Breakdown of Die Firma beschloss eine neue Regel.
neu
new
die Regel
the rule
die Firma
the company
beschließen
to decide, to resolve
Questions & Answers about Die Firma beschloss eine neue Regel.
How would we say 'The company decided to introduce a new rule'? Would we use a dass-clause or a zu infinitive?
You would use an infinitive clause with zu: Die Firma beschloss, eine neue Regel einzuführen. Because the subject of both actions is identical (the company decides, and the company introduces the rule), you can reduce the sentence to a zu infinitive rather than repeating the subject in a dass-clause (... dass sie eine neue Regel einführt).
Why is beschloss used here instead of hat beschlossen?
beschloss is the Präteritum (simple past) tense of beschließen. While spoken German strongly prefers the perfect tense (hat beschlossen), the Präteritum is standard in written German, news reports, and formal business contexts like this one.
Is the verb beschließen related to schließen (to close)?
Yes! The verb schließen means to close or to shut. Adding the inseparable prefix be- shifts the meaning toward bringing a thought process to a close, which translates to finalizing a decision, resolving, or concluding.
What case is eine neue Regel and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb beschließen. Since Regel is a feminine noun, the indefinite article is eine and the adjective takes the standard feminine accusative ending -e (neue).
Learn Die Firma beschloss eine neue Regel 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