Sentence Structure in German

Basic Word Order in Main Clauses

Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)

The typical order for simple statements.

Example: “Maria liest ein Buch.” (Maria reads a book.)

Verb in Second Position

In most main clauses, the finite verb is placed in the second position.

Example: “Ich spiele Fußball.” (I play soccer.)

Word Order in Subordinate Clauses

Dependent Elements

Other sentence elements shift to accommodate the verb’s final position.

Verb at the End

The conjugated verb usually comes at the end in subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions (e.g., weil, dass).

Example: “Ich glaube, dass er morgen kommt.” (I believe that he is coming tomorrow.)

Positioning of Adverbs and Other Elements

Time, Manner, Place

Commonly follow a specific sequence when multiple adverbials are present.

Example: “Er fährt schnell (manner) heute (time) nach Berlin (place).”

Adverbs

Often placed at the beginning or end of a sentence, depending on emphasis.

Example: “Heute gehe ich ins Kino.” (Today I am going to the cinema.)

Special Sentence Structures

Questions

In yes/no questions, the verb is in the first position.

Example: “Kommt er morgen?” (Is he coming tomorrow?)

Imperatives

Commands also typically begin with the verb.

Example: “Lies das Buch!” (Read the book!)

When a sentence begins with an adverb or another element, the subject follows the verb.

Example: “Morgen spielt er Tennis.” (Tomorrow, he plays tennis.)

Inversion

Tips and Common Pitfalls

Remember the Verb Position

The key is keeping the verb in the correct position (second in main clauses, final in subordinate clauses).

Practice with Examples

Reading and listening to native speakers can help reinforce the correct word order.

In complex sentences, elements like adverbs may shift positions for emphasis or clarity.

Be Flexible

These tables provide visual aids to reinforce the grammatical rules and help you remember key sentence structures more easily. Feel free to use or modify these tables to best suit your learning and teaching needs.

Table 2: Order of Adverbials in a Sentence

This table details the typical sequence of adverbials when constructing sentences with multiple modifiers. The usual order helps maintain clarity and natural flow in your speech and writing.

Understanding German Sentence Structures

To help you quickly recall how different sentence types are organized in German, we've created two tables. The first table outlines the general sentence structures and the typical position of the verb. The second table breaks down the common order of adverbials within a sentence.

Table 1: Sentence Types and Verb Positions

This table summarizes the core sentence types in German, specifying where the conjugated verb is typically positioned. Knowing these positions is key to constructing grammatically correct sentences.

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