Breakdown of Die Regierung muss einen Beschluss fassen.
ein
a, an (eine)
müssen
to have to, must
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Regierung
the government
der Beschluss
the resolution
fassen
to grasp
Questions & Answers about Die Regierung muss einen Beschluss fassen.
Why do we use the verb fassen here instead of machen for 'make'?
This is a fixed noun-verb expression (Nomen-Verb-Verbindung). While English says 'to make a resolution', German pairs der Beschluss (the resolution or decision) with fassen (literally to grasp or to catch). You cannot use machen here; you have to memorize the specific helper verb that belongs to the noun.
Is there a single verb that means the same thing as einen Beschluss fassen?
Yes! You could just use the verb beschließen (to decide or to resolve). The sentence would then simply be: Die Regierung muss beschließen. Using the noun-verb construction einen Beschluss fassen sounds a bit more formal and is very common in journalism, business, and politics.
What does fassen usually mean when it is not part of a fixed expression?
On its own, fassen usually means to grasp, to catch, or to touch. For example, catching a thief or grasping a handle. In formal noun-verb pairs like this one, the physical meaning fades away and it just becomes the grammatical engine for the noun.
Why is fassen at the very end of the sentence?
This happens because of the modal verb muss. In German, a conjugated modal verb takes the second position in a standard main clause, which pushes the main action verb (fassen) into its infinitive form at the very end of the sentence.
Why does the sentence use einen Beschluss instead of ein Beschluss?
Der Beschluss is a masculine noun. Because the government is the subject acting upon the resolution, the resolution is the direct object. Therefore, it must be in the accusative case, taking the masculine accusative article einen.
Learn Die Regierung muss einen Beschluss fassen and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free