German word order: verb second, verb at the end
German word order follows one main rule: in a normal statement, the conjugated verb is the second element. In a subordinate clause, the clause that starts with words like weil or dass, it moves to the very end. Almost everything else about German sentence structure is built around these two positions.
The verb is the second element, not the second word
In a German statement, the verb that carries the person and tense always sits in position two. Position one can be the subject, but it does not have to be. It can be a time expression, an object, or a whole phrase. Whatever comes first, the verb follows it, and the subject moves behind the verb.
Ich gehe heute ins Kino.I'm going to the cinema today.
Heute gehe ich ins Kino.Today I'm going to the cinema.
Am Samstagabend gehe ich ins Kino.On Saturday evening I'm going to the cinema.
Ins Kino gehe ich nur selten.I rarely go to the cinema.
In the third example, Am Samstagabend is three words, but it counts as one element. The verb still comes straight after it. English speakers often keep the subject in front of the verb out of habit, and that produces the most common German word order mistake.
Common mistake
Morgen ich fahre nach München. is wrong; correct: Morgen fahre ich nach München.
When something other than the subject comes first, the verb still takes position two and the subject follows it.
The sentence bracket: the second verb goes to the end
Many German sentences have two verb parts. The conjugated one stays in position two, and the other one goes to the end of the clause. German grammars call this the Satzklammer, the sentence bracket, because the two parts close around the rest of the sentence.
You meet the bracket in four everyday situations: with modal verbs, in the Perfekt, in the future with werden, and with separable verbs.
Ich kann morgen nicht kommen.I can't come tomorrow.
Wir haben gestern einen Film gesehen.We watched a film yesterday.
Sie wird nächstes Jahr in Wien studieren.She will study in Vienna next year.
Der Zug kommt um zehn Uhr an.The train arrives at ten o'clock.
The last example is a separable verb, ankommen. In the present tense the prefix an splits off and goes to the end. This catches out many learners, because the meaning of the verb is only complete when you reach the final word. The page on separable verbs lists the common prefixes.
Questions
Questions with a question word (wer, was, wann, wo, warum, wie) keep the verb in position two. The question word simply takes position one.
Yes/no questions put the verb first. There is no helper verb like the English do: Do you speak German? is simply Sprichst du Deutsch?
Wann beginnt der Kurs?When does the course start?
Wo wohnst du?Where do you live?
Kommst du mit?Are you coming along?
Hast du schon gegessen?Have you eaten yet?
Subordinate clauses: the verb goes to the end
A subordinate clause starts with a conjunction such as weil (because), dass (that), wenn (if, when), ob (whether) or obwohl (although). In these clauses the conjugated verb moves to the very end. If there are two verbs, the conjugated one comes last of all. A subordinate clause is always separated from the main clause by a comma.
Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.I'm staying at home because I'm ill.
Ich glaube, dass er heute nicht kommen kann.I think that he can't come today.
Sag mir, ob du Zeit hast.Tell me whether you have time.
When the subordinate clause comes first, it counts as position one of the whole sentence. The main clause then starts with its verb, which produces the typical German pattern of verb, comma, verb.
Wenn ich Zeit habe, komme ich vorbei.If I have time, I'll drop by.
Weil es regnet, nehmen wir den Bus.Because it's raining, we're taking the bus.
weil and denn
weil and denn both mean because, but they behave differently. weil sends the verb to the end: weil ich müde bin. denn does not change the word order at all: denn ich bin müde. In relaxed speech you will also hear weil with the verb in second position (weil ich bin müde). Many speakers use it, but it is not accepted in writing, so in an exam keep the verb at the end.
Words that do not count: und, aber, oder, denn, sondern
Five short conjunctions join two main clauses without taking up a position: und, aber, oder, denn, sondern. After them the next clause starts again from position one, usually with the subject.
Ich habe Hunger, aber ich habe keine Zeit.I'm hungry, but I don't have time.
Er arbeitet heute und morgen fährt er weg.He's working today and tomorrow he's going away.
In the second example morgen takes position one after und, so the verb fährt comes next. Und itself does not count.
Time, manner, place
In the middle of a sentence, German tends to put information about time before information about how something happens, and both before place. Teachers often call this TeKaMoLo (temporal, kausal, modal, lokal). It is a strong habit rather than a strict law, and English often uses the reverse order.
Ich fahre morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin.I'm going to Berlin by train tomorrow.
Wir haben am Wochenende lange im Garten gearbeitet.We worked in the garden for a long time at the weekend.
The English sentence puts place first and time last. German usually does the opposite. If you only remember one thing from this section, remember that the time expression comes early.
nicht also has a typical place. It usually comes before the part of the sentence it negates, and when it negates the whole sentence it moves towards the end, before the second verb part: Ich habe den Film nicht gesehen.
Practise word order
For more detail, see the grammar pages on sentence structure, subordinate clauses, conjunctions, questions and the position of adverbs. The word order test has sentences to put in the right order.
Written by: Fatih Ün, German teacher · Last updated: