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.
From Deutsch-belgische Grenzregion: Waldbrand-Lage stabil - doch es droht Wind, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
Krüger said that 60 firefighters from Monschau are currently supporting their colleagues in Belgium, extinguishing fires there with hoses.
Word for word: Krüger said, currently support 60 firefighters from Monschau their colleagues in Belgium, they extinguished there with hoses.
This is reported speech: Krüger is relaying what the firefighters are doing right now. The subjunctive signals that the speaker is only passing on the information rather than asserting it as their own.
The reporting verb 'sagte' introduces indirect speech without a subordinating conjunction; the reported verbs therefore stand in the subjunctive I ('unterstützten', 'löschten'), which for these verbs is formally identical to the preterite. Because no conjunction introduces the report, the clauses keep main-clause verb-second order.
Rules at work(6)
-
unterstützten ... löschten
Both verbs of the reported content stand in subjunctive I to mark them as indirect speech introduced by 'sagte'.
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? -
sagte
The reporting verb uses the simple past tense, standard in written narrative.
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? -
unterstützten 60 Feuerwehrleute
The subjunctive I form 'unterstützten' agrees with the third-person plural subject '60 Feuerwehrleute'.
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
mit Schläuchen
'mit' always takes the dative, so 'Schläuchen' appears in the dative plural.
Aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von and zu always take the dative. Several of them contract with the article: von dem becomes vom, zu der becomes zur.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
in Belgien
Locative 'in' with a static location takes the dative: 'in Belgien'.
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? -
Kollegen
'Kollege' is a weak noun and shows -n in the accusative plural.
A group of masculine nouns takes an n or en in every case but the nominative singular: der Student but den Studenten, dem Studenten, des Studenten. Most denote people and many end in e, ent, ist or ant.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(17)
- Krüger
Krüger (surname)
noun
- sagen
to say, to tell
verbA1sagen, sagte, hat gesagtmit habenweak
- aktuell
currently, at present
adverbB1temporal
Means 'current(ly)', not English 'actual(ly)'.
- unterstützen
to support, to back
verbB1unterstützen, unterstützte, hat unterstütztmit habenweakgoverns accusative
- 60
sixty
numeralA1
- der Feuerwehrleute
firefighters
nounpl. Feuerwehrleutegen. Feuerwehrmannesstrong declension
- aus
out of, from, made of
prepositionA1governs dative
- das Monschau
Monschau (town in the Eifel)
nounC1gen. Monschausinvariable declension
- ihr
their, her
determinerA2possessive
Refers to feminine or plural possessors; here 'its' (the commission's).
- der Kollege
colleague
nounA2pl. Kollegengen. Kollegenweak declension
A weak (n-declension) noun: it adds -n/-en in every case except nominative singular.
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das Belgien
Belgium
nounA1pl. Belgiengen. Belgiensinvariable declension
- sie
she, they, it (referring to feminine nouns)
pronounA1personal
Here accusative singular feminine, referring back to 'die Publikumsveranstaltung'.
- löschen
to extinguish, to put out (a fire)
verbB2löschen, löschte, hat gelöschtmit habenmixed
Do not confuse with 'auslöschen' or the separable 'aufhören'-type verbs; also means 'to delete' in computing contexts.
- dort
there
adverbA1local
- mit
with, by (means of transport)
prepositionA1governs dative
Always dative, including travel: 'mit dem Bus, mit dem Rad'.
- der Schlauch
hose, tube
nounB1pl. Schläuchegen. Schlauchsstrong declension