German Word Order: How to Build Sentences Correctly

German word order is one of the things that separates natural-sounding German from awkward, translated language. The good news is that German has clear rules for word order — they are simply different from what you might be used to in English. This article covers all the essential word order rules you need to know.

The V2 Rule: Verb in Second Position

The most important rule for German main clauses is the V2 rule: the conjugated verb always occupies the second position in the sentence. This does not mean the second word, but the second structural element.

Basic sentence:

• Ich trinke Kaffee. (I drink coffee.)

Here “ich” is in first position and “trinke” is in second. But what if you want to start with a time expression?

Starting with a time expression:

• Heute trinke ich Kaffee. (Today I drink coffee.)

Notice: “heute” moved to first position, the verb stayed in second, and the subject “ich” moved after the verb. This is called inversion, and it is one of the most fundamental word order rules in German.

More examples:

• Am Montag gehe ich ins Kino. (On Monday I go to the cinema.)
• In Berlin wohnt mein Bruder. (In Berlin lives my brother.)
• Leider kann ich nicht kommen. (Unfortunately I cannot come.)

The V2 rule applies in all main clauses regardless of what element begins the sentence.

Main Clause Structure

The basic structure of a German main clause follows this pattern:

Position 1 + VERB + subject (if not in position 1) + other elements

Common options for position 1:

• Subject: Ich lerne Deutsch. (I learn German.)
• Time expression: Morgen fahre ich nach Hamburg. (Tomorrow I travel to Hamburg.)
• Place expression: In der Schule lernen wir Deutsch. (At school we learn German.)
• Object: Das Buch lese ich gern. (That book I like to read.)

Subordinate Clause Word Order: Verb at the End

When a clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause. This is often the most surprising rule for learners.

Common subordinating conjunctions:

• weil (because)
• dass (that)
• wenn (when/if)
• obwohl (although)
• als (when, in the past)
• bevor (before)
• nachdem (after)

Examples:

Main clause: Ich bleibe zu Hause. (I stay at home.) Subordinate: Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin. (I stay at home because I am sick.)

Main clause: Er sagt das. (He says that.) Subordinate: Er sagt, dass er morgen kommt. (He says that he is coming tomorrow.)

Main clause: Ich bin glucklich. (I am happy.) Subordinate: Wenn ich Musik hore, bin ich glucklich. (When I listen to music, I am happy.)

Notice in the last example: when the subordinate clause comes first, it acts as “position 1” of the main clause, and the main clause verb follows immediately after.

Question Sentences

German has two types of questions, and both have a word order that differs from statements.

Yes/No Questions

In yes/no questions, the verb comes at the beginning of the sentence:

• Trinkst du Kaffee? (Do you drink coffee?)
• Sprichst du Deutsch? (Do you speak German?)
• Hast du Zeit? (Do you have time?)
• Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?)

W-Questions

In W-questions, the question word occupies first position and the verb follows in second position (the V2 rule applies):

• Was machst du? (What are you doing?)
• Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
• Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?)
• Warum lernst du Deutsch? (Why are you learning German?)
• Wie heisst du? (What is your name?)

Time, Manner, Place (TeKaMoLo)

When a sentence contains multiple adverbial elements, they are generally arranged in the order time — manner — place. In German grammar, this is often expanded to TeKaMoLo (temporal, causal, modal, local).

• Ich fahre morgen (time) mit dem Zug (manner) nach Berlin (place). (I am traveling tomorrow by train to Berlin.)

• Wir gehen heute Abend (time) gern (manner) ins Restaurant (place). (We like going to the restaurant this evening.)

This is a guideline rather than an absolute rule, but following it makes your sentences sound natural.

Conjunctions and Their Effect on Word Order

German conjunctions fall into three groups based on how they affect word order:

Coordinating Conjunctions (no change)

These conjunctions do not change the word order. They are followed by a normal V2 clause:

• und (and): Ich lerne Deutsch und ich spreche ein bisschen.
• aber (but): Ich mochte kommen, aber ich habe keine Zeit.
• oder (or): Gehst du ins Kino oder bleibst du zu Hause?
• denn (because/for): Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin mude.

Subordinating Conjunctions (verb to the end)

As described above, these move the verb to the end of the clause:

• weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, als, bevor, nachdem, wahrend, bis, damit

Adverbial Conjunctions (inversion)

These conjunctions function like adverbs — they occupy first position and trigger inversion:

• deshalb (therefore): Ich bin mude, deshalb gehe ich ins Bett.
• trotzdem (nevertheless): Es regnet, trotzdem gehe ich spazieren.
• dann (then): Ich esse Fruhstuck, dann gehe ich zur Arbeit.
• danach (afterwards): Wir essen, danach trinken wir Kaffee.

Separable Verbs and Sentence Structure

The prefix of a separable verb moves to the end of the sentence in main clauses:

• Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf. (I get up at 7.)
• Wann stehst du auf? (When do you get up?)

But in subordinate clauses, the prefix reattaches to the verb, which is at the end of the clause:

• Ich bin mude, weil ich fruh aufstehe. (I am tired because I get up early.)

Practical Advice

1. Practice the V2 rule actively. Take any sentence and try starting it with different elements. For example: “Ich lerne Deutsch” becomes “Deutsch lerne ich” becomes “Jeden Tag lerne ich Deutsch.”

2. Learn conjunctions in groups. The effect of conjunctions on word order is so central that you should learn them in three groups: no change (und, aber, oder, denn), verb to end (weil, dass, wenn…), and inversion (deshalb, trotzdem, dann…).

3. Read plenty of German. Word order becomes automatic best when you see and hear real sentences. Short news articles, grammar exercises, and German-language media are excellent practice material.

4. Do not fear mistakes. Word order errors rarely prevent understanding, so have the courage to speak and write even if you are not completely sure about the order. Fluency comes with practice.