Breakdown of Die Zeitung berichtet, das Institut werde den neuen Roboter bald testen.
neu
new
die Zeitung
the newspaper
werden
will (future auxiliary)
testen
to test (try out)
der Roboter
the robot
bald
soon
berichten
to report (give an account)
das Institut
the institute
Questions & Answers about Die Zeitung berichtet, das Institut werde den neuen Roboter bald testen.
Why do we use werde here instead of the standard future tense wird?
We are using the Konjunktiv I (Subjunctive I) to indicate reported speech. werde is the third-person singular Konjunktiv I form of werden. Using this form shows we are simply passing on what the newspaper claimed. If we used the regular indicative wird, it would imply we are confirming it as an absolute fact.
Why is the conjugated verb werde in the second position instead of at the end of the reported clause?
In German reported speech, it is very common to drop the conjunction dass (that). When you omit dass, the reported clause acts like a normal main clause, keeping the conjugated verb in the second position. If we included dass, the verb would move to the end: ...berichtet, dass das Institut den neuen Roboter bald testen werde.
Is the word das in das Institut acting as the conjunction "that"?
No, das is purely the neuter definite article "the" for Institut. The conjunction dass (that) has been left out entirely. Since dass and the article das sound identical, sentences like this can easily trick your ear!
Why does the adjective in den neuen Roboter take an -en ending?
Roboter is a masculine noun acting as the direct object (accusative case) being tested. After the masculine accusative definite article den, adjectives take the weak ending -en.
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