Learn Hardcore German: Der Kern der Taktik ist simpel: Wir bleiben ruhig und passen oft. - The core of the tactic is simple: we stay calm and pass often.

There is no logical rule that makes Kern masculine; it is part of the word’s dictionary entry. When you learn a new noun in German, it’s best to learn it together with its article, e.g. der Kern, not just Kern.

What is happening grammatically in der Taktik? Why not von der Taktik?

Der Taktik here is in the genitive case. The phrase is:

Der Kern der Taktik = the core of the tactic / strategy

Structure:

Kern is the head noun (nominative, subject of the sentence).
der Taktik is a genitive noun phrase that tells us whose core it is.

In English we usually say the core of the tactic, using of. In German, this relationship is very often expressed with the genitive case:

der Kern der Taktik = the core of the tactic
die Idee des Plans = the idea of the plan
das Ende des Spiels = the end of the game

You could say der Kern von der Taktik, but:

It sounds clumsier and less idiomatic here.
For this kind of abstract, formal phrase, German strongly prefers the genitive.

So der Kern der Taktik is the natural, standard phrasing.

Why are Kern and Taktik capitalized, but simpel, ruhig, and oft are not?

German capitalizes all nouns, regardless of their position in the sentence:

Der Kern der Taktik ist simpel.
- Kern – noun → capitalized
- Taktik – noun → capitalized

Adjectives, adverbs, and verbs are not capitalized in normal running text (unless they start the sentence or are part of a proper name):

simpel – adjective → lower-case
ruhig – adjective (used predicatively) → lower-case
oft – adverb → lower-case
bleiben, passen – verbs → lower-case

So capitalization here follows the standard rule: all nouns capitalized, everything else lower-case (except at the start of the sentence).

What is the function of the colon : in this sentence?

The colon in:

Der Kern der Taktik ist simpel: Wir bleiben ruhig und passen oft.

introduces an explanation or clarification of what has just been said. The structure is:

General statement:
- Der Kern der Taktik ist simpel.
Specific explanation of that core:
- Wir bleiben ruhig und passen oft.

You could also write it as two separate sentences with a period:

Der Kern der Taktik ist simpel. Wir bleiben ruhig und passen oft.

The colon is very common in German to introduce:

explanations
lists
direct speech
results or consequences

Here it links the idea “the core is simple” directly to the concrete description of that core.

Why is it ist simpel and not ist einfach? Is there a difference?

Both simpel and einfach can mean simple, but they differ in nuance:

einfach
- Very common and neutral.
- Can mean easy, straightforward, plain.
- Works in a wide range of contexts:
  - Die Taktik ist einfach. – The tactic is simple / easy.
simpel
- Often slightly more colloquial.
- Can carry a nuance of “basic, not sophisticated”, sometimes even “a bit too simple” or “unsophisticated” depending on tone.
- In this sentence it sounds like:
  - “The core of the tactic is very basic / nothing fancy.”

So ist simpel adds a tiny bit of color: it suggests the tactic is really basic and straightforward, perhaps even almost surprisingly so, whereas ist einfach is more neutral.

Why is it Wir bleiben ruhig and not Wir sind ruhig?

Both are grammatically correct, but they express slightly different ideas:

Wir sind ruhig.
- State of being: We are calm (describes how we are).
Wir bleiben ruhig.
- Continuing state / deliberate action: We stay/remain calm, we keep calm.
- Suggests an active choice: we do not let ourselves get nervous or excited.

In the context of a tactic or strategy, bleiben ruhig is better because it emphasizes maintaining calm as part of the plan, not just describing a current state.

Why is the word order Wir bleiben ruhig and not Wir bleiben ruhig oft or Wir ruhig bleiben?

German main clauses follow this basic pattern:

Subject – conjugated verb – (other elements)

So:

Wir (subject)
bleiben (conjugated verb)
ruhig (adjective complement to the verb)

Wir bleiben ruhig follows this pattern perfectly.

Why not wir ruhig bleiben?

In main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in the second position.
Wir ruhig bleiben breaks that rule because the verb bleiben would not be in second position.

Why not Wir bleiben ruhig oft?

The adverb oft (often) normally comes after the verb and before or after other complements, but you generally don’t split verb + its predicative complement (bleiben ruhig is a tight unit).
Much more natural:
- Wir bleiben oft ruhig.
- or: Wir bleiben ruhig und passen oft. (as in your sentence)

What exactly does passen mean here? I thought passen meant “to fit”.

Passen has several meanings, depending on context:

To fit / to suit
- Die Schuhe passen mir. – The shoes fit me.
- Das passt gut. – That fits / That works well.
In sports: to pass (the ball, puck, etc.)
- Er passt den Ball. – He passes the ball.
- Wir passen oft. – We pass (the ball) often.

In your sentence, the context is clearly a tactic (likely in a sport such as football/soccer), so passen means “to pass the ball”, even though the direct object (den Ball) is left out because it is obvious from context.

So wir passen oft = we pass (the ball) often.

Why is there no object after passen? Shouldn’t it be wir passen den Ball oft?

You can say wir passen den Ball oft, but in practice:

In a clear sports context, the object (den Ball) is so obvious that it is usually dropped.
German often omits objects when they are understood from context.

Some parallels:

Wir essen (etwas). – We are eating (something).
Wir trinken (Bier). – We are drinking (beer).
Wir passen (den Ball). – We are passing (the ball).

If it were important to distinguish what you are passing (e.g., the ball vs. the puck), the object would be stated. Here, the sentence just describes the general tactic, so the simple wir passen oft is natural and idiomatic.

Why is oft at the end of wir passen oft? Could it be wir oft passen?

Wir passen oft is the normal, neutral word order:

wir – subject
passen – conjugated verb
oft – adverb indicating frequency

The usual place for simple adverbs of frequency like oft, immer, nie is after the verb and after any direct object (if there is one):

Wir passen oft.
Wir passen den Ball oft.
Wir essen oft spät.

You can move oft for emphasis, but it changes the rhythm and tone:

Oft passen wir. – Often we pass. (emphasis on often)
Wir oft passen is not a standard order in an independent main clause; it would sound wrong or at best very marked/poetic.

Is the present tense here talking about a general rule, not just the present moment?

Yes. German present tense (Präsens) is quite flexible. In this sentence:

Wir bleiben ruhig und passen oft.

the present tense expresses a general rule / habitual action as part of a tactic:

We stay calm and pass often (that is our tactic).

German present can mean:

Right now:
- Wir passen gerade. – We are passing (right now).
Habit / general rule:
- Wir passen oft. – We pass often (that’s what we usually do).
Planned future (with a time expression):
- Morgen passen wir oft. – Tomorrow we will pass often.

Here, it’s clearly the habitual / strategic meaning.

Why is it die Taktik and not die Strategie? Is there a difference?

Both words exist in German:

die Taktik – tactic
die Strategie – strategy

The difference is similar to English:

Taktik
- More concrete and short-term.
- Often used in sports, games, and specific situations.
- E.g. Die Taktik im Spiel – the tactic in the game.
Strategie
- More long-term and abstract.
- Often used in business, politics, war, long-term planning.

In sports, die Taktik is the standard word for how you play a game (e.g., pass often, defend deep, press high). So Der Kern der Taktik fits very naturally with a sports context.