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 Brand in jüdischem Altenheim : Anschlag in München nach 56 Jahren offenbar aufgeklärt, tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
More than 56 years after an arson attack on a Jewish old people's home in Munich, the public prosecutor's office is convinced that the crime was committed by a lone right-wing extremist perpetrator.
Word for word: More than 56 years after an arson-attack on a Jewish senior-home in Munich is the chief-prosecution-office of-it convinced, that the deed by a right-extreme lone-perpetrator committed was.
A news-style statement reporting that, over five decades after an arson attack, prosecutors now believe a single right-wing extremist carried out the crime.
The main clause is verb-second with the long temporal adverbial 'Mehr als 56 Jahre nach...' in first position, so the finite verb 'ist' comes second and the subject 'die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft' follows. 'davon überzeugt sein' is a fixed predicate with a da-compound pointing forward to the dass-clause. The subordinate clause introduced by 'dass' is verb-final, and its passive preterite 'wurde begangen' expresses the agent with 'von + dative'.
Rules at work(10)
-
ist die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft
the fronted temporal phrase occupies first position, so the finite verb ist 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
dass die Tat
dass introduces the content clause depending on davon überzeugt
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
begangen wurde
in the dass-clause the finite auxiliary wurde stands at the end with the participle 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
von einem rechtsextremen Einzeltäter begangen wurde
preterite passive with werden plus past participle, the agent marked 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
einem Brandanschlag
nach governs the dative, and von marks its dative agent phrase
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
einem Brandanschlag
after the indefinite determiner einem the adjective takes mixed endings
After ein, kein and a possessive, the adjective takes strong endings exactly where the article shows nothing, which is the masculine nominative and the neuter nominative and accusative, and weak endings everywhere else.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Mehr als 56 Jahre
mehr ... als is the comparative construction with als introducing the standard
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
davon überzeugt
davon is the da-compound of von dem, pointing forward to the 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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
auf ein jüdisches Seniorenheim
auf takes the accusative here for the target of the attack
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? -
Brandanschlag
Brand + Anschlag form a compound noun with the stress on the first element
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.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(24)
- 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
- 56
fifty-six
numeralA1
- das Jahr
year
nounA1pl. Jahregen. Jahresstrong declension
- nach
after
prepositionA1governs dative
With places it means movement towards; here temporal 'after'.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- der Brandanschlag
arson attack
nounC1pl. Brandanschlägegen. Brandanschlagsstrong declension
- auf
on, onto
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Location takes the dative, movement towards the accusative.
- jüdisch
Jewish
adjectiveB1
- das Seniorenheim
nursing home, senior citizens' home
nounB1pl. Seniorenheimegen. Seniorenheimsstrong declension
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das München
Munich
nounA1gen. Münchensstrong declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- die
the
determinerA1definite
- die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft
office of the chief public prosecutor, public prosecutor general's office
nounC2pl. Generalstaatsanwaltschaftengen. Generalstaatsanwaltschaftmixed declension
- davon
of it, about it
pronounB1demonstrative
da-compound: da + von replaces von + noun when referring to a clause or idea
- überzeugt
convinced
adjectiveB1überzeugter, am überzeugtesten
- dass
that
conjunctionA2subordinating
Always sends the finite verb to the end of the clause.
- die Tat
deed, act, crime
nounB1pl. Tatengen. Tatmixed declension
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- rechtsextrem
far-right, right-wing extremist
adjectiveC1
- der Einzeltäter
lone perpetrator, single offender
nounC1pl. Einzeltätergen. Einzeltätersstrong declension
- begehen
to commit (a crime), to walk along
verbB2begehen, beging, hat begangenmit habenstronggoverns accusative
- werden
become, will (future auxiliary)
verbA2werden, wurde, ist gewordenmit habenirregular
Also the passive auxiliary; do not confuse with bekommen (= receive).