niemand hat die Absicht

German

Etymology

After the famous statement Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten (“No one has the intention to build a wall”), made by East German leader Walter Ulbricht at a press conference in June 1961, two months before the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Pronunciation

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Phrase

niemand hat die Absicht

1. (idiomatic) introduces a sentence that expresses a supposed secret plan or hidden agenda [with zu (+ infinitive) ‘to do something’]

   Niemand hat die Absicht, die Grundrechte einzuschränken.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   (literally, “Nobody has the intention to restrict fundamental rights.”)