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From Justizministerin für Grundgesetzänderung: Hubig will mehr Schutz für queere Menschen, tagesschau.de, 22 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
In the black-red coalition, however, the justice minister would still have to convince the CDU of her plan.
Word for word: In the black-red government-coalition must(past subjunctive) the justice-minister but still the CDU from her undertaking convince.
The speaker says that within the coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD, the justice minister would still need to win over her own conservative sister party for her project — a hypothetical or reported assessment, softened by the Konjunktiv II and the modal particles 'aber' and 'noch'.
The sentence is a main clause with the finite verb in second position; the fronted prepositional phrase 'In der schwarz-roten Regierungskoalition' occupies first position. 'Müsste' is the Konjunktiv II (past subjunctive) of the modal verb 'müssen', 3rd person singular, expressing a hypothetical necessity. The adjective 'schwarz-roten' takes the weak ending -en after the definite article in dative feminine singular. 'Von' governs the dative ('ihrem Vorhaben'), and 'überzeugen' is an infinitive at the end of the clause in the standard German bracket structure.
Rules at work(6)
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müsste
'Müsste' is the Konjunktiv II form of 'müssen', expressing hypothetical rather than factual necessity.
The form for the hypothetical, the unreal and the polite. Wäre, hätte and the modals have their own forms; most other verbs use würde plus an infinitive.
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müsste
The fronted prepositional phrase fills first position, so the finite verb 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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die CDU von ihrem Vorhaben überzeugen
'Überzeugen' is fixed to 'von' + dative in the pattern jemanden von etwas überzeugen.
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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In der ... Regierungskoalition
'In' takes the dative here because the phrase describes location within the coalition, not movement into it.
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.
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der schwarz-roten Regierungskoalition
After the definite article 'der' in dative feminine singular, 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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ihrem Vorhaben
'Ihrem' is the possessive determiner 'ihr' inflected for dative neuter singular.
Mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer and Ihr take their stem from the owner and their ending from the thing owned, which is why seine Mutter and ihr Vater are the way they are.
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Words(12)
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- schwarz-rot
black-red, of CDU/CSU and SPD
adjectiveB2governs genitive
Refers to the party colours of CDU/CSU (black) and SPD (red); hyphenated compound adjective.
- die Regierungskoalition
government coalition, ruling coalition
nounB2pl. Regierungskoalitionengen. Regierungskoalitionmixed declension
- müssen
must, to have to
verbA1müssen, musste, hat gemusstmit habenmodal
The dependent infinitive goes to the end of the clause.
- die Justizministerin
female minister of justice, justice minister
nounB1pl. Justizministerinnengen. Justizministerinweak declension
The -in ending marks the female holder of the office; the male form is Justizminister.
- noch
still, yet
adverbA1temporal
Before a comparative, 'noch stärker' means 'even stronger'.
- die CDU
Christian Democratic Union
nounB1pl. CDU(s)gen. CDUinvariable declension
Feminine: die CDU.
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- ihr
their, her
determinerA2possessive
Refers to feminine or plural possessors; here 'its' (the commission's).
- das Vorhaben
plan, project, undertaking, intention
nounB2pl. Vorhabengen. Vorhabensstrong declension
Singular and plural are identical (das Vorhaben / die Vorhaben); a neutral word for a planned scheme, very common in news texts.
- überzeugen
to convince, to persuade
verbB1überzeugen, überzeugte, hat überzeugtmit habenweakgoverns accusative and dativevon + dative (jemanden von etwas überzeugen)
jemanden von etwas überzeugen = to convince someone of something; also reflexive sich von etwas überzeugen = to satisfy oneself about something.