Breakdown of Die Experten sagten, sie hätten genug Geld, um die Infrastruktur zu fördern.
haben
to have
das Geld
the money
sie
they
sagen
to say
genug
enough
der Experte
the expert
um ... zu
in order to
die Infrastruktur
the infrastructure
fördern
to promote
Questions & Answers about Die Experten sagten, sie hätten genug Geld, um die Infrastruktur zu fördern.
Why does this sentence use the Konjunktiv II form hätten instead of Konjunktiv I?
Normally, reported speech uses Konjunktiv I. However, for the third-person plural (sie), the Konjunktiv I form of haben is haben. Because this looks exactly like the regular present tense indicative, German uses the Konjunktiv II form (hätten) as a replacement (Ersatzform) to make it clear that this is reported speech.
Why is there no dass (that) connecting the two clauses?
In German reported speech, you can drop dass as long as you use regular main clause word order for the reported information. Notice how hätten is in the normal second position. If we included dass, the verb would have to go to the very end of that clause: Die Experten sagten, dass sie genug Geld hätten.
What is the function of the um ... zu structure here?
The phrase um ... zu is used with an infinitive verb to express purpose or intention, translating to 'in order to' in English. In this sentence, um die Infrastruktur zu fördern explains exactly what the money is meant for ('in order to promote the infrastructure').
Can fördern mean something besides 'to promote'?
Yes. While 'to promote' is an accurate translation, fördern broadly means 'to support' or 'to foster'. When discussing government or business budgets, it often translates nicely as 'to fund', 'to sponsor', or 'to financially support'. In industrial contexts like mining, it can also mean 'to extract'.
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