Heute hat Sicherheit Priorität.

Today safety has priority.

Breakdown of Heute hat Sicherheit Priorität.

• heute: today
• haben: to have
• die Sicherheit: the safety
• die Priorität: the priority

Questions & Answers about Heute hat Sicherheit Priorität.

Why does the verb come right after Heute?

German main clauses obey the verb‑second (V2) rule: exactly one constituent can stand before the finite verb. Here, Heute takes that first slot, so the verb hat must come second. The rest of the clause follows: Sicherheit (subject) and Priorität (object).

Can I also say Sicherheit hat heute Priorität? Does it change the emphasis?

Yes. Sicherheit hat heute Priorität is equally correct. Starting with Heute puts a slight focus on the time frame; starting with Sicherheit emphasizes the topic/subject. The core meaning stays the same.

Which word is the subject here, and which case is it in?

Sicherheit is the subject in the nominative case; Priorität is the (accusative) object of haben. Both are feminine singular nouns, and without articles nominative and accusative look the same, so you identify roles via the verb’s pattern (X hat Y) and agreement (singular hat).

Why is there no article before Priorität? Why not die Priorität or eine Priorität?

With abstract nouns in set phrases like Priorität haben, German often uses a zero article to express a general idea: X hat Priorität ≈ “X takes priority.” You’d use an article only when specifying or counting, e.g. die höchste Priorität, eine von vielen Prioritäten, die Priorität Nummer eins. Plain die Priorität by itself is uncommon in this meaning.

Should there be an article before Sicherheit? Why is it missing?

Both are possible. Sicherheit hat Priorität treats safety as a general concept. Die Sicherheit hat Priorität sounds more situationally specific (the safety in this context) or more emphatic. Choice depends on style and what you want to highlight.

Could I say Sicherheit ist Priorität or use prioritär?

The idiomatic choice is Sicherheit hat Priorität (or Sicherheit hat Vorrang). Sicherheit ist Priorität sounds odd. prioritär exists but is formal/technical; you might see Sicherheit ist prioritär, but it’s less common in everyday German.

How do I say “priority over” something?

Use vor + dative:

• Sicherheit hat Priorität vor Bequemlichkeit.
• Synonymously: Sicherheit hat Vorrang vor Bequemlichkeit.

What are good idiomatic alternatives to this sentence?

• Heute hat Sicherheit Vorrang.
• Heute steht die Sicherheit an erster Stelle.
• Sicherheit geht heute vor. All are natural ways to express the same idea.

How are these words pronounced?

• Heute: [ˈhɔʏtə] (eu = “oy”)
• hat: [hat]
• Sicherheit: [ˈzɪçɐhaɪ̯t] (the ch is the soft [ç])
• Priorität: [pʁioʁiˈtɛːt] (stress on the last syllable; ä here sounds like a long “eh”)

Why is Heute capitalized here? Aren’t only nouns capitalized?

The first word of any sentence is capitalized. The adverb is normally heute, lowercase, but it appears as Heute because it’s sentence‑initial. Nouns like Sicherheit and Priorität are capitalized everywhere.

What are the genders and plurals of Sicherheit and Priorität?

Both are feminine: die Sicherheit, die Priorität. Plurals: Sicherheiten (often means “collateral/guarantees” in finance or “assurances,” less about general “safety”) and Prioritäten.

How would this look in a subordinate clause?

Verb‑final: …, dass Sicherheit heute Priorität hat. The finite verb hat moves to the end.

Do I need a comma after Heute?

No. A single fronted adverb like Heute does not take a comma. Commas are used for subordinate clauses, relative clauses, lists, etc., not for this kind of fronting.

Is Heute hat Priorität Sicherheit or Priorität hat heute Sicherheit correct?

No for the first; the verb must be second and the typical pattern is X hat Y. Priorität hat heute die Sicherheit is grammatically possible when you front Priorität for contrastive focus, but without articles (die Sicherheit) it can sound awkward or ambiguous. The given orders are the clearest.