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
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I am reading a book.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
Do you like reading?
5 / 8 · Choose
Which is correct?
6 / 8 · Choose
In a normal German statement the verb is in position…
7 / 8 · Choose
Which is correct?
8 / 8 · Choose
In a yes/no question the verb goes to position…
In short
In a normal German sentence the conjugated verb always sits in position two — "Ich lese ein Buch", "Heute lerne ich". After weil, dass, wenn or obwohl it moves to the very end, and in a yes/no question it jumps to position one.
How it works
German word order is far freer than English in one respect and far stricter in another. You can move almost anything to the front of a sentence for emphasis — but wherever you put it, the conjugated verb stays in position two. This single rule is the backbone of German sentence structure.
The critical detail is that "position two" means the second *slot*, not the second *word*. In "Heute lerne ich Deutsch", the first slot is Heute and the verb lerne is still second. In "Am Montag gehe ich ins Kino", the whole phrase Am Montag fills slot one. Count units of meaning, not words — this is where most learners go wrong.
Two situations break the pattern, and both are predictable. After a subordinating conjunction — weil, dass, wenn, obwohl — the verb is pushed all the way to the end of its clause: "Ich schlafe, weil ich müde bin." And in a yes/no question the verb moves to the front, position one: "Liest du?" Statement is second, subordinate clause is last, yes/no question is first. Three positions, three clear triggers.
| Sentence type | Verb position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hauptsatz (normal statement) | position 2 | Ich lese ein Buch. |
| Statement, fronted element | still position 2 | Heute lese ich ein Buch. |
| Nebensatz (weil, dass, wenn, obwohl) | at the end | Ich schlafe, weil ich müde bin. |
| Yes/no question | position 1 | Liest du ein Buch? |
| W-question | position 2, after the W-word | Was liest du? |
| Slot 1 | Slot 2 (verb) | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | lese | heute ein Buch. |
| Heute | lese | ich ein Buch. |
| Ein Buch | lese | ich heute. |
| Am Montag | gehe | ich ins Kino. |
Examples
- Ich lese ein Buch.I am reading a book.
- Heute lerne ich Deutsch.Today I am learning German.
- Morgen gehe ich ins Kino.Tomorrow I am going to the cinema.
- In Berlin wohnt meine Schwester.My sister lives in Berlin.
- Ich schlafe, weil ich müde bin.I am sleeping because I am tired.
- Er sagt, dass er kommt.He says that he is coming.
- Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.If it rains, I stay at home.
- Liest du gern?Do you like reading?
- Was machst du am Wochenende?What are you doing at the weekend?
- Am Montag arbeite ich zu Hause.On Monday I work from home.
Mistakes to avoid
✗ Heute ich lerne Deutsch.
✓ Heute lerne ich Deutsch.
The classic. Fronting Heute does not push the verb back — the verb holds position two, so the subject moves behind it.
✗ Ich schlafe, weil ich bin müde.
✓ Ich schlafe, weil ich müde bin.
weil sends the verb to the end of its clause. English word order after "because" is exactly what German forbids here.
✗ Du sprichst Deutsch? (as a real question)
✓ Sprichst du Deutsch?
Rising intonation alone is not enough in written German. For a yes/no question the verb must move to the front.
✗ Counting words instead of slots
✓ Counting slots
"Am Montag" is one slot, not two words competing for space. Treat a whole time or place phrase as a single unit.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| der Satz | sentence | |
| weil | because | sends the verb to the end |
| dass | that | sends the verb to the end |
| wenn | if, when | sends the verb to the end |
| obwohl | although | sends the verb to the end |
| heute | today | |
| morgen | tomorrow | |
| zu Hause | at home | |
| bleiben | to stay | |
| gern | gladly, "like to" |
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.