Breakdown of Der Diplomat hat den Auftrag, zu verhandeln.
haben
to have
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der Auftrag
the mission
verhandeln
to negotiate
Questions & Answers about Der Diplomat hat den Auftrag, zu verhandeln.
Why is den Auftrag haben considered a Noun-Verb Support Construction?
In this structure, the noun Auftrag carries the core meaning, while the verb haben just provides grammatical support. It expresses a state similar to beauftragt sein (to be commissioned). These constructions are very common in formal, diplomatic, or business German.
The lesson is about prepositions, but where is the preposition in this sentence?
Here, the noun-verb construction den Auftrag haben is completed by a zu-infinitive clause (zu verhandeln) rather than a prepositional object. If you wanted to use a noun instead of an infinitive verb for the negotiation, you would use the preposition zu and say: Der Diplomat hat den Auftrag zur Verhandlung.
The English translation says orders (plural), but isn't den Auftrag singular?
Yes, der Auftrag is singular and literally means the task, the mission, or the commission. While English commonly uses the plural orders for a diplomatic or military directive, German treats this as a single assigned mandate.
Is the comma before zu verhandeln required?
Yes. In German grammar, when an infinitive clause with zu depends directly on a noun (like den Auftrag), you must use a comma to separate it from the main clause.