The German language has more flexibility than English when it comes to word order, but there is an exception to this standard. In German, the main verb in a sentence is always in second place and is always conjugated to the subject of the sentence (person, place, or thing). In subordinate or dependent clauses, the word order is ‘subject + object + verb.’ German language learning from German Academy Zurich can help you understand when and where to place verbs to convey different meanings.
More About Main Verbs
As in English, the subject usually comes first in a sentence. But, it doesn’t have to–and frequently doesn’t. Even in simple sentences, the object of the sentence can come before the verb.
For example, “The girl wears the dress” could be written as “The dress wears the girl.” A native German speaker would understand the meaning by the slight variation in the article ‘the’ attached to the word ‘girl,’ which identifies it as the subject and not the object of the sentence. Therefore, the verb is the action being taken by the subject identified by the word ‘the.’
Changing word order is how meaning is conveyed in English. In German, other cues identify the meaning by attaching the verb to the right noun.
A Few Exceptions to the Verb-Second Grammar Rule
There are many grammar rules (and exceptions) in any language. Here are situations in which the verb does not come in the second position in a sentence:
- Questions: The verb comes first when asking a question.
- Two verbs in a sentence: The conjugated verb (which shows gender, number, time, etc.) is in the second position of a sentence. The unconjugated verb comes at the end. Some verbs have separable prefixes (short words that change the meaning of the verb, such as ‘un’ with ‘do’ to make ‘undo’) that also cause the verb to be shifted to the end of a sentence.
- Certain conjugations: Subordinating conjugations (e.g., ‘during,’ ‘as,’ ‘because,’ ‘if,’ ‘when,’ ‘although,’ etc.) connect two thoughts that both contain verbs. When a subordinating conjugation is used in a sentence, the first verb is moved to the end of the sentence. If there are a lot of other elements in the sentence, it could take a while to make your way to the verb. Other conjugations (e.g., ‘and,’ ‘because,’ ‘rather,’ ‘but,’ ‘or,’ etc.) are called ‘coordinating conjunctions’ and don’t affect word order.
More information about creating sentences are contained in our German sentence structure tips article and complex German sentence guide.
When the Verb Comes Last
There are a few instances when the verb comes last. These include:
- When the sentence contains a subordinating conjunction as described above.
- When helping verbs (also known as ‘modal verbs’) are used to modify another verb. Modal verbs include ‘must,’ ‘can,’ ‘should,’ ‘like,’ and ‘may.’ In this case, the second verb is always in the infinitive form and is shifted to the last position in the sentence.
- When a relative clause (a clause that adds details but can be removed from the sentence without changing its meaning) exists in a sentence and there are double verbs, the first verb gets shoved to the back of the sentence.
Wrapping Up
Grammar can be confusing, but verb placement in German is one of easiest to understand. In most cases, the main verb is the second word in a sentence. Other than that, there are certain circumstances in which the verb gets tacked onto the end of the sentence. Where verbs are located will change the emphasis of the sentence.
Luckily, German Academy Zurich helps expats in Switzerland practice the placement of verbs and other aspects of the language so they can speak more comfortably in German. Check out our resources today!
