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From Wagenknecht und das BSW: Mit Schlagzeilen in den Überlebenskampf, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
"One has strong hopes that this could succeed in Saxony-Anhalt, and the figures suggest that it is not entirely unrealistic." On the credit side in Saxony-Anhalt: with more than eleven percent, the best state result at the last federal election - and thus the third-strongest force behind the AfD and the CDU. Today, however: sometimes just barely in, sometimes below four percent in opinion polls.
Word for word: One makes oneself strong hopes, that that in Saxony-Anhalt succeed could, and the numbers speak for-it, that that not quite unrealistic is. On the credit-side in Saxony-Anhalt: With more than eleven percent the best state-result at the past Bundestag-election - and thereby third-strongest power behind AfD and CDU. Today however: In election-polls times barely in, times under four percent.
A journalistic text about party politics in Saxony-Anhalt: there are strong hopes that something (a political success) could work out there, supported by election figures; the party achieved its best state result (over eleven percent) at the last federal election, making it the third-strongest force behind AfD and CDU, but current polls fluctuate between barely clearing the entry threshold and falling under four percent.
The first sentence uses the impersonal pronoun 'man' with a reflexive verb ('macht sich ... Hoffnung'), a subordinate dass-clause with a modal verb in subjunctive-like 'könnte', and a second dass-clause after the fixed prepositional verb 'sprechen für'. The following fragments are noun phrases and elliptical constructions typical of journalistic style, dispensing with finite verbs.
Rules at work(13)
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dass das ... gelingen könnte
'dass' introduces object clauses depending on 'Hoffnung machen' and 'sprechen dafür'.
Weil, dass, wenn, als, ob, obwohl, damit, nachdem, bevor and the rest introduce a subordinate clause and send its finite verb to the very end.
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dass das in Sachsen-Anhalt gelingen könnte
In both dass-clauses the finite verb stands at the end, with the infinitive immediately before it.
In a subordinate clause the finite verb stands last. Where the clause also holds a participle or an infinitive, the finite verb goes after them, so the order at the end is participle then auxiliary.
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gelingen könnte
'könnte' is Konjunktiv II of 'können', marking reported/tentative possibility.
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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die Zahlen sprechen dafür, dass
'sprechen für' is a fixed verb-preposition combination; the da-compound 'dafür' anticipates the dass-clause.
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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Man macht sich
'Man' is the impersonal subject pronoun; 'sich' is the reflexive pronoun required by 'sich Hoffnung machen'.
Personal pronouns change form by case: ich, mich, mir. They agree with the grammatical gender of the noun they replace, so a table is sie and a spoon is er.
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dafür, dass
'dafür' replaces 'für das' and points forward to the following dass-clause.
Where a preposition would be followed by a pronoun standing for a thing rather than a person, German fuses the two: damit, darauf, davon. An r appears between them when the preposition begins with a vowel.
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und die Zahlen sprechen
'und' coordinates two main clauses, each keeping verb-second order.
Und, aber, oder, denn and sondern join two main clauses and do not count as an element, so the word order after them is unchanged and the verb stays in second position.
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Man macht sich starke Hoffnung
The finite verb occupies second position after the subject 'man' in the main clause.
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 Zahlen sprechen
Plural subject 'die Zahlen' takes the plural finite form 'sprechen'.
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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in Sachsen-Anhalt
'in' takes dative for location, as here where no movement is involved.
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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das beste Landesergebnis
After the definite article 'das' the superlative adjective takes the weak ending -e.
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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das beste Landesergebnis ... drittstärkste Kraft
Superlative forms 'beste' (from 'gut') and 'drittstärkste' rank the result among all state results.
German adds er and st rather than using more and most, however long the adjective. Many one syllable adjectives take an umlaut, and the superlative before a noun takes an ordinary adjective ending while a standalone one uses am plus sten.
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das nicht ganz unrealistisch ist
'nicht' negates the predicative adjective phrase 'ganz unrealistisch'.
Nicht negates a verb, an adjective or a whole clause. It stands at the end of the middle field, before a separable prefix, a participle, an infinitive or a predicate adjective, but after most objects and time expressions.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(47)
- man
one, people, you
pronounA1indefinite
Impersonal subject; never translated as 'the man'.
- machen
to make, to do
verbA1machen, machte, hat gemachtmit habenweak
Part of many fixed expressions such as 'sich auf etwas gefasst machen'.
- sich
himself/herself/themselves, itself
pronounA2reflexive
Always refers back to the subject; here it is fixed to the verb 'sich mehren'.
- stark
strong, powerful
adjectiveA1stärker, am stärksten
- die Hoffnung
hope
nounA2pl. Hoffnungengen. Hoffnungweak declension
Fixed phrase: 'sich Hoffnung machen' = to have hopes.
- dass
that
conjunctionA2subordinating
Always sends the finite verb to the end of the clause.
- das
that, what
pronounA1demonstrative
Before a comma, das is usually a pronoun introducing a relative clause, not the article.
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das Sachsen-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (German federal state)
nounB1pl. Sachsen-Anhaltgen. Sachsen-Anhaltsinvariable declension
- gelingen
to succeed
verbB2gelingen, gelang, ist gelungenmit seinstronggoverns dative
impersonal verb: the thing that succeeds is the subject ('das gelingt')
- können
can, be able to, may, might (as könnte)
verbA1können, konnte, hat gekonntmit habenmodal
könnte is the Konjunktiv II and softens a claim into a possibility.
- und
and
conjunctionA1coordinating
- die
the
determinerA1definite
- die Zahl
number, figure
nounA2pl. Zahlengen. Zahlstrong declension
'die Zahl der ...' takes a genitive complement; do not confuse with 'die Nummer'.
- sprechen
to speak, to talk
verbA1sprechen, sprach, hat gesprochenmit habenstrongsprechen für/gegen + accusative
Here only as part of the fixed expression 'sich für etwas aussprechen'.
- dafür
for that, for it
adverbB1causal
Da-compound standing in for 'for this purpose'; English uses plain 'for it/that'.
- nicht
not
particleA1
- ganz
quite, completely, entirely
adverbA2degree
Before a preposition phrase 'ganz ohne' means 'without any … whatsoever'; with nouns ganz can also mean 'whole' (das ganze Land).
- unrealistisch
unrealistic
adjectiveB1unrealistischer, am unrealistischsten
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- 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'.
- die Habenseite
credit side, assets side, the plus column
nounC1pl. Habenseitengen. Habenseiteweak declension
Metaphor from accounting, common in political journalism; opposite of 'Sollseite'.
- mit
with, by (means of transport)
prepositionA1governs dative
Always dative, including travel: 'mit dem Bus, mit dem Rad'.
- viel
much, more (comparative 'mehr')
adverbA1degree
'mehr' is the fixed comparative form of both 'viel' and 'gut'; it never takes '-er'.
- als
as, than, when (past)
conjunctionA2correlative
here 'als Land' means 'as a country'; also used for comparisons and after 'als' in past-time clauses
- elf
eleven
numeralA1
- das Prozent
percent
nounA2pl. Prozentgen. Prozentsstrong declension
- das
the
determinerA1definite
- gut
good, well
adjectiveA1besser, am besten / das beste
Irregular comparison like English good/better/best.
- das Landesergebnis
state result, result in a federal state
nounC1pl. Landesergebnissegen. Landesergebnissesstrong declension
- bei
at, near, with
prepositionA2governs dative
'bei 42 Prozent' = 'at 42 percent', standard in poll reporting.
- vergangen
past, last
adjectiveB1-, -
Fixed in the phrase 'im vergangenen Jahr' = last year.
- die Bundestagswahl
federal election, election to the Bundestag
nounB1pl. Bundestagswahlengen. Bundestagswahlweak declension
- damit
with that, thereby, by doing so
adverbB1modal
Often points forward or back to a whole clause, not just a thing.
- die Kraft
strength, energy, force
nounB1pl. Kräftegen. Kraftstrong declension
In politics, 'politische Kraft' means a party or political movement.
- hinter
behind
prepositionA2governs accusative or dative
Here dative (static sense).
- die AfD
Alternative für Deutschland (right-wing German party)
nounC1pl. AfDgen. AfDinvariable declension
Feminine: die AfD.
- die CDU
Christian Democratic Union
nounB1pl. CDU(s)gen. CDUinvariable declension
Feminine: die CDU.
- heute
today
adverbA1temporal
- allerdings
however, though, admittedly
adverbB1modal
Softens or contrasts a previous statement; usually in midfield.
- die Wahlumfrage
election poll, opinion poll on an election
nounB2pl. Wahlumfragengen. Wahlumfrageweak declension
- mal
sometimes, now, just
particleB1
In the correlative pattern 'mal ... mal' = 'now ... now / sometimes ... sometimes'.
- knapp
tight, barely, scarce, just under
adjectiveB1
Often adverbial: 'knapp drin' = just barely in.
- drin
inside, in there, in (the race)
adverbB1local
Colloquial short form of 'darin'; 'drin sein' can mean being in parliament or still in contention.
- unter
under, among, citing
prepositionA2governs accusative or dative
'unter Berufung auf' is a set journalistic phrase meaning 'citing'.
- vier
four
numeralA1