B1 · Word order
The sentence bracket
why German resolves at the end
The verb opens the clause and something closes it — and everything else lives in between.
A German main clause is held together by two positions rather than one. The conjugated verb stands second and opens the bracket; a second element closes it at the very end. That closing element is a separable prefix, a participle, an infinitive, or a predicate that belongs to the verb.
Everything else in the clause sits inside the bracket, in the middle field, and can be arranged fairly freely because the bracket is what holds the sentence together. This is the single structural fact that explains most of what looks arbitrary about German word order.
It is also why German resolves late. Ich habe gestern meiner Schwester ein Buch ... could still end in geschenkt, gezeigt or weggenommen, and until the last word the listener does not know which. English puts the verb early and settles the sentence immediately; German holds it open on purpose.
Die Form
| separable verb | Ich rufe dich morgen an. |
| perfect | Ich habe dich gestern angerufen. |
| modal | Ich kann dich morgen anrufen. |
| future | Ich werde dich morgen anrufen. |
| subordinate clause | ..., dass ich dich morgen anrufe. |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
The conjugated verb opens the bracket in second position.
Wir haben den Termin verschoben.We have postponed the appointment.
A participle, an infinitive or a separable prefix closes it at the end.
Sie macht das Fenster auf.She is opening the window.
Everything else sits inside the bracket.
Ich habe ihr gestern das Buch gegeben.I gave her the book yesterday.
In a subordinate clause the bracket closes completely: the conjugated verb joins the end.
..., weil ich dich morgen anrufe.... because I am calling you tomorrow.
Genauer hingesehen
What the bracket costs and what it buys
It costs comprehension time. A listener cannot commit to a reading until the clause closes, which is why simultaneous interpreters into German famously wait, and why a long German sentence is harder to follow by ear than a long English one.
What it buys is the free middle field. Because the bracket holds the clause together, the contents can be ordered for emphasis rather than for grammar — old information early, new information late, and the most important thing right before the closing element, where it gets the strongest position in the sentence.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
something is added as an afterthought
it may stand after the closing element, and this is normal in speech: Ich habe ihn gesehen, gestern.
Ich habe ihn getroffen, ganz zufällig.I ran into him, quite by chance.
The afterthought is outside the sentence rather than in it, which is why a comma or a pause goes with it.
-
a comparison with als or wie follows
it regularly stands after the closing element.
Er hat mehr gearbeitet als alle anderen.He worked more than everybody else.
A comparison attaches to the whole clause rather than sitting inside it.
Woran man es erkennt
- an
- auf
- zu
- ab
- gemacht
- gesehen
- anrufen
- werden
Beispielsätze
Der Zug fährt in fünf Minuten ab.The train leaves in five minutes.
Ich habe das gestern schon erledigt.I already dealt with that yesterday.
Wir wollen am Wochenende wandern gehen.We want to go hiking at the weekend.
Sie hat mir nichts davon gesagt.She told me nothing about it.
Das Paket ist heute Morgen angekommen.The parcel arrived this morning.
Noch 8 Beispielsätze
Ich muss das noch heute fertig machen.I have to finish that today.
Sie ist letzte Woche umgezogen.She moved house last week.
Wir haben lange darüber nachgedacht.We thought about it for a long time.
Der Brief ist gestern abgeschickt worden.The letter was sent yesterday.
Kannst du mir das kurz erklären?Could you explain that to me briefly?
Ich habe den Schlüssel im Auto liegen lassen.I left the key in the car.
Er will nächstes Jahr in Wien studieren.He wants to study in Vienna next year.
Das Geschäft hat gestern zugemacht.The shop closed yesterday.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
The last position before the verb is the strongest
Because everything is squeezed between the two ends of the bracket, the slot immediately before the closing element carries the most weight. <z>Ich habe ihm das Buch gegeben</z> and <z>ich habe das Buch ihm gegeben</z> are both correct, and the second stresses who got it. Writers use this deliberately; learners can use it once they notice it exists.
Ich habe ihr nichts gesagt.I told her nothing.
-
Two verbs at the end, in reverse order
When a modal joins a perfect, both go to the end as infinitives and the conjugated verb jumps in front of them: <z>..., dass ich nicht habe kommen können</z>. This is the one place where the conjugated verb is not last in a subordinate clause, and it is rare enough in speech that the simple past is used instead.
Ich habe leider nicht kommen können.Unfortunately I was not able to come.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
English puts the participle straight after the auxiliary and German puts it at the far end. Nothing may follow the closing element — not an object, not a time, not a place. If a German sentence of yours ends on anything but the verb material, look at it again: in nine cases out of ten something has escaped from inside the bracket.
Verb second, verb material last, everything else in between.
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