GermanSentence

C1statement15 words6 rules

Opening sentence of Nord-Stream-Pipelines: Ein Anschlag mit politischer Sprengkraft?, tagesschau.de, 20 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.

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Meaning

For the second time, the Federal Public Prosecutor is having a diver allegedly involved in the Nord Stream attacks arrested.

Word for word: To the second time lets the federal-prosecution a supposedly at the Nord-Stream-attacks involved diver arrest.

Reports that the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has for the second time arranged the arrest of a diver suspected of taking part in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines; typical news-register German.

The sentence is a verb-second statement. lässt is the finite verb in position two; the causative verb lassen takes an accusative object (einen ... Taucher) plus an infinitive (festnehmen) at the end, a so-called Ersatzinfinitiv construction. mutmaßlich an den Nord-Stream-Anschlägen beteiligten is an extended participial/adjectival phrase modifying Taucher, with an + dative inside it. Zum zweiten Mal is a temporal adverbial in the dative.

Rules at work(6)

Words(13)

  • zu

    to, at, too

    prepositionA1governs dative

    With verbs of movement it takes dative even though motion is involved.

  • zweit

    second

    adjectiveA2

  • das Mal

    time, occasion

    nounA1pl. Malegen. Malsstrong declension

  • lassen

    let, leave, allow

    verbA2lassen, ließ, hat lassen/gelassenmit habenirregular

    'etwas offen lassen' = to leave something open/unanswered.

  • die

    the

    determinerA1definite

  • die Bundesanwaltschaft

    Federal Public Prosecutor's Office

    nounC1pl. Bundesanwaltschaftengen. Bundesanwaltschaftstrong declension

  • ein

    a, an, one

    determinerA1indefinite

    The form einer here is dative feminine singular, not the pronoun meaning 'one'.

  • mutmaßlich

    presumed, supposed, alleged

    adjectiveC1

    Often adverbial ('presumably') hedging a claim, as here.

  • an

    on, at, by

    prepositionA1governs accusative or dative

    Dative for points in time and location (am Montag), accusative for direction.

  • der Nord-Stream-Anschlag

    Nord Stream attack

    nounC2pl. Nord-Stream-Anschlägegen. Nord-Stream-Anschlagsstrong declension

  • beteiligt

    involved, taking part

    adjectiveB1governs dative

  • der Taucher

    diver

    nounB1pl. Tauchergen. Tauchersstrong declension

  • festnehmen

    to arrest, detain

    verbB2festnehmen, nahm fest, hat festgenommenmit habenseparableweakgoverns accusative