Breakdown of Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
Questions & Answers about Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
Müssen … beachtet werden is a passive construction with a modal verb.
- müssen = modal verb (must / have to), conjugated:
- müssen here is 3rd person plural (for Alle Regeln).
- beachtet = past participle of beachten (to observe / follow (rules)).
- werden = infinitive of werden, used to form the passive voice.
Pattern in German for passive + modal:
Subject + modal (conjugated) + rest of the sentence + past participle + werden (infinitive)
Alle Regeln (subject) müssen … beachtet werden.
English equivalent structure:
“All rules must be observed (in the course).”
The subject is Alle Regeln.
Even though in active sentences Regeln would usually be an object, in the passive voice the original object often becomes the subject.
- Case: Nominative plural
- Subject: Alle Regeln
- Verb: müssen (3rd person plural matching Regeln)
You can see this more clearly by turning it into an active sentence:
Die Teilnehmer müssen alle Regeln im Kurs beachten.
(The participants must observe all rules in the course.)
In the active version:
- die Teilnehmer = subject (nominative)
- alle Regeln = direct object (accusative)
In the passive version:
- Alle Regeln move to the subject position (nominative): > Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
In German, with a plural noun + “alle” used in a general sense, the article is often dropped:
- Alle Regeln = all rules (in general, or all the rules that are relevant in context)
- Alle die Regeln is possible, but sounds more emphatic/specific, like: all those particular rules.
Compare:
Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
All rules must be observed (neutral, general).Alle die Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
All those rules (maybe already listed or known) must be observed.
This stresses that we mean exactly those specific rules.
For a normal classroom rule sentence, Alle Regeln without die is the usual, natural form.
im Kurs is a contraction and a dative phrase:
- im = in + dem
- Kurs = masculine noun (der Kurs)
- So: in dem Kurs → im Kurs (= in the course / during the course).
Case: Dative singular masculine, because:
- The preposition in takes dative when it expresses a location / situation (where something happens), not a direction (where something is going).
Meaning here:
The observing of the rules happens in the context of the course (during the course / in the course setting).
Yes, this is correct German and very natural:
- Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
- Im Kurs müssen alle Regeln beachtet werden.
German is a verb-second (V2) language in main clauses. That means:
- The finite verb (here: müssen) must be in second position, but
- You are free to put a different element in the first position for emphasis or flow.
So you can say:
Alle Regeln (position 1) müssen (position 2) im Kurs beachtet werden.
→ Emphasizes all rules.Im Kurs (position 1) müssen (position 2) alle Regeln beachtet werden.
→ Emphasizes the course context (In the course, all rules must be observed).
Both are grammatically fine; the difference is mostly in emphasis.
Why not “beachten werden”?
With passive + modal verb, German uses:modal (conjugated) + past participle + werden (infinitive)
müssen beachtet werden, dürfen benutzt werden, etc.So:
- beachtet = past participle of beachten
- werden = infinitive to form the passive
beachten werden would mix infinitives incorrectly here.
Why not “beachtet sein”?
German has two kinds of passive:Vorgangspassiv (process passive) with werden:
Focuses on the action/process
→ Alle Regeln müssen beachtet werden.
“All rules must be (actively) observed.”Zustandspassiv (state passive) with sein:
Focuses on the resulting state
→ Alle Regeln sind beachtet.
“All rules are (in a state of being) observed.” (Unusual here.)
With müssen (obligation about what should happen), you normally use the process passive with werden, not sein.
müssen beachtet sein would be very odd in this context.
All three can relate to rules, but with slightly different nuances:
Regeln beachten
- Very standard for “observe / follow rules” in the sense of not breaking them.
- Typical collocation in rules and regulations.
- Example: Du musst die Regeln beachten.
Regeln befolgen
- Also means “follow rules”, often with a slightly stronger sense of obedience / compliance.
- Common in more formal or official contexts.
- Example: Die Mitarbeiter müssen alle Sicherheitsregeln befolgen.
auf Regeln achten
- Literally: “pay attention to rules”, focus is more on noticing / being mindful of them.
- Often used with auf
- accusative: auf die Regeln achten.
- Example: Im Straßenverkehr musst du auf die Regeln achten.
In your sentence, Regeln beachten is the most natural choice for “rules must be observed / followed.”
Passive:
> Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
Possible active version (one of several):
Die Teilnehmer müssen im Kurs alle Regeln beachten.
(The participants must observe all rules in the course.)
Here:
- Die Teilnehmer = subject (nominative)
- müssen beachten = verb phrase (modal + infinitive)
- alle Regeln = direct object (accusative)
- im Kurs = adverbial phrase (where/when)
Another option, depending on context:
Man muss im Kurs alle Regeln beachten.
(One/you have to observe all rules in the course.)
The passive version avoids mentioning who must observe the rules and focuses on the rules themselves.
If you address one person informally (du), you would typically switch to active voice:
Du musst im Kurs alle Regeln beachten.
(You must observe all rules in the course.)
Grammar:
- du = subject (2nd person singular)
- musst = 2nd person singular of müssen
- alle Regeln = direct object
- beachten = infinitive at the end
- im Kurs = adverbial phrase
A passive version with du is unusual and not natural; German normally uses the active here.
Yes, you can say:
Alle Regeln sollen im Kurs beachtet werden.
But there is a nuance:
müssen = strong necessity / obligation, often from rules, laws, or unavoidable circumstances.
→ “must / have to”sollen = often weaker or more indirect; can sound like:
- recommended / expected by someone
- prescribed by some authority
→ “are supposed to / should”
So:
Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
= There is a strict obligation; they must be followed.Alle Regeln sollen im Kurs beachtet werden.
= It is expected / intended that they are followed; still strong, but a bit less absolute, or sounds more like quoting a rule/instruction.
Both are grammatically correct, but they focus on different things:
Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
- Default reading:
In the course, all rules (relevant to this situation) must be observed. - im Kurs describes where they must be observed.
- Default reading:
Alle Regeln im Kurs müssen beachtet werden.
- Here im Kurs is closer to Regeln, so it tends to be read as:
“All rules of the course / in the course context must be observed.” - im Kurs now more strongly qualifies the rules themselves: the rules that belong to the course (not rules in general).
- Here im Kurs is closer to Regeln, so it tends to be read as:
In everyday use, the difference is subtle, and context usually makes it clear. If you simply want to say “In the course, all rules must be observed,” the original version is perfect.
Yes, grammatically you can say:
Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
But the meaning changes slightly:
Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
= All (of the relevant) rules must be observed.
Clear emphasis that no rule is an exception.Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden.
= “Rules must be observed in the course.”
Sounds more general, like a statement about the concept of rules, and less like you are stressing every single rule.
In most concrete classroom or course contexts, Alle Regeln müssen im Kurs beachtet werden is more natural, because you usually want to express: Every rule applies; you can’t pick and choose.