Imminent Events with "drohen" and "versprechen"
In German, you can express that an event is imminent or highly likely by using the verbs drohen (to threaten) and versprechen (to promise). Just like in English, they act as subject-raising verbs and are paired with zu and an infinitive verb at the end of the clause.
Use drohen to warn of an impending negative consequence, such as a looming strike or failing negotiations.
| The negotiations with the labor union threaten to fail. | Die Verhandlungen mit der Gewerkschaft drohen zu scheitern. |
Conversely, use versprechen to express the expectation of a positive outcome.
| A new collective agreement promises to improve the situation. | Ein neuer Tarifvertrag verspricht die Situation zu verbessern. |
Separable Verbs in "zu" Clauses
When the infinitive verb in your sentence has a separable prefix, the zu is sandwiched directly between the prefix and the verb stem, forming a single word.
For example, zusammenbrechen (to collapse) becomes zusammenzubrechen, and lahmlegen (to paralyze) becomes lahmzulegen.
| The traffic threatens to collapse, which is why people are staying at home. | Der Verkehr droht zusammenzubrechen, weswegen die Leute zu Hause bleiben. |
| The strike threatens to paralyze the train station. | Der Streik droht den Bahnhof lahmzulegen. |
These structures are especially common in the news when describing tense situations like strikes, collective bargaining, and economic impacts.