German Word Order: The Verb Goes Second
After this lesson you can build correct sentences by putting the verb in position two, every time.
Do this first: Present tense
German Word Order: The Verb Goes Second
German word order is freer than English — except for one iron rule: in a statement the verb sits in the second slot. Move anything else to the front and the verb stays put.
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Kulturnotiz
Mark Twain complained in "The Awful German Language" that a German sentence saves its verb for the end, so you must wait for the speaker to finish before you know what happened. He was describing the Nebensatz rule — and German speakers really do hold the thought until the last word lands. It is why interrupting a German mid-sentence is unusually unhelpful: the verb has not arrived yet.
Common questions
+Does "position two" mean the second word?
No — the second slot. A slot can be several words: "Am nächsten Montag" is one slot. Count meaningful units, and the verb comes straight after the first one.
+Which words send the verb to the end?
Subordinating conjunctions: weil, dass, wenn, obwohl, ob, damit, als and others. At A1 the four to know are weil, dass, wenn and obwohl.
+Why does und not send the verb to the end?
Because und, aber and oder are coordinating conjunctions — they join two equal main clauses and change nothing. That is lesson 30.
+Where does the verb go in a W-question?
Position two, right after the question word: "Was machst du?" The W-word fills slot one, exactly like Heute does in a statement.