Breakdown of Der Beamte sagt, dass hier nicht fotografiert werden darf.
hier
here
sagen
to say
nicht
not
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
fotografieren
to photograph
dass
that
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
der Beamte
the official
Questions & Answers about Der Beamte sagt, dass hier nicht fotografiert werden darf.
Where is the subject in the "dass" clause?
This is an impersonal passive construction, which focuses on the action itself rather than who is doing it. In a main clause, you often use the dummy subject es to fill the first position (like Es darf hier nicht fotografiert werden). However, in a subordinate clause, this dummy es is dropped completely!
Why is the verb order fotografiert werden darf?
Because the clause starts with dass, the conjugated verb gets pushed to the very end. Here, the conjugated verb is the modal verb darf. The passive infinitive fotografiert werden (to be photographed) comes immediately before it, resulting in the order: past participle + werden + conjugated modal verb.
Could I use man (one) instead of the impersonal passive here?
Yes! You could say ..., dass man hier nicht fotografieren darf (that one is not allowed to take photos here). The impersonal passive sounds more formal and official, which perfectly fits a rule being stated by an officer (der Beamte).
Why does der Beamte end in -e? Isn't it a masculine noun?
It is masculine, but Beamte (officer or civil servant) is an adjectival noun. This means it changes its endings exactly like an adjective would. After the definite article der, it takes the weak ending -e. If you used the indefinite article ein, it would take the strong masculine ending and become ein Beamter.
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