klimapolitik von der Kür zur Pflicht machen", tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
In an interview with tagesschau24, political scientist Lena Partzsch looks at the state of German climate policy. tagesschau24: Ms Partzsch, the past weeks were marked by heat, drought, forest fires and low water levels.
Word for word: In-the interview with tagesschau24 looks political-scientist Lena Partzsch at the state of-the German climate-policy. tagesschau24: Ms Partzsch, the past weeks were marked by heat, drought, forest-fires and low-water.
A news introduction presenting an interview guest and topic, followed by the interviewer's opening question-statement about recent weather extremes in Germany.
The first sentence is a statement with the verb in second position; the fronted prepositional phrase 'Im Interview mit tagesschau24' occupies the first slot. 'schaut ... auf' is a fixed verb-preposition combination governing the accusative. The second sentence is a passive construction in the preterite ('waren geprägt'), with the agent introduced by 'von' and a list of dative nouns.
Rules at work(10)
-
Im Interview mit tagesschau24 schaut
The fronted prepositional phrase fills the first position, so the finite verb 'schaut' 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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schaut ... auf den Stand
'schauen auf' is a fixed verb-preposition combination governing 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.
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waren geprägt
Written narrative style uses the preterite of 'sein' plus the past participle to describe a past state.
The simple past is the written narrative past. In speech it survives mainly in sein, haben and the modals, where hatte and war are far commoner than the perfect forms.
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waren geprägt von Hitze
The subject 'die Wochen' undergoes the action; the agent is introduced by 'von' + dative.
Werden plus a past participle. The agent, when it is mentioned at all, follows von for a person and durch for a means. In the perfect passive the participle of werden appears as worden rather than geworden.
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Politikwissenschaftlerin Lena Partzsch schaut
The singular subject takes the third person singular ending -t on 'schaut'.
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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der deutschen Klimapolitik
'Stand' takes a genitive attribute expressing what the state is of.
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.
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von Hitze, Dürre, Waldbränden und Niedrigwasser
The preposition 'von' always governs the dative; 'Waldbränden' shows the dative plural -n.
The dative marks the indirect object, usually the person something is given, said or shown to. A number of common verbs take a dative object where English would use a direct one, and several prepositions always take it.
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die vergangenen Wochen
After the definite article 'die' the adjective takes the weak ending -en.
After a definite article the adjective ending is e in the five nominative and accusative singular slots and en everywhere else, because the article has already shown the case and gender.
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Politikwissenschaftlerin, Klimapolitik, Waldbränden, Niedrigwasser
German routinely forms compounds; the last element determines gender and meaning.
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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Frau Partzsch
The interviewer addresses the guest politely with title plus surname.
Sie, always capitalised, is the polite form for one person or several. It takes the same verb form as the third person plural, so only the capital letter and the context tell Sie and sie apart.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(24)
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das Interview
interview
nounB1pl. Interviewsgen. Interviewsstrong declension
- mit
with, by (means of transport)
prepositionA1governs dative
Always dative, including travel: 'mit dem Bus, mit dem Rad'.
- das tagesschau24
German news TV channel
nounC2pl. tagesschau24gen. tagesschau24invariable declension
- schauen
to look, to watch
verbA2schauen, schaute, hat geschautmit habenweak
- die Politikwissenschaftlerin
female political scientist
nounC1pl. Politikwissenschaftlerinnengen. Politikwissenschaftlerinweak declension
- die Lena
Lena (given name)
nounA1pl. Lenasgen. Lenasinvariable declension
- die Partzsch
Partzsch (surname)
nounC2pl. Partzschsgen. Partzschsinvariable declension
- auf
on, onto
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Location takes the dative, movement towards the accusative.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- der Stand
state, level, stand
nounA2pl. Ständegen. Standesstrong declension
In 'einen schweren Stand haben' it means one's competitive position.
- deutsch
German
adjectiveA1deutscher, am deutschesten
- die Klimapolitik
climate policy
nounB2pl. Klimapolitikengen. Klimapolitikmixed declension
- die Frau
woman, Mrs
nounA1pl. Frauengen. Frauweak declension
- vergangen
past, last
adjectiveB1-, -
Fixed in the phrase 'im vergangenen Jahr' = last year.
- die Woche
week
nounA1pl. Wochengen. Wochestrong declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- prägen
to shape, to mark, to characterise
verbB2prägen, prägte, hat geprägtmit habenweak
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- die Hitze
heat, hot weather
nounA2pl. Hitzengen. der Hitzestrong declension
For a heatwave German usually says die Hitze or eine Hitzewelle.
- die Dürre
drought
nounB2pl. Dürrengen. Dürreinvariable declension
- der Waldbrand
forest fire, wildfire
nounB1pl. Waldbrändegen. Waldbrandesstrong declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- das Niedrigwasser
low water level
nounC1pl. Niedrigwassergen. Niedrigwassersstrong declension