Breakdown of Sobald der Tarifvertrag endet, droht die Gewerkschaft wieder zu streiken.
wieder
again
enden
to end
zu
to (infinitive marker)
sobald
as soon as
die Gewerkschaft
the labor union
drohen
to threaten (with consequences or impending danger)
der Tarifvertrag
the collective agreement
streiken
to strike
Questions & Answers about Sobald der Tarifvertrag endet, droht die Gewerkschaft wieder zu streiken.
Does droht here mean the union is actively making a threat, or just that a strike is a looming danger?
It can mean both here! This lesson teaches drohen as a verb used to express that an event is imminent (usually something negative). Because the subject here is an organization (die Gewerkschaft), it perfectly bridges the literal meaning (they are actively threatening) and the grammatical function (there is a looming danger of a strike). In either case, the structure is the conjugated verb drohen + zu + infinitive.
Why is the verb droht placed right after the comma instead of after die Gewerkschaft?
This is a great reminder of the verb-second (V2) rule. The entire subordinate clause (Sobald der Tarifvertrag endet) takes up the first position of the overall sentence. To keep the main conjugated verb in the second position, droht must come immediately after the comma, pushing the subject (die Gewerkschaft) into the third position.
What exactly is a Tarifvertrag?
It is a compound of der Tarif (rate, pay scale) and der Vertrag (contract). In German-speaking countries, a Tarifvertrag is a collective labor agreement negotiated by a union that dictates the standard wages and working conditions for an industry or company.
Why isn't there a comma before wieder zu streiken?
When an infinitive clause is very short, such as when it only consists of zu + infinitive or just one extra word like the adverb wieder, the comma is optional in modern German. Leaving it out here is perfectly correct and makes the sentence flow more smoothly.
Learn Sobald der Tarifvertrag endet, droht die Gewerkschaft wieder zu streiken and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free