German Sentence Structure Explained [Everything You Need To Know]
In this post we will cover everything you need to know about German sentence structure. You will learn the rules for German sentence structure, how to form a sentence using the past tense, how to structure questions and what happens to the sentence structure when we introduce certain conjunctions such as weil (because) or dass (that).
This can be a complicated subject for beginners, but believe me that once you learn the rules, you’ll be able to form sentences like a pro. In this post we will start from the very beginning, then gradually add elements which change the basic structure.
There’s a lot to get through, so let’s get started, auf geht’s!
Basic German Sentence Structure
In German, the basic sentence structure is the same as in English. Both languages use the ‘subject verb object’ (SVO) structure. Let’s take a look at an example sentence:
Subject | Verb | Object |
---|---|---|
Ich | esse | Pizza. |
I | eat / am eating | pizza. |
In fact, this basic structure is used whenever only one verb is present. The structure follows:
Subject + Verb + The Rest
Subject (Position 1) | Verb (Position 2) | Object (The Rest) |
---|---|---|
Der Mann | sieht | den Hund. |
The man | sees | the dog. |
Rule 1: The conjugated verb nearly always goes in position 2.
Now let’s add some more information to this basic sentence. Before we do this though, we need to learn another rule:
Rule 2: Time Manner Place – To keep things simple, whenever you need to give more information in a sentence follow the ‘time manner place’ rule.
This means information about time goes first, then information about manner goes next (this is info such as who, or what). After that comes place (where).
All 3 elements may not be present in the sentence, for example in some sentences only time and place may be needed. Sometimes only place is used.
Let’s look at some example sentences using both rule 1 and rule 2:
Subject (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Time | Manner | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | fahre | zum Flughafen. | ||
Er | trifft | um 18 Uhr | seine Freunde. | |
Sie | gehen | am Montag | in den Park. |
Hopefully you can see from these examples that not all 3 elements of Time Manner and Place need to be present for the sentence to make sense. But the correct word order is followed:
Subject (position 1) + Verb (position 2) + Time + Manner + Place
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German sentence structure is very flexible, so sometimes you will see the time element moved to the beginning of the sentence. We actually do this in English as well. We can say ‘I go to the gym on Wednesdays’ or ‘On Wednesdays I go to the gym’.
In German however we must always refer back to rule 1: The conjugated verb always goes in position 2. This means we end up with a slightly different word order to what we have in English.
Time (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Subject | Place |
---|---|---|---|
Mittwochs | gehe | ich | ins Fitnessstudio. |
On Wednesdays | go | I | to the gym. |
So now we have the following structure, with the verb still correctly in position 2:
Time (position 1) + Verb (position 2) + Subject + Manner + Place
If we want to introduce 2 more objects (1 direct object and 1 indirect object) to the sentence, we stick with the usual subject in position 1, verb in position 2 rule.
Subject (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Indirect Object | Direct Object |
---|---|---|---|
Ich | gebe | dem Lehrer | das Buch. |
I | give | the teacher | the book. |
Subject (position 1) + Verb (position 2) + Indirect Object + Direct Object
If we are using a separable verb such as ankommen (to arrive) the prefix, an-, is always separated and goes to the very end of the sentence.
Subject (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Time | Place | Prefix |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | komme | um 10 Uhr | am Bahnhof | an. |
Subject (position 1) + Verb (position 2) + Other Info + Prefix
The take away for this part is that the conjugated verb stays in position 2, no matter what. If a separable verb is used, the prefix is separated and goes to the end of the sentence.
German Sentences with 2 Verbs
So now we have the basic German sentence structure sorted, let’s see what happens when we introduce a second verb. It’s very common to find two verbs in a sentence. Sometimes these are two ordinary verbs, but we’ll also encounter this when we use a modal verb, which always requires a second verb.
For this we need to learn a third rule:
Rule 3: The conjugated verb is in position 2 (this is the modal verb if we are using one). The second verb is unconjugated (i.e in infinitive form) and goes to the end of the sentence.
Let’s take a look at an example sentence to make this clear:
Subject (Pos. 1) | Conj. Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Unconj. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|
Ich | gehe | in den Laden, um Brot zu | kaufen. |
I | am going | to the shop, bread | to buy. |
You can see that we’re getting a bit further away from English sentence structure. But the important thing is we are following rules 1 and 3. The Time Manner Place rule 2, is still followed, it is grouped with ‘Other Info’ and goes after ‘Position 2’ and before ‘The End’.
Subject (pos. 1) + Conj. Verb (pos. 2) + Other Info + Unconj. Verb (The End)
Subject (Pos. 1) | Conj. Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info (time) (manner) (place) | Unconj. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|
Ich | treffe | mich heute mit meinen Freunden zum | schwimmen. |
Der Mann | muss | um 15 Uhr, zum Zahnarzt | gehen. |
We also encounter this when using the future tense, since we’ll use the verb werden plus the main verb.
Subject (Pos. 1) | Conj. werden Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Unconj. Main Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|
Ich | werde | ins Kino | gehen. |
Meine Mutter | wird | am Montag in den Urlaub | fahren. |
In the case of separable verbs, these are not separated when used with a modal verb. Instead we conjugate the modal verb and put it in position 2, and the unconjugated, unseparated separable verb goes to the end:
Subject (Pos. 1) | Conj. Modal Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Unconj. Sep. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|
Sie | sollte | um 9 Uhr | abreisen. |
She | should | at 9am | depart / leave. |
The Past Tense
In order to form the past tense (known as the perfect tense) we need to use an auxiliary verb, either haben or sein, plus the past tense of the main verb. The rules for forming the perfect tense are quite simple:
Rule 4: The auxiliary verb (haben or sein) is always conjugated and goes in position 2. The main verb is in the past tense and goes to the end of the sentence.
Let’s take a look at some example sentences:
Subject (Pos. 1) | Conj. Auxiliary Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Past Tense Main Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|
Ich | habe | das Buch | gelesen. |
Die Freunde | haben | sich am Samstagabend | getroffen. |
Meine Schwester | ist | um 8 Uhr auf dem Flughafen | angekommen. |
So we have the following sentence structure:
Subject (pos. 1) + Conj. Auxiliary Verb (pos. 2) + Other Info + Past Tense Main Verb
Question Structure in German
So far we have seen the conjugated verb stuck firmly in position 2. But from now on we are going to make a few exceptions for this rule.
Rule 5: In order to ask a yes / no question in German, the subject and the verb must swap places. The verb now takes position 1, and the subject takes position 2.
Here are a few example questions:
Verb (Pos. 1) | Subject (Pos. 2) | Other Info |
---|---|---|
Fährst | du | oft nach Deutschland? |
Kennt | ihr | meinen Freund? |
Conjugated Verb (pos. 1) + Subject (pos. 2) + Other Info
If we are using two verbs in the question, we use the same structure as previously learned for 2 verbs, except the verb and subject follow the new question sentence structure rule 5.
Conj. Verb (Pos. 1) | Subject (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Unconj. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|
Hast | du | mein Buch | gelesen? |
Sind | Sie | angekommen? |
Conjugated Verb (pos. 1) + Subject (pos. 2) + Other Info + Unconj. Verb
If we want to form a question with a question word (such as why, who, what) the conjugated verb goes back to it’s favourite spot in position 2. The question word takes position 1 and the subject takes position 3.
Question Word (Pos. 1) | Conj. Verb (Pos. 2) | Subject (Pos. 3) | The Rest | Unconjugated Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Woher | kommen | Sie? | ||
Warum | bist | du | noch zu Hause? | |
Wohin | bist | du | dieses Jahr | gefahren? |
Question Word (pos. 1) + Conj. Verb (pos. 2) + Subject (pos. 3) + The Rest + Unconj. Verb
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How a Conjunction Affects Sentence Structure
So far we have learned some simple rules for forming German sentence structure. The conjugated verb always goes in position 2 and the subject goes in position 1, unless we are asking a yes / no question. If there is further information that goes next. Lastly, if there is a second verb, that remains unconjugated (in the infinitive form) and goes right to the end.
We are now going to introduce some conjunctions such as aber (but), und (and), oder (or). These 3 common conjunctions don’t affect the sentence structure.
Subject (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info |
---|---|---|
Ich | nehme | Kaffee und Kuchen. |
Ich | mag | das blaue Auto, aber auch das rote. |
However, because this is German, there are some more exceptions. Certain conjunctions cause the conjugated verb to move from it’s usual position 2, to the very end of the sentence. Here are some basic conjunctions to watch out for:
- weil = because
- dass = that
- ob = if / whether
There are many more, but to keep things simple let’s focus on these 3 for now. These type of conjunctions are known as subordinating conjunctions. The sentence starts with the ‘main clause’ then when a subordinate conjunction is used, it introduces the ‘subordinate clause’. Effectively, the sentence is broken into two parts. Here is an example:
Subject (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Conjunction (Pos. 1) | Subj. (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Conj. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | trinke | einen Kaffee, | weil | ich | Durst | habe. |
I | drink | a coffee | because | I | thirst | have. |
Main Clause | Subordinate Clause |
---|---|
Ich trinke einen Kaffee, | weil ich Durst habe. |
You can see in this example, because the subordinate conjunction weil, has been used, we now have two parts to the sentence, the main clause and the subordinate clause. The two clauses are treated like separate sentences and separated with a comma (,).
The main clause keeps the normal sentence structure rules:
Subject (pos. 1) + Verb (pos. 2) + Other Info
The subordinate clause has a different structure:
Conjunction (pos. 1) + Subject (pos. 2) + Other Info + Conjugated Verb (The End)
Rule 6: Certain conjunctions known as subordinating conjunctions such as weil, dass and ob create a second part to the sentence. After the conjunction, the conjugated verb is sent to the very end of the sentence.
This is a complicated concept to get your head around, trust me, it took me ages to be able to form subordinating clauses correctly. Let’s take a look at another example. Remember main clause and subordinate clause.
Subject (Pos. 1) | Verb (Pos. 2) | Conjunction (Pos. 1) | Subj. (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Conj. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | glaube, | dass | er | jetzt bei der Arbeit | ist. |
I | believe | that | he | at work now | is. |
Subject + Verb + Conjunction + Subject + Other Info + Conjugated Verb
Main Clause | Subordinate Clause |
---|---|
Ich glaube, | dass er jetzt bei der Arbeit ist. |
So now we know that if we use dass, ob or weil in a sentence we treat everything after that conjunction as a new part of the sentence, the subordinate clause, and the conjugated verb goes to the end. But what happens if we have 2 verbs after the conjunction, in the subordinate clause?
Subject | Verb | Other Info | Conjunction | Subj. | Other Info | 2nd Verb | Main Verb |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | weiß | nicht, | ob | ich | Deutsch oder Französisch | lernen | soll. |
I | know | not | if | I | German or French | learn | should. |
You can see in this example, the main clause is structured as normal. Then we use the conjunction ob (if / whether). This begins the subordinate clause which means the conjugated (main) verb needs to go to the end of the sentence.
Without the conjunction, the sentence would be ich soll Deutsch oder Franösisch lernen. The main verb soll is in position 2. But because the conjunction ob appears before it, the main verb moves from position 2, to the very end.
Other than that, normal structure rules apply. The second verb, the unconjugated one (lernen), goes to the end of the sentence as normal. But because we have used ob, the conjugated verb (soll) goes right to the very end of the sentence.
Main Clause | Conjunction (Pos. 1) | Subj. (Pos. 2) | Other Info | Unconj. Verb | Conj. Verb (The End) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ich weiß nicht, | ob | ich | Deutsch oder Französisch | lernen | soll. |
Main Clause + Conjunction + Subject + Other Info + Unconj. Verb + Conj. Verb
You can read my in depth post about German subordinate clauses here.
The Rules for German Sentence Structure in a Nutshell
That was a lot to get through, and if you made it this far gut gemacht (well done!). Let’s have a quick review of what we have learnt in this post.
- Rule 1: The conjugated verb nearly always goes in position 2
- Rule 2: Time Manner Place – keeps extra information in a logical order
- Rule 3: 2 Verbs – the conjugated verb goes in position 2, the second verb is unconjugated (infinitive form) and goes to the end of the sentence
- Rule 4: Past Tense – the auxiliary verb (haben or sein) is conjugated and goes in position 2, the other main verb is unconjugated and in past tense form and goes to the end
- Rule 5: Yes / No Question – the verb moves to position 1, the subject takes position 2
- Rule 6: Conjunctions – certain conjunctions such as ob, dass and weil cause the conjugated verb to be sent to the very end of the sentence
Final Thoughts
When you’re first starting out, German sentence structure can seem intimidating. It can differ quite a bit from what we are used to in English. My best advice is to become familiar with the 6 rules in this post. Start by forming basic sentences which have the same structure as English. Add a little more detail and remember the Time Manner Place order.
Try introducing a second verb, and get used to that verb going right to the end of the sentence. You will become better and better at using 2 verbs if you use the past tense.
In order to get used to the structure, I would suggest starting a journal in German. Practice writing sentences about what you plan to do that day, or what you have done in the past. Writing everything down gives you time to process what you have learned, check that you have followed the correct sentence structure and will build confidence. Then you can move on to speaking with a language partner.
I’ve been in the same position you are in now. I still struggle to remember which verb I need to put at the end of a sentence. It can be daunting, but with writing practice, learning the rules and being patient, you will get there. Good luck!
Grammar Hub: Sentence Structure
→ German Sentence Structure Explained
Question Words in German
German Conjunctions
German Subordinate Clauses
German Infinitive Clauses
Thank you. This is the best explanation of German sentence structure I have seen.
Hallo Dennis, thank you four kind words, I really appreciate it and am pleased you found the post helpful 🙂
Emma
Really helpful!
Glad you found it useful 🙂
Emma
“In German, the basic sentence structure is the same as in English. Both languages use the ‘subject verb object’ (SVO) structure.”
This is simply not true. We are getting a LOT of people coming to the German subreddit who have this belief and then quickly get confused.
German’s basic sentence structure is V2.
Hi Anonymous, just wondering whether you just read that first part of the post or the whole thing. I talk in detail about V2 and how the conjugated verb goes in the second position. The basic SVO is a good place to get started as shown in the examples. Once this is established I talk about the verb position rules. Hope that clears things up a bit.
I’ll admit that I mostly skimmed. The SVO is misleading, as like I said it is simply not true and has definitely caused confusion for people. Seriously, go check out the German subreddit and search for it. I’m very much a beginner but from my experience in my first three courses, native English speakers do best to dismiss SVO. As you know, nominative, Akkusativ, Dativ, or even time or place could occupy that first position. This flexibility is a key concept for native English speakers.
The best explanation ever
Thank you, I’m glad you’ve found this article helpful 🙂
Thank you, I’m glad it helped 🙂
Thank you. It is really helpful.
Thank you so much Emma, such a great job. Already started understanding how to build simple sentences in German, I’m glad I can finally. Vielen Dank liebe Emma 🙏.
thanks for your precious article i go through it word by word and it is out of the box thanks alot
This is one of the best German grammar learning material I’ve ever seen. God bless you. Thank you very much.