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Opening sentence of Ernteeinbußen wegen Hitze: Landwirtschaftsminister will Bauern helfen, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
Because of the long drought, the farmers are expecting smaller harvests.
Word for word: Because-of the long dryness expect the farmers smaller harvests.
Used to state that a prolonged period without rain is leading farmers to anticipate below-average crop yields.
A statement in the present tense with verb-second word order. The prepositional phrase 'wegen der langen Trockenheit' occupies the first position, so the finite verb 'erwarten' comes second and the subject 'die Landwirte' follows it. 'Wegen' governs the genitive; 'geringere Ernten' is a plural accusative direct object with a mixed adjective ending.
Rules at work(7)
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Wegen der langen Trockenheit erwarten die Landwirte
The fronted prepositional phrase fills position one, so the finite verb must stand in second place and the subject follows it.
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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Wegen der langen Trockenheit
'Wegen' is one of the prepositions that require the genitive case, hence 'der Trockenheit'.
Während, wegen, trotz, statt and a longer list in formal writing take the genitive, though the dative is widely heard with them in speech.
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erwarten die Landwirte
The plural subject 'die Landwirte' takes the third-person plural finite form 'erwarten'.
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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die Landwirte
The subject of the sentence stands in the nominative even though it follows the verb.
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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geringere Ernten
'Ernten' is the direct object of 'erwarten' and therefore appears in the accusative plural.
The accusative marks the direct object: the thing the action is done to. Only the masculine changes visibly, from der to den and from ein to einen, which is why the masculine is where accusative errors show.
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geringere
'Geringere' is the comparative of 'gering', expressing that harvests will be smaller than usual.
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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geringere Ernten
With no article before a plural noun, the adjective takes the mixed pattern ending -e here.
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.
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Words(8)
- wegen
because of, due to
prepositionA2governs genitive
In colloquial speech often heard with the dative, but standard German uses the genitive.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- lang
long
adjectiveA1länger, am längsten
Postposed after a noun phrase it means 'for (the whole span of)': ihr Leben lang.
- die Trockenheit
dryness, drought
nounB2pl. Trockenheitengen. Trockenheitstrong declension
- erwarten
to expect, to await
verbA2erwarten, erwartete, hat erwartetmit habenweakgoverns accusative
- der Landwirt
farmer
nounB1pl. Landwirtegen. Landwirtesweak declension
- gering
low, small, slight
adjectiveB1geringer, am geringsten
- die Ernte
harvest, crop
nounA2pl. Erntengen. Erntestrong declension