A1 · Word order
The verb comes second
the one fixed position
One element in front of the verb — any one you like, but only one.
In a German main clause the conjugated verb stands in second position. Exactly one element goes in front of it, and that element can be the subject, a time, a place, an object or a whole subordinate clause. Whatever it is, it counts as one.
When something other than the subject takes first position, the subject moves to just after the verb. Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin and Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin are both correct and mean the same thing; what changed is what the sentence is about. English can front a time word too — "tomorrow I am going to Berlin" — but it keeps the subject in front of the verb, and that is the habit that has to go.
"Second element" is not "second word". Mein älterer Bruder is three words and one element. So is Nach dem Frühstück. The test is whether the words form one unit that could be replaced by a single pronoun.
Die Form
| subject first | Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin. |
| time first | Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. |
| place first | Nach Berlin fahre ich morgen. |
| object first | Den Brief schreibe ich später. |
| clause first | Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause. |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
The conjugated verb is the second element of a main clause, always.
Heute Abend kommt mein Bruder.My brother is coming this evening.
Exactly one element stands in front of it — never two.
Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.Tomorrow I am going to Berlin.
If something other than the subject is first, the subject follows the verb directly.
Deshalb bleibe ich zu Hause.That is why I am staying at home.
und, aber, oder, denn and sondern do not count as an element and change nothing.
Aber ich habe keine Zeit.But I have no time.
Genauer hingesehen
What the first position is actually for
It is not decoration and it is not free variation. The first position carries the link to what came before — the thing the sentence is about, the ground it stands on. A paragraph that begins every sentence with its subject reads as a list; one that fronts a time, then a consequence, then a contrast reads as an argument.
This is why German prose can put quite heavy material first without sounding strange, and why a text with nothing but subject-first sentences sounds foreign even when every sentence is correct. Choosing the first element is a writing skill rather than a grammar rule, and it is the one that separates correct German from German that reads well.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
the sentence is a yes-or-no question or an imperative
the verb comes first, not second.
Kommst du mit? Mach bitte das Fenster zu!Are you coming? Please close the window.
Nothing is being asserted, so there is nothing for the first position to carry.
-
the clause is subordinate — introduced by dass, weil, wenn, ob, or a relative pronoun
the conjugated verb goes to the very end instead.
Ich weiß, dass er morgen kommt.I know that he is coming tomorrow.
A subordinate clause is one element of a larger sentence, so it does not have a second position of its own to fill.
Woran man es erkennt
- heute
- morgen
- deshalb
- dann
- vielleicht
- aber
- und
Beispielsätze
Am Montag beginnt der Kurs.The course starts on Monday.
Leider kann ich nicht kommen.Unfortunately I cannot come.
Diesen Film habe ich schon gesehen.I have already seen this film.
Nach der Arbeit gehe ich einkaufen.After work I go shopping.
Vielleicht hat er das vergessen.Perhaps he has forgotten it.
Noch 8 Beispielsätze
Im Sommer fahren wir ans Meer.In summer we go to the seaside.
Das habe ich nicht gewusst.I did not know that.
Dann rufe ich dich an.Then I will call you.
Seit gestern regnet es ohne Pause.It has been raining nonstop since yesterday.
Mit dem Auto ist man schneller.It is quicker by car.
Natürlich helfe ich dir.Of course I will help you.
Trotzdem war es ein guter Abend.It was a good evening all the same.
Meinem Bruder gefällt die Wohnung nicht.My brother does not like the flat.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
und and aber are not elements
The five coordinating conjunctions — <z>und, aber, oder, denn, sondern</z> — sit outside the clause and do not occupy the first position. So <z>Aber ich komme später</z> has <z>ich</z> in first position and <z>komme</z> second, exactly as if the <z>aber</z> were not there. Words like <z>deshalb</z>, <z>trotzdem</z> and <z>dann</z> are adverbs and do count, which is why they push the subject behind the verb.
Aber ich komme später. / Deshalb komme ich später.But I am coming later. / That is why I am coming later.
-
A whole clause counts as one element
If a sentence begins with a subordinate clause, that entire clause fills the first position and the main verb comes immediately after the comma. This produces the two verbs meeting in the middle that German is known for: <z>..., bleiben wir ...</z>. It looks strange and it is the rule working exactly as stated.
Wenn es morgen regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause.If it rains tomorrow, we will stay at home.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
This is the most common word-order mistake English speakers make, and it is one rule, not a feel: if something stands in front of the verb, the subject stands behind it. English allows both the subject and a fronted time word before the verb because it does not need the verb to hold a position. German does. Count the elements before the verb; if there are two, the sentence is wrong.
One element, then the verb. Never two.
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