Breakdown of Die Firma muss Maßnahmen ergreifen.
müssen
to have to, must
die Firma
the company
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Maßnahme
the measure
ergreifen
to seize
Questions & Answers about Die Firma muss Maßnahmen ergreifen.
I know ergreifen usually means to grab or seize. Why is it used here?
This is a Noun-Verb Support Construction (Nomen-Verb-Verbindung). Just like English has fixed phrases (we take measures, we do not make them), German pairs certain nouns with specific verbs. In German, you do not use nehmen (to take) for measures; you must use the fixed verb ergreifen.
Since Maßnahmen ergreifen is a fixed expression, do those two words always sit next to each other?
Not always! They are next to each other here because the modal verb muss pushes the main verb (ergreifen) to the end of the sentence. If there were no modal verb, the main verb would take the second position and separate from the noun: Die Firma ergreift Maßnahmen.
What is the singular of Maßnahmen?
The singular is die Maßnahme. It is related to the noun das Maß (the measurement) and the verb messen (to measure). Think of it as a measured step toward fixing a problem.
Could I just say Maßnahmen machen if I forget the word ergreifen?
A native speaker would understand you, but it sounds incorrect. One of the main goals at the B1 level is upgrading your vocabulary by learning these exact Noun-Verb pairs. It is best to memorize Maßnahmen ergreifen as a single chunk of vocabulary.
Is ergreifen a separable verb?
No, ergreifen is inseparable. The prefix er- is never separated from the root verb. If you use it in a sentence without a modal verb, the prefix stays attached: Die Firma ergreift Maßnahmen.
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