German Word Order Explained – The Ultimate Guide to German Sentence Structure (A1-C2)

Learning German word order can feel intimidating for many students. German sentence structure (or German syntax) follows specific rules that often differ from English. Yet, mastering these rules is essential if you want to speak and write German correctly. As an Oxford-educated native German tutor with over 25 years of teaching experience, I’ve seen countless learners progress from confusion to confidence by understanding a few key principles. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain German word order in clear terms – covering main clauses, subordinate clauses, questions, negation, and the placement of adverbs. We’ll highlight common errors (and how to avoid them), provide useful example sentences with English translations, and even compare German vs. English structure where helpful. By the end, you’ll have a much clearer grasp of German word order – from the basics at A1 level to complex sentences at C2. Let’s dive in!

German syntax rules- where to place words in main and subordinate clauses

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The Difference between Main and Subordinate Clauses in German

The most important difference between main and subordinate clauses in German is the position of the verbs. In a main clause (an independent and completed sentence), the conjugated verb is second, and the main verb, if there is one, is at the end. By contrast, in a subordinate clause (a dependent sentence that provides additional information), the verbs are at the end, with the conjugated verb being last.

Let's look at main clauses first, starting with very simple sentences before moving to more complex ones.

Main Clauses: The Basics of German Word Order

Most main clauses (independent sentences) in German follow the Verb-Second (V2) rule. This means the conjugated verb must appear as the second element in the sentence. The simplest structure for a declarative sentence is:

Subject – Verb – Other elements...

In practice, a basic word order template for main clauses is:

• Subject + conjugated verb + temporal info + other information + place + [additional verb(s)]

For example:

• Ich arbeite heute im Garten. – "I am working in the garden today."(Subject Ich = “I”; Verb arbeite = “am working”; heute = “today” (time); im Garten = “in the garden” (place).)

In this simple sentence, the subject comes first and the conjugated verb second, followed by time, then place. Note that in German, time indications usually come before place in the middle of a sentence. You cannot swap the time and place in the above sentence; “Ich arbeite im Garten heute” would sound incorrect. So remember: Time before Place in normal word order (often called the "TMP rule" – Time, Manner, Place – for the order of adverbials).

If a sentence has more elements – say direct and indirect objects or additional verbs – the structure expands accordingly. The conjugated verb still stays in second position, and any additional verb (like a main verb in a compound tense, or an infinitive, or past participle) goes to the end of the clause. For instance:

• Ich werde morgen eine Klasse in der Schule besuchen. – "I will attend a class at the school tomorrow."(Subject Ich; conjugated auxiliary werde = “will”; morgen = “tomorrow” (time); eine Klasse = “a class” (direct object); in der Schule = “at the school” (place); besuchen = “attend/visit” (main verb at end).)

Here, because there are two verbs (“will attend”), the auxiliary werde is second, and the main verb besuchen comes last. Everything else (time, object, place) slots in between.

Objects: When you have both an indirect object (dative case) and a direct object (accusative case) in a German sentence, the usual order is Subject – Verb – Indirect Object – Direct Object – .... German tends to place the dative (indirect) object before the accusative (direct) object, especially when both are nouns. For example:

• Paul stellt der Frau gerade die Tasse auf den Tisch. – "Paul is placing the cup on the table for the woman right now."(Subject Paul; Verb stellt = “places”; Indirect object der Frau = “for the woman” (literally “to the woman”); gerade = “right now” (an adverb of time/manner); Direct object die Tasse = “the cup”; auf den Tisch = “onto the table” (place).)

In this sentence, der Frau (to the woman) comes before die Tasse (the cup) because the person (indirect object) is mentioned before the thing (direct object). This is a common word order convention – people (dative) before things (accusative) in the middle of the sentence. (There are exceptions, for instance, if one object is a pronoun, but as a rule of thumb, dative before accusative is a good guideline.) If you want to read more about how German cases affect sentence structure, see our detailed post on German cases.

Multiple Adverbs: If you have several adverbial phrases (such as time, cause, manner, place all in one sentence), German has a preferred sequence often remembered by the mnemonic TeKaMoLo – Temporal (time: wann? when?) – Kausal (cause/reason: warum? why?) – Modal (manner: wie? how?) – Lokal (location: wo? where?). They generally appear in this order after the verb " to be ". For example:

• Ich bin gestern (Te) wegen einer Verspätung der U‑Bahn (Ka) mit einem Taxi (Mo) zu meinem Büro (Lo) gefahren. – "I went to my office yesterday by taxi because the subway was delayed."

  Here, gestern (yesterday, time) comes first, then wegen einer Verspätung der U-Bahn (because of a subway delay, reason), then mit einem Taxi (by taxi, manner), then zu meinem Büro (to my office, place), and finally the verb gefahren (went/driven) is at the end. This ordering makes the sentence flow naturally in German.

Inversion for Emphasis (When the Subject is Not First)

One of the most important aspects of German main clauses is that the verb stays second even if the subject is not first. Unlike English, which usually sticks to subject-verb order except in questions, German allows flexibility in what comes at the start of a sentence. You can put an adverb, object, or other element at the beginning for emphasis or style – this is called inversion, because the subject and verb switch their typical order.

However, even in these cases, the verb remains in position 2. That means whatever element you moved to the front counts as position 1, the conjugated verb is position 2, and the subject moves after the verb, into position 3. Only one element (word or phrase) can precede the verb in a main clause.

For example, starting with a time expression for emphasis:

• Heute arbeite ich im Garten. – "Today I am working in the garden."(Here, Heute = “Today” is in the first position to emphasise when, so the verb arbeite stays second, and ich comes after the verb.)

If we wanted to emphasise the location instead, we could start with the place:

• Im Garten arbeite ich morgen. – "In the garden I am working tomorrow."(Now Im Garten = “In the garden” is first for emphasis on place; arbeite is still second; ich follows in third position, then morgen = “tomorrow”.)

In both cases, note that the subject ich moved to after the verb. This inversion structure might seem unusual at first, but English can do something similar for emphasis or literary effect (“Today am I working in the garden” is archaic/poetic in English, but standard in German).

Key rule: No matter what you put at the beginning of a German main clause – be it an adverb, object, or other phrase – the conjugated verb must immediately follow as the second element. The subject will come right after the verb if it wasn’t in the first position. Remembering this will help you avoid the common mistake of accidentally pushing the verb to third place when you start a sentence with an adverb or phrase.

(Common error to avoid: Don’t start a sentence with an adverb and then place another element before the verb. For example, "Heute ich arbeite im Garten" is wrong – if Heute is first, arbeite must come second. It should be Heute arbeite ich... as shown above.)*

Word Order with Coordinating Conjunctions (und, aber, etc.)

Not all sentence connectors change the word order. Coordinating conjunctions – such as und (and), aber (but), oder (or), denn (because, in the sense of for), and sondern (but rather) – are used to join two main clauses without affecting the word order in either clause. Essentially, these conjunctions behave like a “+” sign linking two complete sentences. The verb in the second clause stays in second position as usual.

Examples:

• Ich arbeite hart, aber ich entspanne mich im Urlaub. – "I work hard, but I relax on vacation." (After aber, the clause ich entspanne mich im Urlaub follows normal order: subject ich then verb entspanne.)

• Wir gehen ins Kino und wir schauen uns einen Film an. – "We are going to the cinema and we are going to watch a movie." (Both clauses follow regular order: Wir gehen... / wir schauen...)

• Ich trinke keinen Tee, sondern einen Kaffee. – "I drink no tea, but rather a coffee." (After sondern, einen Kaffee is what I drink – note sondern is used after a negative to offer an alternative. The second part is not a full clause with its own verb here, but if it were, it would also keep normal word order.)

One conjunction deserves special mention: denn (meaning "because"). Denn is coordinating, not subordinating, so it does not change word order – the verb stays second after denn. For example: Ich gehe zum Deutschunterricht, denn Deutsch macht Spaß. – "I go to German class because German is fun." Here Deutsch macht Spaß is a normal main clause (subject Deutsch, verb macht second). A common mistake is to treat denn like weil and wrongly send the verb to the end – don’t do that. If you use denn, just continue with a regular clause. (Weil vs. denn is a classic source of confusion – weil does kick the verb to the end, as we’ll see in a moment.)

Word Order in German Questions

When asking questions, German word order depends on the type of question:

• Questions with a question word (W-questions: wer, was, wann, wo, warum, wie, etc.): These behave much like normal main clauses, except that the question word itself occupies the first position. The conjugated verb still comes second, followed by the subject. Essentially, you replace the subject (or whatever was in first position) with the question word, and everything else remains V2.

  Example: Wo lernst du Deutsch? – "Where are you learning German?"Here Wo (“where”) is first, lernst (“learn-are learning”) second, then du (“you”) third, then Deutsch. This follows the same structure as a statement would (du lernst Deutsch) but with Wo at the front.

• Yes/No questions (questions without a question word, expecting a yes or no answer): In these, there is no explicit question word, so German signals a question by moving the conjugated verb to the first position (this is called Verb-First (V1) order). The subject comes immediately after the verb, followed by the rest of the sentence. Essentially, you invert the subject and verb compared to a statement.

  Example: Sprechen Sie Deutsch? – "Do you speak German?"Here, Sprechen (“speak”) is placed first, and Sie (“you”, formal) comes second, followed by Deutsch. The English translation uses the helping verb "do", but German doesn’t need an extra word – it simply puts sprechen at the start to mark the question. Another example: Hast du heute Zeit? – "Do you have time today?" (Literally: "Have you today time?": Hast first, du second, etc.)

Notice that for yes/no questions, this word order is similar to English inversion with auxiliary verbs (e.g. "Are you coming?" where are is before the subject). In German, any conjugated verb can move to the front without adding a “do” or other helper.

Common mistakes:

• Don’t leave the verb in second position for a yes/no question. For example, "Du sprichst Deutsch?" (with rising intonation) can be understood as a question in casual speech, but grammatically the proper form is "Sprichst du Deutsch?". In written German or formal speech, always put the verb first for yes/no questions.

• Also, do not add an extra word like "tun" (to do) to form a question (a few learners attempt something like "Tust du Deutsch sprechen?" thinking of the English "do you speak", which is incorrect). Simply use the verb itself: Sprichst du Deutsch?

In summary, W-question: [Question word] – [Verb] – [Subject] – ...; Yes/No question: [Verb] – [Subject] – ... . If a question has additional objects or phrases, they follow after the subject as they would in a statement. For instance:

Wohin fährst du morgen? – "Where are you travelling to tomorrow?" (Wohin first, fährst second, du third, then morgen). And a yes/no version: Fährst du morgen nach Berlin? – "Are you traveling to Berlin tomorrow?" (Fährst first, du second, etc.).

Subordinate Clauses: German Word Order in Dependent Clauses

So far, we’ve looked at main clauses (independent sentences or questions). Now we turn to subordinate clauses – these are dependent clauses usually introduced by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun. In German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb typically goes to the very end of the clause. This is a major difference from English sentence structure.

Think of a sentence like: “I think that he is coming tomorrow.” The part “that he is coming tomorrow” is a subordinate clause in English. In German, you would say: Ich denke, dass er morgen kommt. Notice kommt (“comes”) is pushed to the end in the dass clause.

Let’s break down the rules and examples for subordinate clauses:

• A subordinating conjunction (such as dass = "that", weil = "because", wenn = "if/when", ob = "whether", etc.) kicks the conjugated verb to the end of its clause. The word order within the subordinate clause otherwise remains similar to a main clause (subject, objects, etc., just without the verb in second position). The subordinate clause will often be set off by a comma.

  
  

• Main clause + subordinate clause example:Wir besuchen den Deutschunterricht, weil wir unser Deutsch verbessern möchten. – "We attend the German class because we want to improve our German."Here, the main clause Wir besuchen den Deutschunterricht (subject Wir + verb besuchen second + object den Deutschunterricht) comes first. Then a comma, then the subordinating conjunction weil (“because”), and then the subordinate clause wir unser Deutsch verbessern möchten. In that subordinate clause, notice möchten (the conjugated verb “want to”) is at the very end. The word weil forced möchten to the end. The rest of that clause is wir (subject) unser Deutsch (object) verbessern (main verb infinitive) möchten (conjugated modal “want” at the end).

• You can also flip the order and start with the subordinate clause. For stylistic reasons or emphasis, a subordinate clause may come before the main clause. In this case, the entire subordinate clause counts as the first position in the overall sentence, and so the main clause that follows must begin with the verb (inversion, as it’s effectively a continuation). We get a structure sometimes nicknamed “Verb-comma-verb”, because the conjugated verb of the subordinate clause is at the end of that clause (just before the comma), and the conjugated verb of the main clause immediately follows the comma.

  
  

• Subordinate clause first example:Weil wir unser Deutsch verbessern möchten, besuchen wir den Deutschunterricht. – "Because we want to improve our German, we attend the German class."Now the subordinate clause weil wir unser Deutsch verbessern möchten comes at the start (note möchten is still at the end of that clause). After the comma, the main clause besuchen wir den Deutschunterricht starts with besuchen (verb) followed by wir (subject). This inversion in the main clause happens because, as always, the first element of the sentence was not the main clause’s subject, so the verb of the main clause had to come first in the main clause. The two verbs (möchten, besuchen) end up adjacent, separated only by the comma – hence “verb, verb”. This structure is perfectly correct and often used for flow or emphasis in German writing.

  
  

Scenario I

Subject+conjugated verb...(+main verb), conj.+subject ... + main verb+conjugated verb

main clause                                                             , subordinate clause

Wir besuchen den Deutschunterricht, weil      wir unser Deutsch verbessern möchten.

However, for reasons of emphasis, the subordinate clause can also come first, but then the subject and verb invert in the main clause because of the main clause rule that the conjugated verb must be second.

Scenario II

conj.+subject ........ +main verb+conj. verb, conj. verb+ subject+... (+main verb)

Subordinate clause                                                               , main clause                                                   

Weil wir unser Deutsch verbessern möchten, besuchen     wir den Deutschunterricht.

Whether the subordinate clause comes first or second is a matter of style, emphasis, or context, but the key thing to remember is: In any subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end. The listener/reader waits until the end of that clause to get the verb.

Common Subordinating Conjunctions (Verb at End)

There are many subordinating conjunctions in German. Here are some of the most common ones, along with their meanings and an example for each:

• weil / da – “because” (Da can mean because only as a conjunction at the start of a clause; da also means “there” or “since” in other contexts, but not to confuse here).Ich gehe heute früh schlafen, weil ich morgen früh eine Besprechung habe. – "I’m going to bed early today because I have a meeting early tomorrow morning." (After weil, the verb habe is at the end.)(You could use da instead of weil here: ..., da ich morgen früh eine Besprechung habe. Da is slightly more formal/literary.)

• dass – “that” (for connecting clauses, like English "that").Ich denke, dass Deutsch Spaß macht. – "I think that German is fun." (Verb macht at end of the subordinate clause.)(Often in spoken English we drop the “that”, but in German you cannot omit dass; you need it to introduce the clause and push the verb to the end. We've written more on how to use dass in German in another post.)

• ob – “whether / if” (for indirect yes/no questions).Ich weiß nicht, ob er morgen kommt. – "I don’t know whether he’s coming tomorrow." (Verb kommt at the end.)

• wenn – “if” (also “when” in the sense of whenever or if something happens repeatedly or in general).Wenn du viel übst, wirst du fließend Deutsch sprechen. – "If you practice a lot, you will speak German fluently." (Here wenn introduces a condition; note wirst (will) goes to end of the wenn-clause if the clause comes first, or if main clause first: Du wirst fließend Deutsch sprechen, wenn du viel übst. – übst at end after wenn.)Wenn is also used for recurring events in the past or present (“whenever/if”), whereas als is used for a one-time event in the past – see als below. This als/wenn distinction is another tricky point; we have a separate article explaining the difference.

• als – “when” (for one-time events in the past).Als ich gestern zur Arbeit ging, hat es geregnet. – "When I went to work yesterday, it rained." (Notice ging – “went” – is at the end of the als clause. Use als for a specific moment or time period in the past that’s not recurring. If it’s a general whenever or present/future, use wenn instead.)(Many learners confuse als and wenn – remember: als = past single event, wenn = whenever or if, or present/future when.)

• falls – “in case” (or “if” in the sense of in the event that).Falls Sie morgen Zeit haben, würde ich gern mit Ihnen sprechen. – "In case you have time tomorrow, I would like to speak with you."(Falls is somewhat interchangeable with wenn in some contexts, but falls emphasises the hypothetical nature – if perhaps. We discuss when to use wenn vs. falls vs. ob in another post.)

• obwohl / obgleich – “although/even though.”Ich lerne täglich Vokabeln, obwohl ich sehr beschäftigt bin. – "I study vocabulary daily even though I am very busy." (After obwohl, bin goes to the end.)

• damit – “so that/in order that” (when the two parts have different subjects).Ich bin hier, damit ich Deutsch lerne. – "I am here so that I (can) learn German." (Two different subjects: ich in main clause and ich in subordinate are technically the same person here, but the idea is purpose; lerne at the end after damit.)(Use damit instead of um...zu when a different subject is involved – see um...zu below. We have a separate post comparing um...zu vs damit, which many find confusing.)

• um...zu – “in order to” (with the same subject; uses an infinitive construction).Ich bin hier, um Deutsch zu lernen. – "I am here (in order) to learn German."(Notice um...zu forms a structure that also sends the main verb to the end as an infinitive. There is no additional subject in the second part because it’s the same as the main clause’s subject. Zu comes directly before the verb lernen. This is a non-finite subordinate clause. If you have a different subject, use damit as mentioned.)

• indem – “by (doing something)” (to describe how something is done).Sie erweitert ihren Wortschatz, indem sie regelmäßig neue Vokabeln lernt. – "She expands her vocabulary by regularly learning new words." (After indem, the clause sie...lernt has lernt at the end.)

• während – “while/whereas.”Während du arbeitest, koche ich. – "While you work, I am cooking." (arbeitest at end after während.)

• solange – “as long as.”Solange wir weiterhin üben, machen wir Fortschritte. – "As long as we continue to practice, we make progress." (üben at end after solange.)

• seit / seitdem – “since” (in the time sense).Seitdem er in Deutschland lebt, verbessert sich sein Deutsch. – "Since he has been living in Germany, his German is improving." (lebt at end after seitdem.)

• bis – “until.”Warte, bis ich fertig bin! – "Wait until I am finished!" (bin at end after bis.)

• bevor – “before.”Ich lese ein Buch, bevor ich schlafe. – "I read a book before I sleep." (schlafe at end.)

• nachdem – “after (doing something)” (note: nachdem is followed by a past perfect tense if the main clause is in simple past or perfect).Nachdem die Deutschstunde vorbei war, bin ich nach Hause gegangen. – "After the German lesson was over, I went home." (war at end of nachdem clause.)(Learners often mix up nachdem (after something happens) with the adverb danach (afterwards). Also, bevor (before) vs vorher (beforehand). Make sure you use the conjunctions nachdem and bevor to connect clauses, and the adverbs danach, vorher if you’re making separate sentences. We delve into these differences in another article.)

This is a long list, but knowing these common conjunctions will help you recognise and form subordinate clauses. Whenever you use one, remember the conjugated verb goes to the end of that clause. If you’d like a more exhaustive list of German subordinating conjunctions (and the comma rules that go with them), we have a detailed post on that topic on.

Word Order with Relative Clauses

Relative clauses (introduced by relative pronouns like der, die, das, welche, etc., meaning “who/which/that” in English) are another kind of subordinate clause. They also send the verb to the end. For example:

• Das ist der Mann, der in Berlin wohnt. – "That is the man who lives in Berlin."The relative clause der in Berlin wohnt describes der Mann. Notice wohnt (lives) is at the very end of the relative clause. The structure is: [Relative pronoun der] [other elements] [verb wohnt].

Another example:

• Ich habe ein Buch, das sehr interessant ist. – "I have a book that is very interesting." (Literally: "that very interesting is" – ist is at the end of the relative clause.)

The rule is consistent: any dependent clause in German kicks the verb to the end. It doesn’t matter if it’s introduced by a conjunction or a relative pronoun.

Punctuation note: In writing, German subordinate clauses (including relative clauses) are separated by commas from the main clause. For instance, …, weil … or der Mann, der …. This is mandatory in German grammar. If the subordinate clause comes first, you put a comma after it before the main clause. So pay attention to commas when writing complex sentences – they’re not optional decorations, but part of the structure.

(Common error to avoid: Don’t forget to send the verb to the end in subordinate clauses. A typical mistake is to apply main clause word order after a subordinating conjunction. For example, an incorrect sentence would be "Ich glaube, dass er kommt morgen." (keeping kommt second and morgen after, as if it were a main clause). The correct order is "Ich glaube, dass er morgen kommt." with kommt at the very end. Another error is forgetting to invert the main clause if the subordinate clause comes first. If you start with Weil es regnet, don’t say "weil es regnet, ich bleibe zu Hause." It must be "weil es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.")

Negation in German: Where to Place nicht (and kein)

Negating a sentence in German can be tricky for learners, because the word “nicht” (not) doesn’t always come in the same place as “not” does in English. German also has the word “kein” which is used to negate nouns. Here’s how to handle negations in German:

• Using “nicht”: In general, nicht goes at the end of the clause in German, unless there’s a specific element that it needs to precede for clarity. If you want to negate the whole sentence or the verb, nicht tends to appear at the end of the sentence (or right before any final infinitive or participle if one is present). For example:

  • Ich warte nicht. – "I am not waiting." (Here, nicht comes at the end, after the verb warte, since we’re just negating the overall action.)

  • Wir haben Zeit nicht. – "We do not have time." (More idiomatically, you’d say Wir haben keine Zeit, see kein below, but for structure’s sake, nicht is at the end after the direct object.)

  • Ich kann heute nicht kommen. – "I cannot come today." (Literally "I can today not come." The modal verb kann is conjugated and is in second position, kommen is the main verb at the end, and nicht comes right before kommen. So here nicht is effectively at the end of the clause, just preceding the final infinitive.)

  If the sentence has no second verb, nicht will often be the last word. If the sentence has a separable verb or an infinitive, nicht typically goes right before that verb part:

  • Wir gehen heute nicht einkaufen. – "We are not going shopping today." (Here einkaufen is a separable verb (ein+kaufen); in the sentence it’s split as gehen ... einkaufen, and nicht comes before einkaufen.)

  • Du sollst nicht schlafen. – "You should not sleep." (nicht before the infinitive schlafen.)

  Nicht also generally comes after objects and specific time adverbs in a sentence. It usually follows a direct object that is a noun. For example:

  • Er hilft mir nicht. – "He does not help me." (mir = me (dative object), and nicht comes after it.)

  • Ich esse den Apfel nicht. – "I am not eating the apple." (den Apfel is the object; nicht comes after it.)

  However, nicht comes before certain elements in order to negate them specifically:

  • Nicht comes before adjectives or adverbs if you are negating those descriptions: Das ist nicht gut. – "That is not good." (nicht before the adjective gut.) Or Fährst du nicht schnell genug? – "Are you not driving fast enough?" (nicht before the adverb phrase schnell genug. )

  • It comes before prepositional phrases of place when negating location: Ich wohne nicht in Berlin. – "I do not live in Berlin." (Here nicht directly precedes in Berlin to clearly indicate the location is what’s being negated.)

  • It comes before certain time expressions that are not specific or chronological: Er kommt nicht sofort. – "He’s not coming immediately." (nicht before sofort (immediately) because we want to say “not immediately”). But with straightforward time adverbs like gestern, heute, morgen that denote specific time, nicht usually follows them: Sie ist gestern nicht mitgekommen. – "She did not come along yesterday." (gestern is chronological, and nicht follows it.)

  
  

• These rules can feel a bit abstract. A simpler way to remember is:

  • If you are negating the whole sentence or verb, put nicht at the end of the clause (or just before the final verb in a multi-verb construction).

  • If you want to negate a specific part of the sentence (an adjective, a particular adverb, a particular phrase), put nicht directly in front of that element.

  
  

• Let’s look at a few example sentences to see nicht in action:

  • Ich bin nicht müde. – "I am not tired." (Negating the adjective müde, so nicht comes immediately before it.)

  • Wir treffen uns nicht heute, sondern morgen. – "We are not meeting today, but tomorrow." (Here the intention is to negate today, so you put nicht before heute. The second part sondern morgen gives the correction. If you simply said Wir treffen uns nicht heute. by itself, it would be a bit incomplete – usually you’d follow up with when you are meeting.)

  • Ich werde nicht in die Stadt fahren. – "I will not drive into the city." (nicht comes before the prepositional phrase in die Stadt fahren, effectively negating the action of going into the city.)

  • Hast du den Film schon gesehen? Nein, ich habe ihn noch nicht gesehen. – "Have you seen the film already? No, I have not seen it yet." (In the clause ich habe ihn noch nicht gesehen, the past participle gesehen is at the end, nicht comes right before it, after the object pronoun ihn. This is the usual placement in perfect tense: subject – auxiliary – object – nicht – participle.)

  
  

• Using “kein”: kein is basically the negation of an indefinite noun or a noun with ein. It means “no” or “not a/any”. Kein functions like an adjective, so it changes according to case/gender/number (kein, keine, keinen, etc., like the word ein would). Use kein when you want to say you don’t have something, or there is no [something]. It directly precedes the noun it’s negating:

  • Ich habe kein Auto. – "I have no car / I don’t have a car." (Instead of Ich habe nicht ein Auto, which is incorrect, German uses kein.)

  • Sie hat keine Geschwister. – "She has no siblings / not any siblings."

  • Wir möchten keine Suppe essen. – "We would like to not eat any soup." (Literally, "no soup".)

  Essentially, kein = nicht ein. So whenever you might say “not a ___” or “not any ___” in English, use kein in German. This avoids double words and is the proper idiom. A common mistake is beginners saying things like "Ich habe nicht einen Bruder." to mean “I don’t have a brother.” The correct German is "Ich habe keinen Bruder.".

Word Order with “kein”: The word kein simply goes where an article would go – before the noun (and its adjectives if any). Word order isn’t complicated with kein; just plug it in: Subject – verb – kein + noun …. For example: Es gibt keine Frage. – "There is no question." / Keine Ahnung! – "No idea!" (a common expression meaning “I have no idea.”)

Negating entire sentences vs. parts: Often, beginners wonder “Should I use nicht or kein?”

The rule of thumb:

• Use kein to negate nouns that have no other article (especially when you would otherwise use ein or a quantity word).

• Use nicht to negate verbs, adjectives, specific adverbs, prepositional phrases, or to negate a noun that has a definite article or possessive. For example, nicht der Mann (not the man), nicht mein Freund (not my friend) – because you already have der/mein, you use nicht to negate “this particular one.”

One more example to illustrate nicht placement:

• Der Film war nicht interessant. – "The movie was not interesting." (nicht before the adjective interessant.)

• Der Film war interessant, aber das Ende hat mir nicht gefallen. – "The movie was interesting, but I did not like the ending." (Literally "the end pleased me not" – nicht at the very end of the clause mir nicht gefallen, after the dative object mir and before the participle gefallen.)

Negation can be nuanced in German, but with practice, you will get a feel for where nicht goes. When in doubt, put nicht towards the end of the sentence unless a particular word needs negating. And remember to use kein for negating the existence or presence of something (no X, not a single X).

(Common errors to avoid: Using nicht when kein is needed, and vice versa. For example, don’t say "Ich habe nicht Geld" – to say “I don’t have money,” it should be "Ich habe kein Geld." Also be careful not to place nicht too early in the sentence. A sentence like "Ich nicht gehe zur Party" is wrong – the nicht should come after gehe: "Ich gehe nicht zur Party.")

Sentence Adverbs and Word Order (e.g. leider, vielleicht, hoffentlich)

German has certain adverbs that apply to the whole sentence – often conveying the speaker’s attitude or comment on the statement. These are sometimes called sentence adverbs (Satzadverbien). Examples include leider (“unfortunately”), vielleicht (“maybe/perhaps”), wahrscheinlich (“probably”), bestimmt (“certainly/definitely”), glücklicherweise (“fortunately”), hoffentlich (“hopefully”), natürlich (“of course” in the sense of it goes without saying), ehrlich gesagt (“honestly,” as a comment), etc.

The placement of these sentence adverbs can vary, but there are two common placements:

1. At the beginning of the sentence (Position 1) – which will trigger the usual inversion (verb second, subject follows the verb).

2. Right after the verb (Position 3) – in a main clause where the subject is first and the verb is second, the sentence adverb often directly follows the verb.

Both positions are grammatically correct, though they can subtly change emphasis.

For example, with leider:

• Leider bist du zu spät. – "Unfortunately, you are too late." (leider at the start, so bist (are) is second, then du.)

• Du bist leider zu spät. – "You are unfortunately too late." (Here, du is first, bist second, and leider comes immediately after the verb in third position.)

Both sentences mean the same thing. The choice often comes down to style or subtle emphasis. Starting with leider might put a bit more emphasis on the regretful tone (“Unfortunately...”). Putting leider after the subject gives a neutral statement with leider woven in.

Another example with vielleicht (“maybe” or “perhaps”):

• Vielleicht gehe ich morgen schwimmen. – "Maybe I’ll go swimming tomorrow." (Vielleicht first, then gehe (go) second, ich third.)

• Ich gehe vielleicht morgen schwimmen. – "I might go swimming tomorrow." (Subject Ich first, verb gehe second, vielleicht right after the verb.)

Again, both are fine. Vielleicht tends to be often used in the first position in everyday speech, but it’s not a rule – you can put it after the verb too, as long as the verb stays second.

Key point: No matter where these adverbs appear, they do not override the basic rule – the conjugated verb is still the second element in a declarative main clause. So, if the adverb is at the very start, it counts as the first element, and verb comes next. If the subject is first and the adverb comes after, then the adverb is simply later in the sentence.

Some additional examples:

• Hoffentlich hast du dich gut vorbereitet. – "Hopefully, you prepared well." (Hoffentlich at start, verb hast second, subject du after that.)

• Du hast dich hoffentlich gut vorbereitet. – "You have hopefully prepared well." (Subject first, verb second, hoffentlich after the verb.)

• Wahrscheinlich kommt er später. – "He will probably come later." (Wahrscheinlich first, verb kommt second.)

• Er kommt wahrscheinlich später. – "He will probably come later." (Meaning is the same; wahrscheinlich after the verb.)

In each case, the sentence adverb can be moved to the front for emphasis or style, but doing so simply follows the inversion rule we discussed earlier. If it’s not in the front, it typically comes right after the subject and verb in the normal clause structure, before other objects or complements.

One thing to note is that some of these adverbs, when at position 1, give a slightly formal or written tone (e.g., starting a sentence with Wahrscheinlich or Bestimmt might sound a bit like written language, whereas in speech people might more often put them later). But leider and vielleicht are very commonly at the start in both speech and writing.

Modal particles vs. sentence adverbs: German also has a class of words called Modalpartikeln (like doch, mal, ja, schon, denn in certain contexts) which are a bit different – those usually appear mid-sentence and don’t change word order, and they add flavour or emphasis but aren’t full adverbs. For example, Das ist ja toll! (“That is really great!” – ja here doesn’t mean yes, it’s a flavoring particle). These are a separate topic, but just to avoid confusion: leider, vielleicht, hoffentlich are not modal particles; they are adverbs that carry meaning by themselves (unfortunately, perhaps, hopefully). They can occupy the first position or later as described.

(Comparison to English: English sentence adverbs (like “hopefully, unfortunately, maybe”) often go at the beginning of a sentence as well, or set off by a comma. In German, if you put them first, you just remember to follow with verb-second. If you insert them later in English, you might say “you are perhaps right” or “he is unfortunately late” – German is similar: du hast vielleicht Recht; er ist leider spät. The main difference is that German word order is stricter about the verb position.)

Conjunctive Adverbs Causing Inversion (e.g. deshalb, trotzdem)

Closely related to the topic of sentence adverbs are conjunctive adverbs or connecting adverbs – words that connect two sentences or clauses, like deshalb (therefore), trotzdem (nevertheless), dann (then), daher (thus), folglich (consequently), außerdem (besides/additionally), stattdessen (instead), etc. These words often appear at the beginning of a clause to link it to the previous sentence.

The important thing to know is they act like an element that takes up the first position in the clause, and thus they trigger the inversion of subject and verb just as any other first element would. In other words, deshalb, trotzdem, dann, etc., are NOT subordinating conjunctions – they do not send the verb to the end. Instead, they are more like saying “therefore, ...” at the start of a new sentence. The verb comes immediately after them.

For example:

• Ich habe morgen eine Prüfung; deshalb lerne ich heute Abend. – "I have an exam tomorrow; therefore, I’m studying this evening."Here deshalb (“therefore”) begins the second clause, and the verb lerne comes right after it, before the subject ich. This is equivalent to two main clauses linked in meaning. (You could also say the same thing with ..., weil ich morgen eine Prüfung habe. as one sentence with weil sending verb to end, but using deshalb allows you to split into two main clauses.)

• Er war krank. Trotzdem wollte er den Unterricht nicht verpassen. – "He was ill. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to miss the lesson."Trotzdem (“despite that/nevertheless”) is first in the second sentence, so wollte (wanted) comes right after it.

• Wir hatten uns nicht vorbereitet. Dann ist die Prüfung leider schlecht ausgefallen. – "We hadn’t prepared. Then the exam unfortunately went badly."(Dann = “then” in the sense of after that, as a sequencer. It comes first, and ist comes right after it, then subject die Prüfung.)

Some common connecting adverbs and their meanings:

• deshalb / daher / aus diesem Grund – "therefore, thus, for this reason"

• trotzdem – "nevertheless, in spite of that"

• dann – "then (next)"

• danach – "afterwards"

• daraufhin – "as a result, in response to that"olesentuition.co.ukolesentuition.co.uk

• außerdem – "furthermore, besides, additionally"

• schließlich – "finally, eventually" (in the sense of conclusion)

• jedoch – "however" (can be interchangeable with doch in some contexts)

• zum Glück / glücklicherweise – "fortunately" (these two can also be seen as sentence adverbs expressing attitude)

• leider – "unfortunately" (we already covered this as a sentence adverb; it can also start a sentence and cause inversion, just like these others)

• meiner Meinung nach – "in my opinion" (interesting case: literally "according to my opinion". When this phrase starts a sentence, it’s treated as a unit: Meiner Meinung nach ist das eine gute Idee. – "In my opinion, that is a good idea." The verb ist comes right after the entire phrase Meiner Meinung nach. Alternatively, you could say Nach meiner Meinung ist das... but Meiner Meinung nach is more idiomatic.)

When using these connectors, just remember: they are not conjunctions like und/aber/weil. They are more like adverbs in the first position, so apply normal verb-second order after them. A lot of students initially think words like deshalb or trotzdem behave like weil or obwohl and mistakenly send the verb to the end – but that’s incorrect. Deshalb ich lerne heute is wrong – it must be Deshalb lerne ich heute.

(Fun fact: English has similar conjunctive adverbs (however, therefore, etc.). In English you often use a semicolon or period and then the word, e.g., “I have an exam tomorrow; therefore, I’m studying tonight.” German simply makes it two clauses with a connector. The logic is similar in terms of meaning, but German strictly follows the placement rule: connector first, verb second, then subject.)

Common Word Order Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

German word order has a lot of moving parts, so it’s normal to slip up. Here are some common errors learners make, and tips to fix them:

• Mistake 1: Forgetting to put the verb second in a main clause. For example, a beginner might say “Mein Bruder ein neues Handy hat.” instead of “Mein Bruder hat ein neues Handy.” Always check that in a statement, something (the subject or another element) is first, and the conjugated verb is the very next element. In the incorrect example, hat was left at the end as if it were a subordinate clause or perhaps following English word order in a weird way. The correct order is subject Mein Bruder, verb hat second, then the rest ein neues Handy. Fix: Identify the conjugated verb and make sure it’s placed right after the first element.

• Mistake 2: Double subject or two elements before the verb. Sometimes learners try to put two things in front of the verb, e.g. “Gestern ich bin ins Kino gegangen.” This has “Gestern” and “ich” both before the verb bin – that’s not allowed. Only one element can precede the verb. In this case, either say “Gestern bin ich ins Kino gegangen.” (put bin immediately after “Gestern”) or “Ich bin gestern ins Kino gegangen.” (keep subject first and put “gestern” later). Fix: When starting a sentence with a time or object for emphasis, drop the subject immediately after the verb. Don’t let the subject sit in front of the verb if something else is already there.

• Mistake 3: Using main clause word order after a subordinating conjunction. As discussed, weil, dass, ob, wenn, etc., require the verb at the end. A common error is to say “weil es regnet, ich bleibe zu Hause.” (literally word-by-word from English “because it’s raining, I stay home”). It must be “weil es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.” or “Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es regnet.” Another one: “Ich glaube, dass er kommt morgen.” – incorrect, should be “..., dass er morgen kommt.” Fix: Whenever you use a subordinating conjunction, double-check that the conjugated verb in that clause is at the end. If it’s not, rearrange the clause until it is.

• Mistake 4: Confusing weil and denn. You might hear that both mean "because". But if you use denn, the following clause should look like a normal main clause (verb second). If you use weil, the verb goes to the end. For example, “Ich bin müde, denn ich habe viel gearbeitet.” vs “Ich bin müde, weil ich viel gearbeitet habe.” Both are correct. An error would be a mix-up like “… denn ich habe viel gearbeitet habe” or “… weil ich habe viel gearbeitet.” Fix: Remember weil = verb at end, denn = verb right after subject. If you find yourself putting the verb at the end after denn, switch to weil (or correct the word order for denn by moving the verb back to position 2). If you left the verb in the middle after weil, move it to the end.

• Mistake 5: Negation placement errors. For example, “Ich nicht verstehe.” (word-for-word for “I don’t understand”) should be “Ich verstehe nicht.” Another is “Ich habe nicht Zeit.” (attempt to say “I don’t have time”) – the correct way is “Ich habe keine Zeit.” Fix: If negating a noun with an indefinite article or no article, use kein. If negating a verb or sentence, put nicht towards the end. Also, if your English instinct makes you put "not" immediately after the subject (as in I not ...), resist it – in German, nicht never directly follows the subject at the start of a clause (unless you’re negating the entire very short sentence like “Nicht ich, sondern du.” – "Not I, but you." – which is a different structure). Usually, there’s a verb or something before nicht.

• Mistake 6: Wrong order of time and place. English doesn’t have a strict rule for whether we say “in the garden today” or “today in the garden” – both could work in different contexts. But in German, the usual order is time before place. A learner might say “Ich arbeite im Garten heute.” It sounds off in German. Fix: Think “Wann? Wo?” – mention when something happens before where it happens (unless you intentionally front the place as the topic of the sentence, in which case you’d invert anyway). So it should be “Ich arbeite heute im Garten.” If you have multiple adverbs, recall the TeKaMoLo sequence mentioned earlier.

• Mistake 7: Forgetting to invert in yes/no questions or after certain adverbs. We touched on this: “Du kommst morgen?” is not formally correct (though people might say it informally with a question intonation). The proper yes/no question is “Kommst du morgen?” Similarly, if someone uses a connector like deshalb but then doesn’t invert: “Es regnet, deshalb ich bleibe zu Hause.” – this is wrong, it must be “deshalb bleibe ich zu Hause.” Fix: For questions, always put the verb first if no question word is present. After any introductory adverb or phrase (however, therefore, maybe, unfortunately, etc.), ensure the verb follows immediately.

• Mistake 8: Overusing inversion in subordinate clauses. This is less common, but sometimes learners get so used to inversion that they mistakenly apply it after a comma where a subordinate clause begins. For example, “..., weil heute ich keine Schule habe.” They treated weil heute like the start of a main clause (putting verb after it), but it’s wrong – weil demands verb at end. It should be “..., weil ich heute keine Schule habe.” Fix: Distinguish clearly: If there’s a subordinating conjunction, no inversion! Inversion is for main clauses when something other than the subject is first, or for connecting adverbs. Subordinate clauses stick to their own rule (verb last) and are not affected by what comes before the comma in terms of word order (other than the verb-last requirement).

By being aware of these common pitfalls, you can check your own German sentences more effectively. When in doubt, break the sentence down and apply the core rules: identify if you’re in a main clause or subordinate clause, place the verb appropriately (second for main, last for subordinate), then arrange subjects, objects, and other elements in the middle following the typical sequences (time before place, etc.). And remember, practice makes perfect – which leads us to our final section...

Tips for Mastering German Word Order

Mastering German word order takes time, but here are some practical tips to help you remember the rules and get plenty of practice:

• Learn fixed patterns first: Start with simple, frequently used patterns to build a foundation. For instance, memorize a basic main clause structure like Subject – Verb – Object – Time – Place. Practice by substituting different words: Ich lese heute Abend ein Buch zu Hause.; Meine Freundin kocht morgen Pasta bei uns.; Die Kinder spielen jetzt Fußball im Park. Creating lots of sentences with this pattern will make it feel natural.

• Use the TMP (TeKaMoLo) rule as a mnemonic: When you have multiple adverbs or phrases, think Time, Cause, Manner, Place (Temporal, Kausal, Modal, Lokal). Repeat the acronym TeKaMoLo to yourself when constructing a sentence. For example, to say “I met my friend yesterday by chance in the city,” break it down: time = yesterday, cause/reason = (none in this sentence), manner = by chance, place = in the city. Now order them: Ich habe gestern zufällig in der Stadt meinen Freund getroffen. (Subject Ich, verb habe, time gestern, manner zufällig (by chance), place in der Stadt, then object meinen Freund, then participle getroffen at end). It sounds like a lot, but using the acronym helps you slot each element in order. Many teachers drill TMP (or TKML) into students for good reason – it really covers a lot of cases.

• Shadow and mimic native structures: Listen to German (or read German texts) and repeat sentences aloud, paying attention to word order. If you hear a sentence like Heute Abend gehe ich mit meinen Freunden ins Konzert, try to repeat it and then alter it: Morgen Abend gehe ich mit meiner Schwester ins Kino. By mimicking real examples, you’ll internalize patterns. German word order has a rhythm to it, and the more you expose yourself to it, the more “right” or “wrong” placements will sound to you.

• Practice inversion separately: Write or say pairs of sentences: one with normal order, one with an element fronted. For example: Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch. and Jeden Tag lerne ich Deutsch. / Das Kind spielt draußen. and Draußen spielt das Kind. Make sure the inverted version still has the verb right after the fronted element. This will help cement the reflex of flipping subject and verb when needed.

• Drill subordinate clauses: A good exercise is to take a simple sentence and add a subordinate clause to it. E.g., start with Ich kann heute nicht kommen. (“I can’t come today.”) Now add a weil clause: Ich kann heute nicht kommen, weil ich krank bin. Then try putting the subordinate first: Weil ich krank bin, kann ich heute nicht kommen. Do this with different conjunctions (weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, etc.) to get comfortable with kicking verbs to the end. It might help to actually write sentences with blanks: ____ ich Zeit habe, helfe ich dir. (If I have time, I’ll help you) – you know Wenn goes in the blank and habe goes at the end of that clause.

• Learn set phrases as anchors: Certain expressions in German always demonstrate word order, so memorizing them can give you quick recall in tricky moments. For instance, memorize “Leider kann ich nicht.” (“Unfortunately I cannot.”) This phrase shows: start with leider, verb next, then subject. Or “Wie spät ist es?” (“How late is it?/What time is it?”) – question word + verb + subject. Or a classic subordinating example: “…, weil es mir gut geht.” (“…because I am doing well.” – literally “because it to-me well goes,” with verb at end). When you have these down pat, you can model new sentences off of them.

• Use writing to practice: When speaking, everything moves fast and you might not have time to think of rules. Writing German sentences (and then reviewing or having corrections) can slow things down and let you place each word deliberately. Try doing exercises where you unscramble German sentences or translate from English to German. We have some German word order exercises on our site (A2-C1 level) that you can use to test yourself. By writing out the answers, you reinforce word order logic.

• Get feedback from a tutor or teacher: Having someone experienced correct your word order is invaluable. They can point out exactly where you went wrong and explain why. If you’re self-studying, consider joining an online group class or finding a language exchange partner who is a native German speaker to check some of your sentences. Even occasional sessions can help catch persistent mistakes.

• Think in chunks: This is a more advanced tip – try to think of German word order in terms of slots: first position, verb second, “Mittelfeld” (middle field) for objects, etc., then verb at end (if applicable). Instead of translating word-by-word from English (which often leads astray), train yourself to formulate thoughts directly in a German structure. Start simple: imagine a scene and describe it in German with the correct order. Over time, you’ll need to consciously think about rules less often; it will come more naturally.

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (and then learn from them): Finally, accept that getting word order wrong is a normal part of learning. German children also take years to fully master all the intricacies of word order! Every time you make a mistake and get corrected, you’ve learned something. Keep a notebook of “word order bloopers” you’ve made and write the corrected versions. Reviewing these periodically can help you not repeat them.

By consistently applying these tips, you’ll find that German word order becomes more intuitive. What once seemed like a random puzzle will start to click into place systematically.

Conclusion: Mastering German Word Order with Expert Help

German word order might appear complex at first, but with clear rules and lots of practice, it will become second nature. This guide has explained the key points of German sentence structure – from main clause basics to subordinate clause verb-final rules, from forming questions to placing “nicht,” as well as handling those pesky adverbs. By learning common patterns and avoiding typical pitfalls, you’ll steadily build confidence in assembling German sentences correctly.

Remember, even advanced learners occasionally stumble on word order in exceptionally long sentences. So be patient with yourself. Revisit these rules as needed, keep practicing, and over time you’ll be able to express yourself in German with correct syntax without even thinking about it.

If you feel you need more personalised guidance or additional practice, consider learning with a professional tutor. At Olesen Tuition, we specialize in helping learners master German grammar (including word order) in an effective and supportive way. Our offerings include online German lessons tailored to your goals, small German group classes (just 4–7 students, so you get plenty of attention) for a friendly learning environment, as well as private German tutoring for one-on-one focus on your specific needs. For those wanting to make rapid progress, we also offer intensive German courses in London and online, taught by highly experienced native tutors. With an Oxford-educated instructor leading the team and over 25 years of teaching experience behind our methods, you’ll be in excellent hands. Our students not only learn the “rules,” but also how to apply them in real communication – the ultimate goal of language learning.

Practice, patience, and the right guidance are the keys to conquering German word order. We hope this comprehensive explanation has demystified German sentence structure for you. Viel Erfolg beim Deutschlernen – wishing you lots of success in learning German! And perhaps we’ll see you in one of our classes, where we can continue to explain, practice, and perfect German word order together in action. Happy learning!

On our German language learning blog "Auf Deutsch, bitte!", you will find comprehensive explanations of German grammar- from adjective declensions in German, German pronouns generally, mir vs. mich in particular and many other topics. So check out our posts.

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