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German word order

German word order: where the verb goes

German word order is looser than English about everything except the verb. Learn three positions for the verb — second, last, and split across the sentence — and most sentences fall into place.

Rule 1: the verb comes second

In a main clause the conjugated verb is the second element. Anything can come first — the subject, a time, a place, an object — and the subject then follows the verb.

  • Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin. I am going to Berlin tomorrow.
  • Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. Tomorrow I am going to Berlin.
  • Nach Berlin fahre ich morgen. It is Berlin I am going to tomorrow.

Rule 2: the second verb part goes to the end

When a verb has two parts, the conjugated one stays second and the other goes to the end, closing a bracket (Satzklammer) around the rest.

  • Ich muss heute lange arbeiten. I have to work late today. (modal verb + infinitive)
  • Wir haben gestern Pizza gegessen. We ate pizza yesterday. (perfect tense)
  • Der Zug kommt um acht Uhr an. The train arrives at eight. (separable verb: ankommen)
  • Sie wird nächstes Jahr studieren. She will study next year. (future)

See the perfect tense for which verbs take haben and which take sein.

Rule 3: after dass, weil, wenn — the verb goes last

A subordinating conjunction sends the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. These are the ones among the 5,000 most common German words:

  • Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin. I am staying at home because I am ill.
  • Sag mir bitte, wenn du fertig bist. Please tell me when you are ready.
  • Ich weiß nicht, ob er morgen kommen kann. I do not know whether he can come tomorrow.

If the subordinate clause comes first, the whole clause counts as the first element, so the main verb follows straight after the comma: Wenn du Zeit hast, ruf mich an.

Five conjunctions leave the word order alone — they simply join two main clauses:

  • Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank. I am staying at home, because I am ill. (denn: verb stays second)

Questions and commands: the verb comes first

  • Kommst du morgen mit? Are you coming along tomorrow? (yes/no question: verb first)
  • Wann kommst du morgen? When are you coming tomorrow? (question word, then the verb)
  • Komm bitte pünktlich! Please be on time! (command: verb first)

The question words are in German question words.

The middle: time, manner, place

Between the verb parts, German tends to say when, then how, then where — sometimes remembered as TeKaMoLo (temporal, kausal, modal, lokal). Short pronouns come early, and a dative noun comes before an accusative noun — unless the accusative is a pronoun.

  • Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin. I am going to Berlin by train tomorrow. (when, how, where)
  • Ich gebe dem Kind das Buch. I give the child the book. (dative before accusative)
  • Ich gebe es dem Kind. I give it to the child. (the pronoun first)

nicht goes near the end, before a second verb part, when it negates the whole sentence: Ich habe das nicht gewusst.

Questions

What is the basic German word order?

The conjugated verb comes second in a main clause, whatever comes first: Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin, but Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. Any second verb part goes to the end.

Why does the verb go to the end in German?

After a subordinating conjunction such as dass, weil or wenn, the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause: …, weil ich morgen arbeiten muss.

Does weil or denn change the word order?

weil sends the verb to the end (weil es regnet), denn does not (denn es regnet). Both mean because.

Where does nicht go in a German sentence?

To negate the whole sentence, near the end but before a second verb part: Ich komme heute nicht. Ich habe das nicht gewusst. To negate one part, directly before it: Nicht ich, sondern mein Bruder.

More German grammar