Breakdown of Wir wissen, dass die Leute auf der Demonstration haben protestieren dürfen.
haben
to have
wir
we
die Leute
the people
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
wissen
to know (a fact)
dass
that
die Demonstration
the demonstration
protestieren
to protest
Questions & Answers about Wir wissen, dass die Leute auf der Demonstration haben protestieren dürfen.
Why is haben placed before protestieren dürfen? Doesn't the conjugated verb usually go at the very end of a dass clause?
Yes, usually the conjugated verb goes at the very end of a subordinate clause. However, there is a special word-order exception for the 'double infinitive' construction. When you have two infinitives together at the end of a sentence (here: protestieren dürfen), the conjugated helper verb (haben) must jump in front of them. It is not allowed to go at the very end.
Why does the sentence use the infinitive dürfen instead of the past participle gedurft?
This is the 'double infinitive' rule in action. When a modal verb (like dürfen, können, or müssen) is used in the perfect tense alongside another verb (protestieren), the modal verb drops its normal past participle form. Instead, it stays in its infinitive form. So, it becomes haben protestieren dürfen, not haben protestieren gedurft.
Why is it auf der Demonstration? Isn't protesting an action that implies movement?
While protesting is an active thing to do, auf is a two-way preposition that takes the dative case here because it answers the question 'Where?' (Wo?), indicating a fixed location. The people are protesting at the event, not moving from outside to onto it. Since Demonstration is a feminine noun, the dative article is der.
Is it common to use this haben protestieren dürfen structure in everyday speech, or is there an easier way?
In spoken German, the double infinitive in a subordinate clause can feel a bit clunky. Most native speakers would avoid it by using the simple past tense for the modal verb instead. They would be much more likely to say: ...dass die Leute auf der Demonstration protestieren durften.
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