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Where the verb goes, and why it moves Vibedu CounsellingBook Free Counselling
Grammar · A2

Where the verb goes, and why it moves

Position two for the main verb, the end for the rest. German word order is strict, which makes it learnable.

9 min read

English word order is fairly free about where extra information sits. German is not, and the rules are few enough to learn properly at A2.

The conjugated verb is the second element in a main clause. Not the second word — the second element. Whatever you put first, the verb follows it and the subject moves after the verb if it has to:

  • Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin.
  • Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.
  • Nach Berlin fahre ich morgen.

All three are correct; the first element is whatever you want to emphasise. What is never correct is "Morgen ich fahre".

The second verb goes to the end. Modal verbs, the perfect tense, separable prefixes — the part that carries the meaning waits at the end of the clause:

  • Ich muss heute Abend Deutsch lernen.
  • Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen.
  • Ich stehe um sechs Uhr auf. (aufstehen splits)

After a subordinating conjunction, the verb goes to the end of that clause. weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, ob:

  • Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich in Deutschland studieren will.

And when the middle of the sentence has several pieces, the usual order is time, then manner, then place: Ich fahre morgen (time) mit dem Zug (manner) nach München (place).

Word order is where a student who knows the vocabulary still sounds wrong, and it is worth more drilling than any list of nouns.

Do this now

Five to ten minutes. This is the part that moves your band.

Take five sentences you have written. Rewrite each three ways — starting with the subject, with the time expression, and with the place — keeping the verb in position two every time. Then add "weil …" to each and move the verb to the end.

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