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Opening sentence of Nach Vorstoß aus der SPD: Amthor gegen Grundgesetzänderung für Klimaanpassung, tagesschau.de, 17 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
State Minister Amthor of the CDU spoke out against 'abstract discussions about a constitutional amendment'.
Word for word: State Minister Amthor from the CDU has himself against abstract discussions about a constitutional amendment spoken-out.
Used in news reporting to say that a politician publicly rejected or opposed holding abstract debates about changing the constitution.
A main clause in verb-second order: the subject phrase occupies position one and the finite auxiliary 'hat' comes second, forming the perfect tense with the past participle 'ausgesprochen' at the end. The verb is the reflexive separable verb 'sich aussprechen gegen' (to speak out against), so the reflexive pronoun 'sich' sits in the middle field and the separable prefix 'aus-' is enclosed in the participle. The prepositional phrases follow their governed cases: 'von der CDU' is dative, 'gegen abstrakte Diskussionen' is accusative, and 'über eine Verfassungsänderung' is accusative.
Rules at work(8)
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Staatsminister Amthor ... hat
The fronted subject phrase fills position one, so the finite auxiliary 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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hat ... ausgesprochen
'Sich aussprechen' forms its perfect with haben, placing the participle at the end.
The perfect is the ordinary spoken past. It is built from the present of haben in second position and the past participle at the end of the clause. Most verbs take haben, including every verb with a direct object and every reflexive verb.
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hat sich ... ausgesprochen
'Sich aussprechen gegen' is reflexive, so the accusative reflexive pronoun appears in the middle field.
A reflexive verb takes a pronoun pointing back at the subject. The pronoun is usually accusative, but it turns dative as soon as the verb has another direct object, which is why it is ich wasche mich but ich wasche mir die Hände.
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ausgesprochen
The prefix aus- of aussprechen is incorporated into the past participle instead of being separated.
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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gegen "abstrakte Diskussionen"
The verb fixes the preposition 'gegen' with the accusative for what is opposed.
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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über eine Verfassungsänderung
'Über' takes the accusative here because it introduces the topic of discussion.
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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von der CDU
'Von' always governs the dative, hence 'der CDU'.
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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abstrakte Diskussionen
With no article before the plural noun, the adjective carries the strong ending -e.
With no article in front of it the adjective has to carry the case marking itself, so it takes the endings the definite article would have had, with the exception of the masculine and neuter genitive singular.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(14)
- der Staatsminister
minister of state
nounC1pl. Staatsministergen. Staatsministersweak declension
In today's Germany a Staatsminister is often a junior minister, for instance in the Chancellery; the plural is unchanged.
- der Amthor
Amthor (a surname)
nounC2pl. Amthorsgen. Amthorsinvariable declension
- von
from, of, by
prepositionA1governs dative
Used here to mark authorship, like 'by' in English credits.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die CDU
Christian Democratic Union
nounB1pl. CDU(s)gen. CDUinvariable declension
Feminine: die CDU.
- haben
to have
verbA1haben, hatte, hat gehabtmit habenirregular
As an auxiliary it forms the perfect tenses of most verbs.
- sich
himself/herself/themselves, itself
pronounA2reflexive
Always refers back to the subject; here it is fixed to the verb 'sich mehren'.
- gegen
against, towards
prepositionA2governs accusative
With clock times it means 'approximately at'.
- abstrakt
abstract
adjectiveC1abstrakter, am abstraktesten
- die Diskussion
discussion
nounB1pl. Diskussionengen. Diskussionweak declension
- über
over, above, about, via, by way of
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Accusative with movement or route, as here ('via the programme'); dative for static location.
- ein
a, an, one
determinerA1indefinite
The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.
- die Verfassungsänderung
constitutional amendment
nounC1pl. Verfassungsänderungengen. Verfassungsänderungmixed declension
- aussprechen
to speak out, to pronounce, to express
verbB2spricht aus, sprach aus, hat ausgesprochenmit habenseparableirregularsich aussprechen für + accusative
In 'sich aussprechen gegen/für' it means to declare oneself against/for something.