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Opening sentence of Warken zu Reformvorhaben: "Nicht im Voraus schon Dinge tot reden", tagesschau.de, 25 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
After the summer break, the cabinet has gathered for a retreat in Neuhardenberg.
Word for word: After the summer break is the cabinet to a retreat in Neuhardenberg together-come.
Typical news-report phrasing saying that the government convened its closed planning meeting (a 'Klausur') at Neuhardenberg in Brandenburg once the summer recess ended. 'Klausur' here means a confidential working retreat, not an examination.
A declarative sentence whose time phrase 'nach der Sommerpause' is fronted, so the finite verb 'ist' moves into second position. The perfect of the separable verb zusammen|kommen is built with the auxiliary sein and the participle zusammengekommen in final position. 'Das Kabinett' is the nominative subject; 'zu einer Klausur' and 'in Neuhardenberg' are dative prepositional phrases giving purpose and place.
Rules at work(8)
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Nach der Sommerpause ist
The fronted time phrase fills the first position, so the finite auxiliary ist must occupy the second position.
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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ist ... zusammengekommen
Zusammenkommen expresses movement or a change of state, so its perfect is formed with sein rather than haben.
Verbs of motion from one place to another and verbs of change of state take sein rather than haben in the perfect, along with sein, werden and bleiben themselves. Er ist gegangen, not er hat gegangen.
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zusammengekommen
The prefix zusammen detaches in finite clauses and sits inside the participle, producing zusammengekommen with ge- before the stem.
Some verbs carry a prefix that detaches in a main clause and moves to the very end: aufstehen becomes Ich stehe um sieben auf. The prefix is stressed, which is what tells a separable prefix from an inseparable one. In a subordinate clause and in the infinitive the verb stays whole.
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Nach der Sommerpause
Nach is a fixed dative preposition, so the article appears in its dative feminine singular form der; zu behaves the same way with einer Klausur.
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.
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in Neuhardenberg
In alternates between accusative and dative; the sentence states where the meeting takes place, so the dative applies, though it is invisible on the bare place name.
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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ist
The finite auxiliary carries the third person singular form agreeing with the neuter singular subject das Kabinett.
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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das Kabinett
The entity performing the event is the subject and therefore stands in the nominative, shown by das.
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.
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das Kabinett
The article reveals the gender that must be learned with the noun: Kabinett is neuter.
Every German noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender is a property of the word rather than of the thing it names, and it decides the form of every article, adjective and pronoun that refers to it, so it has to be learned with the noun.
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Words(11)
- nach
after
prepositionA1governs dative
With places it means movement towards; here temporal 'after'.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Sommerpause
summer break, summer recess
nounB1pl. Sommerpausengen. Sommerpausestrong declension
- sein
to be
verbA1sein, war, ist gewesenmit seinirregular
Copula here linking subject to predicate noun.
- das Kabinett
cabinet, council of ministers
nounB2pl. Kabinettegen. Kabinettsstrong declension
- zu
to, at, too
prepositionA1governs dative
With verbs of movement it takes dative even though motion is involved.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- die Klausur
closed meeting, retreat, written exam
nounB2pl. Klausurengen. Klausurstrong declension
In politics a closed-door strategy meeting; in education a written exam.
- in
in, into
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for location, accusative for direction.
- das Neuhardenberg
Neuhardenberg (town in Brandenburg)
nounC2gen. Neuhardenbergsstrong declension
- zusammenkommen
to assemble, to come together, to get together
verbB2zusammenkommen, kam zusammen, ist zusammengekommenmit seinseparablestrong
Perfect with sein; in the participle the ge- slips between prefix and stem: zusammengekommen.