German Sentence Structure

One of the most common errors made by German language learners is to assume that German grammar works the same way as English grammar.

Sentence construction is one of the places where the differences are most noticeable, as it can appear somewhat strange to a natural English speaker when written in German.

The elements of a German sentence and the sequence in which they must be used are shown to you in this guide.

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The basics of German sentence structure

The nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive are the four well-known grammatical cases in German. These situations, among other things, tell you who (or what) is impacted, either directly or indirectly, by the sentence’s action.

Consequently, there is a fair amount of word order flexibility in German. Therefore, you can occasionally rearrange words to emphasize a point.

Nevertheless, the sequence of German words counts.

Yes, your conversation partners in German will value your efforts to master their language. The incorrect word order won’t help you sound like a native speaker, though, if your aim is to start sounding natural. In the worst situation, a strange word order could lead to some miscommunications.

In case you weren’t required to draw sentences in school, here is a little grammar review before we examine particular types of German phrases:

• The word in the sentence that is doing the action is called the subject. Such personal pronouns like ich (I), du (you [singular informal]), er (he), or wir (we) are frequently used. In German, the nominative case is always used for the subject.
• Even if the verb is more passive, such as sein (to be) or mögen (to like), it is still the “action word.”
• Whatever is heard, liked, written, eaten, etc., is the direct object—the person, animal, or thing being acted upon. It will be in the case of the accusation.
• The person or thing that receives the direct object is the indirect object. In German, it uses the Dative case.

Basic Rules of German Sentence Structure

Word order in German sentences is determined by a series of rules. It is somewhat similar to English, but it also has some differences, particularly in the placement of verbs. The following are the fundamentals of German sentence construction:

1. Main Clause Word Order (SVO)

• Ich esse einen Apfel. (I eat an apple.)
• Er spielt Fußball. (He plays soccer.)

But the verb has to be in the second place at all times.

2. The “Verb-Second” Rule (V2 Position)

Even if the phrase begins with a subject other than the conjugated verb, the conjugated verb must be in the second position in main clauses:

• Ich lese ein Buch. (I read a book.) → [Subject – Verb – Object]
• Morgen gehe ich zur Schule. (Tomorrow, I go to school.) → [Adverb – Verb – Subject – Object]

Keep in mind that the verb remains in the second place even if the subject moves.

3. Position of the Verb in Subordinate Clauses (Verb-Last Rule)

The conjugated verb goes to the conclusion of the subordinate phrase (Nebensätze).

• Ich weiß, dass du müde bist. (I know that you are tired.)
• Er sagt, dass er kommen kann. (He says that he can come.)

The following are a few typical subordinating conjunctions that alter the word order:

• dass (that)
• weil (because)
• obwohl (although)
• wenn (if, when)
• bevor (before)

4. Separable Verbs

Prefixes for certain German verbs separate and go to the conclusion of the sentence.

• Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf. (I get up at 7 o’clock.)
• Er ruft seine Mutter an. (He calls his mother.)

5. Modal Verbs and Verb Placement

The primary verb shifts to the end in its infinitive form when modal verbs (such as können, müssen, dürfen) are used.

• Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. (I can speak German.)
• Sie muss heute arbeiten. (She has to work today.)

6. Time-Manner-Place (TMP) Rule

When adding more information to a sentence, German adheres strictly to the Time-Manner-Place criteria.

• Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin.
  (Time – Manner – Place)
  (I travel tomorrow by train to Berlin.)

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German Word Order in Different Sentence Types

The kind of sentence you’re writing will determine the German word order in major part. The word order you would employ for each of the following frequent sentence types will be examined.

The majority of the words and phrases we use will be simple, appropriate for beginners.

Simple declarative sentences

These are the most fundamental sentence forms. The order of their words is extremely similar to that of English: Subject, Verb, Object.

German sentence order with indirect objects

What occurs if we indicate the recipient of the direct object—who or what? The indirect item enters the picture at this point.

In this instance, the phrase ends with the direct object, der Kaffee (the coffee), which is a common noun in the accusative case. The verb comes immediately after the indirect object, ihm (him), which comes before the direct object.

The word order would remain the same even if we replaced ihm (him) with Ulrich, the proper name of the indirect object:

However, suppose we wish to use ihn (it [accusative case, masculine]) in place of der Kaffee. The word order will be altered as a result:

Here, the direct object (now represented by ihn) comes before the indirect object as we’re substituting a pronoun for der Kaffee. This holds true regardless of whether we call the indirect object ihm (him) or Ulrich.

Due to English’s similar structure, this is quite easy in both situations.

German sentences with negation

In German, a statement can be made negative in two main ways: with the wordsnicht (not) and kein (not any). In a sentence, “nicht” and “kein” will both have the same place, albeit it will change based on the other words used.

The most basic form of a declarative phrase in the negative would be Subject – Verb – Negation, possibly with an Object after it:

It would follow the negation if you were using an adjective to describe a noun or further qualifying the verb with an adverb:

How to structure questions in German

The type of question determines the word order of a German question.

Put the verb first in a straightforward yes-or-no question:

The question word will come first and any objects will come before the verb if the question begins with a word like warum (why), was (what), or wie (how):

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Tips for Mastering German Sentence Structure

The word order in a variety of German sentence types has been studied. It’s time to have fun and be creative now. To expose yourself to a large number of German sentences, follow these steps:

• Pay close attention: Develop the habit of listening to German music, radio programs, and podcasts. Try watching movies, TV series, and videos in German.
• Read widely: Read as much as you can in German from a variety of sources, including novels, periodicals, and news reports.
• Learn via telling stories: Stories are very good at teaching German sentence form. They are entertaining in addition to having conversation, plot, and questions. Reading stories keeps you emotionally involved, which improves your ability to comprehend and remember what you read.
• Create your own sentences: Try interactive exercises to help you get started when you’re ready to practice creating your own German sentences.
• Locate discussion partners: Listen to and receive comments from a community of fluent speakers or language exchange partners about the many types of German sentences.
• Try a tutor: If you want to learn German word order, think about working with a tutor to help you with the most challenging parts. You can discover a German tutor through Preply who will work with you one-on-one at your convenience. You can easily and conveniently learn German online with personalized sessions that cover all of your queries regarding German sentence structure.

Sentence structure in German can be difficult. You can become proficient in German word order and develop clear communication skills by reading and listening to German on a regular basis, as well as by practicing speaking and writing. Ultimately, practice makes perfect—Übung macht den Meister!