Asking the model to read this sentence.
A sentence nobody has read before takes a minute or two, because it means asking a language model. Nothing is lost if you leave this page: the address keeps the result.
Third sentence of Zwei Tote, hohe Sachschäden: Schwere Unwetter in Teilen Deutschlands, tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
Tornadoes raged in Brandenburg and Hesse.
Word for word: In Brandenburg and in Hesse raged tornadoes.
Reports that tornadoes swept through the German states of Brandenburg and Hesse, typical of weather news coverage.
A simple main clause with verb-second word order. The prepositional phrase 'in Brandenburg und Hessen' occupies the first position, so the finite verb 'tobten' (preterite of 'toben') comes second and the subject 'Tornados' follows. The plural noun 'Tornados' takes nominative case as the subject; the place names are used with 'in' + dative, which is standard for regions without articles.
Rules at work(4)
-
In Brandenburg und Hessen tobten Tornados
The front position is filled by the prepositional phrase, pushing the finite verb 'tobten' into second slot before the subject.
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? -
tobten
Simple past form of 'toben', common in written narrative and news reporting.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
In Brandenburg und Hessen
'In' takes dative here because the sentence describes where something happened, not movement into.
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? -
Tornados
The subject of the sentence appears in nominative plural.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(6)
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das Brandenburg
Brandenburg (German federal state)
nounB1gen. Brandenburgsinvariable declension
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- Hessen
Hesse (German state)
nounB1
- toben
to rage, to storm, to run wild
verbC1toben, tobte, hat getobtmit habenweak
- der Tornado
tornado, twister
nounB2pl. Tornadosgen. Tornadosstrong declension