Understanding German Word Order
German word order (Wortstellung) follows systematic rules that differ significantly from English. Understanding these patterns is essential for constructing grammatically correct and natural-sounding German sentences.
Key principles:
- Verb position: The conjugated verb has a fixed position
- Information structure: New information typically comes at the end
- Case system: Word order is more flexible due to case marking
- Clause types: Different rules for main clauses, questions, and subordinate clauses
Main word order patterns:
- Position 1: Subject or other element (topic)
- Position 2: Conjugated verb (always!)
- End position: Infinitives, past participles, separable prefixes
Why word order matters:
- Grammatical correctness: Wrong order = incorrect German
- Natural communication: Native-like sentence flow
- Meaning clarity: Affects emphasis and information structure
- Advanced proficiency: Marks intermediate/advanced German
Learning strategy: Master main clause patterns first, then learn question formation, finally tackle subordinate clauses.
Understanding German word order is crucial for intermediate German and natural sentence construction.
Examples
BASIC: Ich lese ein Buch. (I read a book.)
FRONTED: Ein Buch lese ich. (A book I read.)
MAIN: Er kommt morgen. (He comes tomorrow.)
SUBORDINATE: Ich weiß, dass er morgen kommt. (I know that he comes tomorrow.)
Basic Main Clause Word Order (SVO)
Main clauses follow the Subject-Verb-Object pattern with the conjugated verb in position 2:
Basic Main Clause Pattern
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Position 1 | Subject | Ich (I) |
| Position 2 | Conjugated Verb | lese (read) |
| Position 3+ | Objects/Complements | ein Buch (a book) |
| End | Infinitive/Participle | gelesen (read - past participle) |
Examples
SIMPLE: Ich trinke Kaffee. (I drink coffee.)
COMPLEX: Ich habe gestern Kaffee getrunken. (I drank coffee yesterday.)
MODAL: Sie kann gut singen. (She can sing well.)
SEPARABLE: Er steht früh auf. (He gets up early.)
Verb-Second Rule (V2)
The conjugated verb must always be in position 2 in main clauses:
Examples
SUBJECT FIRST: Ich gehe morgen nach Berlin. (I go to Berlin tomorrow.)
TIME FIRST: Morgen gehe ich nach Berlin. (Tomorrow I go to Berlin.)
OBJECT FIRST: Das Buch lese ich gern. (The book I like to read.)
PLACE FIRST: In Berlin wohne ich. (In Berlin I live.)
Key Rule
Whatever comes first, the verb is always second:
PATTERN: [Anything] [Verb] [Subject if not first] [Rest]
FLEXIBLE: Any element can be in position 1 for emphasis
Time-Manner-Place (TMP) Order
Adverbial information follows the Time-Manner-Place sequence:
TMP Order
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Time | When? | morgen, gestern, um 8 Uhr |
| Manner | How? | schnell, mit dem Auto, gern |
| Place | Where? | nach Berlin, zu Hause, hier |
Examples
FULL TMP: Ich fahre morgen schnell nach Berlin. (I drive to Berlin quickly tomorrow.)
PARTIAL: Sie geht heute zu Fuß zur Schule. (She walks to school today.)
Object Order: Dative Before Accusative
When both dative and accusative objects are present, dative comes first:
Object Order Rules
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Two nouns | Dative + Accusative | Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. |
| Two pronouns | Accusative + Dative | Ich gebe es ihm. |
| Pronoun + noun | Pronoun first | Ich gebe ihm das Buch. |
| Noun + pronoun | Pronoun first | Ich gebe es dem Mann. |
Examples
TWO NOUNS: Er gibt der Frau die Blumen. (He gives the woman the flowers.)
TWO PRONOUNS: Er gibt sie ihr. (He gives them to her.)
Question Word Order
Questions have specific word order patterns:
Question Formation
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No questions | Verb + Subject + ... | Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?) |
| W-questions | W-word + Verb + Subject + ... | Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?) |
| Question + object | W-word + Object + Verb + Subject | Was machst du? (What are you doing?) |
Examples
YES/NO: Gehst du heute ins Kino? (Are you going to the cinema today?)
W-QUESTION: Wohin gehst du heute? (Where are you going today?)
OBJECT: Wen siehst du? (Whom do you see?)
TIME: Wann kommst du nach Hause? (When do you come home?)
Subordinate Clause Word Order
Subordinate clauses have verb-final word order:
Subordinate Clause Pattern
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| dass-clause | ..., dass ich morgen komme. | ..., that I come tomorrow. |
| weil-clause | ..., weil er krank ist. | ..., because he is sick. |
| wenn-clause | ..., wenn du Zeit hast. | ..., if you have time. |
| ob-clause | ..., ob sie mitkommt. | ..., whether she comes along. |
Examples
MAIN: Er ist krank. → SUBORDINATE: Ich weiß, dass er krank ist.
MAIN: Du kommst mit. → SUBORDINATE: Ich hoffe, dass du mitkommst.
Modal Verbs and Word Order
Modal verbs create two-verb constructions with specific order:
Examples
MAIN CLAUSE: Ich kann morgen kommen. (I can come tomorrow.)
SUBORDINATE: ..., weil ich morgen kommen kann. (..., because I can come tomorrow.)
QUESTION: Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?)
PERFECT: Ich habe kommen können. (I was able to come.)
Separable Verbs and Word Order
Separable verbs affect word order differently in main and subordinate clauses:
Examples
MAIN: Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf. (I get up at 7 o'clock.)
SUBORDINATE: ..., weil ich um 7 Uhr aufstehe. (..., because I get up at 7 o'clock.)
MODAL MAIN: Ich will früh aufstehen. (I want to get up early.)
MODAL SUBORDINATE: ..., weil ich früh aufstehen will. (..., because I want to get up early.)
Perfect Tense Word Order
Perfect tense places the past participle at the end:
Examples
MAIN: Ich habe gestern ein Buch gelesen. (I read a book yesterday.)
SUBORDINATE: ..., weil ich gestern ein Buch gelesen habe. (..., because I read a book yesterday.)
QUESTION: Hast du das Buch gelesen? (Have you read the book?)
SEPARABLE: Ich bin früh aufgestanden. (I got up early.)
Negation and Word Order
nicht has specific positions depending on what it negates:
nicht Position Rules
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Whole sentence | Before verb/end | Ich komme nicht. (I'm not coming.) |
| Specific element | Before that element | Ich komme nicht heute. (I'm not coming today.) |
| With separable verb | Before prefix | Ich stehe nicht auf. (I'm not getting up.) |
| With perfect tense | Before participle | Ich habe nicht gelesen. (I didn't read.) |
Examples
SENTENCE: Er arbeitet heute nicht. (He doesn't work today.)
ELEMENT: Er arbeitet nicht heute. (He doesn't work today - emphasis on not today.)
Common Word Order Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong verb position: Not putting conjugated verb in position 2
2. English word order: Using English patterns in German
3. Subordinate clause errors: Using main clause order in subordinate clauses
4. Object order: Wrong sequence of dative and accusative objects
Examples
❌ Ich morgen gehe → ✅ Ich gehe morgen / Morgen gehe ich
Wrong: verb must be in position 2
❌ Ich weiß, dass er kommt morgen → ✅ Ich weiß, dass er morgen kommt
Wrong: verb goes to end in subordinate clauses
❌ Ich gebe das Buch dem Mann → ✅ Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch
Wrong: dative before accusative with two nouns
❌ Wann du kommst? → ✅ Wann kommst du?
Wrong: verb comes after question word