German word order, explained
In a German main clause the conjugated verb is always the second element: "Heute kommt er nicht", never "Heute er kommt nicht". In a yes/no question or a command it comes first. After a subordinating conjunction such as dass, weil, wenn or ob it goes to the end: "…, weil er arbeiten muss." Any second verb part (an infinitive, a past participle or a separable prefix) goes to the end of the clause, so the two parts of the verb form a bracket around everything else.
Updated 24 October 2026
The rules in one table
German word order is mostly about one word: the conjugated verb, the form that carries the person ending. Find the kind of clause, and you know where that verb goes. Everything else arranges itself around it.
| Clause | Where the verb goes | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main clause | Second | Ich kaufe heute ein Buch. | I’m buying a book today. |
| Main clause, something else first | Second; the subject moves after it | Heute kaufe ich ein Buch. | Today I’m buying a book. |
| Yes/no question | First | Kaufst du heute ein Buch? | Are you buying a book today? |
| Question with a question word | Second | Was kaufst du heute? | What are you buying today? |
| Command | First | Kauf heute ein Buch! | Buy a book today! |
| Subordinate clause | Last | …, weil ich heute ein Buch kaufe. | …because I’m buying a book today. |
| Two verb parts | Second and last | Ich habe heute ein Buch gekauft. | I bought a book today. |
| Subordinate clause first | Straight after the comma | Wenn ich Geld habe, kaufe ich ein Buch. | If I have money, I’ll buy a book. |
| After und, aber, oder, denn, sondern | Unchanged: still second | …, denn ich kaufe heute ein Buch. | …because I’m buying a book today. |
Verb second in main clauses
A German statement has one fixed point: the conjugated verb stands in second position. Grammars call this V2. English has a loose version of it in sentences like "Never have I seen that", but German applies it to every main clause, all the time.
.
He has no time today.
Select a word to see why it is there.
hatVerb“has”
- Why this word
- Present tense of haben, third person singular
- The conjugated verb, in second place. Whatever the first element is, hat stays here: put heute first and the subject has to move behind the verb, "Heute hat er keine Zeit."
- Dictionary
- haben · verb — to have
In this sentence
- hat · Verb:
- The conjugated verb, in second place. Whatever the first element is, hat stays here: put heute first and the subject has to move behind the verb, "Heute hat er keine Zeit."
- heute · Adverb:
- An adverb of time in the middle of the clause, after the verb. It could open the sentence instead, and the verb would still be second; only the subject would change places.
"Second" means the second element, not the second word. The first element can be one word or a long phrase, and whatever it is, the conjugated verb follows it:
- Ich gehe morgen ins Kino.I am going to the cinema tomorrow.
- Morgen gehe ich ins Kino.Tomorrow I am going to the cinema.
- Nach der Arbeit mit meinen Kollegen gehe ich ins Kino.After work with my colleagues, I am going to the cinema.
- Ins Kino gehe ich morgen.To the cinema is where I’m going tomorrow. (stress on the place)
When something other than the subject comes first, the subject moves to just after the verb. "Morgen ich gehe ins Kino" is the classic learner mistake, because English allows exactly that order: "Tomorrow I go". German does not. Only one element may stand before the verb, so a fronted time phrase and a subject cannot both be there.
Why front anything at all? The first position is where German puts what the sentence is about or what it links to the previous sentence: a time ("Gestern…"), a place ("In Berlin…"), an object you have just mentioned ("Den Film kenne ich schon"). Starting with the subject is the neutral choice, but it is only one of several, and native speakers start with something else very often.
The coordinating conjunctions und, aber, oder, denn and sondern do not count as an element, so they leave the order alone: "…, denn ich habe Zeit." Grammars sometimes say they stand in position zero. After them, the next element is first and the verb is second, exactly as if the clause stood alone.
- Ich bleibe hier, aber du kannst gehen.I’m staying here, but you can go.
- Wir essen zu Hause, denn das Restaurant ist voll.We’re eating at home, because the restaurant is full.
- Sie ruft an, oder sie schreibt eine Nachricht.She’ll call, or she’ll send a message.
Questions and commands are the exception to verb second. In a yes/no question the verb moves to first place, before the subject: "Hast du heute Zeit?" A command also starts with the verb: "Komm bitte her!" A question with a question word (wer, was, wann, wo, warum, wie) is ordinary verb second, with the question word as the first element: "Wann kommst du?"
The sentence bracket
When the verb has two parts, the conjugated part stays second and the other part goes to the end of the clause. Everything else sits inside the bracket the two parts make. Grammars call it the Satzklammer, and the stretch between the two halves the middle field (Mittelfeld).
.
I’ve left my key at the office.
Select a word to see why it is there.
vergessenVerb“forgotten, left”
- Why this word
- Past participle of vergessen
- The past participle, at the very end, closing the bracket. Vergessen has the inseparable prefix ver-, so its participle takes no ge- and looks like the infinitive. "Ich habe vergessen meinen Schlüssel" is wrong.
- Dictionary
- vergessen · verb — to forget; to leave behind
- Alternatives
- liegen lassen (to leave lying somewhere)
In this sentence
- vergessen · Verb:
- The past participle, at the very end, closing the bracket. Vergessen has the inseparable prefix ver-, so its participle takes no ge- and looks like the infinitive. "Ich habe vergessen meinen Schlüssel" is wrong.
- habe · Auxiliary:
- The conjugated auxiliary, in second place. It opens the bracket, and everything up to vergessen sits inside it. Vergessen forms its perfect with haben.
The bracket turns up with every compound verb form. A modal verb takes second place and the infinitive goes last. The perfect puts haben or sein second and the participle last. The future puts werden second and the infinitive last. A separable verb is a bracket of its own: the stem in second place, the prefix at the end.
- Ich muss heute lange arbeiten.I have to work late today. (modal verb + infinitive)
- Wir haben gestern Pizza gegessen.We ate pizza yesterday. (perfect tense)
- Der Zug kommt um acht Uhr an.The train arrives at eight. (separable verb: ankommen)
- Sie wird morgen anrufen.She will call tomorrow. (future)
- Das Fenster wurde gestern repariert.The window was repaired yesterday. (passive)
However long the middle field gets, the second half of the verb waits at the end. That is why German listeners sometimes need the last word to know what a sentence means: "Ich habe gestern Abend nach dem Essen noch schnell deine Nachricht …" could still end in gelesen (read) or gelöscht (deleted).
Speakers do sometimes move a long phrase out past the end of the bracket, into what grammars call the after-field (Nachfeld), especially comparisons and prepositional phrases added as an afterthought: "Ich habe mehr gegessen als du." Objects and simple adverbs stay inside.
Verb last in subordinate clauses
A subordinating conjunction (dass, weil, wenn, ob, obwohl, als, damit and others) sends the conjugated verb to the end of its clause. The subject usually comes straight after the conjunction, and everything else fills the space before the verb.
, .
He isn’t coming today because he has to work.
Select a word to see why it is there.
mussAuxiliary“has to”
- Why this word
- Present tense of müssen, third person singular
- The conjugated modal, last in its clause. With two verb parts after weil, the conjugated one closes the clause: arbeiten muss, never muss arbeiten.
- Dictionary
- müssen · verb — to have to, must
- Alternatives
- will (wants to)
In this sentence
- muss · Auxiliary:
- The conjugated modal, last in its clause. With two verb parts after weil, the conjugated one closes the clause: arbeiten muss, never muss arbeiten.
- weil · Subordinator:
- Weil opens a subordinate clause and sends its conjugated verb, muss, to the very end. Denn means the same but is coordinating, so it keeps the verb second: "denn er muss arbeiten".
- kommt · Verb:
- The main-clause verb in second place. Heute fills first place, so the subject er moves to just after the verb.
- Ich weiß, dass er heute kommt.I know that he is coming today.
- Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich krank bin.I am staying at home because I am ill.
- Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil ich lange arbeiten muss.I am staying at home because I have to work late.
- Ich rufe an, wenn der Zug ankommt.I will call when the train arrives.
- Weißt du, ob das Museum heute offen ist?Do you know if the museum is open today?
With two verb parts, the conjugated one comes last, after the infinitive or participle: "…, dass sie das Buch gelesen hat", "…, weil ich lange arbeiten muss". A separable verb joins back into one word: "…, wenn der Zug ankommt". The order at the end mirrors English, read backwards: "has read" becomes gelesen hat.
Indirect questions behave the same way. After a question word used as a link (wann, wo, warum, wie, was, wer) or after ob (whether), the verb goes last: "Ich weiß nicht, wann der Film anfängt." Relative clauses, after der, die, das and their forms, do too: "Das ist der Mann, der neben mir wohnt."
When the subordinate clause comes first, the whole clause counts as the first element, so the main verb comes straight after the comma: "Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause." That is where verb last and verb second meet, in a verb, comma, verb pattern. "Wenn es regnet, ich bleibe zu Hause" breaks verb second, for the same reason "Morgen ich gehe" does.
- Weil der Bus nicht kam, bin ich zu Fuß gegangen.Because the bus didn’t come, I walked.
- Als ich jung war, habe ich in Wien gewohnt.When I was young, I lived in Vienna.
- Ob er kommt, weiß ich nicht.Whether he’s coming, I don’t know.
One exception is worth knowing early. When a modal or a verb like lassen or sehen appears as an infinitive alongside another infinitive in the perfect, the conjugated auxiliary jumps ahead of both: "…, weil ich gestern nicht habe kommen können". This double-infinitive pattern is the only common case where the conjugated verb is not last in a subordinate clause.
The middle of the clause: TeKaMoLo
Inside the bracket, adverbials usually run in the order time (temporal), reason (kausal), manner (modal), place (lokal). The four initials give the memory aid its name. In practice most sentences have two or three of them, and the ones present keep that order.
.
I’m cycling to work tomorrow.
Select a word to see why it is there.
morgenAdverb“tomorrow”
- Why this word
- Adverb of time
- Time (Te) comes first in the middle of the clause: morgen stands right after the verb, before how and where.
- Dictionary
- morgen · adverb — tomorrow
- Alternatives
- jeden Tag (every day)
In this sentence
- morgen · Adverb:
- Time (Te) comes first in the middle of the clause: morgen stands right after the verb, before how and where.
- Rad · Complement:
- How the speaker travels: the manner slot (Mo), after the time and before the place.
- Arbeit · Complement:
- The destination, the place slot (Lo), last of the three. Zur Arbeit is the set way to say "to work".
Add a reason and it slots in after the time:
- Ich fahre morgen wegen des Termins mit dem Zug nach Berlin.Tomorrow I am taking the train to Berlin because of the appointment.
- Sie hat gestern wegen des Regens allein im Café gesessen.Yesterday she sat alone in the café because of the rain.
It is a default, not a law: any of them can move to the front for emphasis, and the verb stays second ("Mit dem Rad fahre ich morgen zur Arbeit", by bike, not by car). English tends to run the other way, place before time ("to work tomorrow"), which is why English speakers often reverse the German order. A few related tendencies hold just as often:
- A pronoun object comes before a noun object: "Ich gebe es dem Kind." "Ich gebe ihm das Buch."
- With two noun objects, the dative usually comes before the accusative: "Ich gebe dem Kind das Buch."
- With two pronouns, the accusative comes first: "Ich gebe es ihm."
- nicht stands before the part it negates, and before the second half of the bracket: "Ich habe das Buch nicht gekauft."
- Given information comes before new information: what the listener already knows tends to sit early in the middle field, and the news towards the end.
Common mistakes
NotHeute ich gehe ins Kino.
ButHeute gehe ich ins Kino.
The verb must come second. When something other than the subject comes first, the subject moves to just after the verb.
NotIch weiß, dass er kommt heute.
ButIch weiß, dass er heute kommt.
dass sends the verb to the end of its clause, after every other part of it.
NotIch habe gekauft ein Buch.
ButIch habe ein Buch gekauft.
The participle closes the bracket. Objects and adverbs go between the auxiliary and the participle.
NotDer Zug ankommt um acht.
ButDer Zug kommt um acht an.
In a main clause the separable prefix goes to the end; only the stem takes second place.
NotIch bleibe zu Hause, weil ich muss arbeiten.
ButIch bleibe zu Hause, weil ich arbeiten muss.
After weil the conjugated modal goes last, after the infinitive.
NotIch bleibe zu Hause, denn ich krank bin.
ButIch bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin krank.
denn is a coordinating conjunction, so it does not move the verb. Only weil, dass and the other subordinating conjunctions send it to the end.
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Check yourself
1 / 10
Which sentence says "Tomorrow I’m working from home"?
Answer
Morgen arbeite von zu Hause ich.: The verb is second, but the subject has drifted to the end. A pronoun subject goes straight after the verb.
Morgen arbeite ich von zu Hause. ✓: Morgen is the first element, so the verb arbeite comes second and the subject ich follows it.
Morgen ich arbeite von zu Hause.: English order. With morgen in first place, putting ich before the verb pushes arbeite to third.
2 / 10
Which sentence says "I hope you have time tomorrow"?
Answer
Ich hoffe, dass du hast morgen Zeit.: This keeps main-clause order after dass. The verb must go to the end.
Ich hoffe, dass hast du morgen Zeit.: This treats dass as a first element and puts the verb second. Dass is a conjunction, not an element, and its verb goes last.
Ich hoffe, dass du morgen Zeit hast. ✓: dass sends the conjugated verb hast to the end of its clause.
3 / 10
Which sentence says "We bought a new car"?
Answer
Wir haben gekauft ein neues Auto.: English order. The participle closes the bracket, after the object.
Wir gekauft haben ein neues Auto.: The conjugated auxiliary must be second in a main clause, and the participle goes last, not second.
Wir haben ein neues Auto gekauft. ✓: Haben in second place, gekauft at the end, the object between them.
4 / 10
Which sentence says "The concert starts at eight" (anfangen)?
Answer
Das Konzert fängt an um acht.: The prefix has split off but stopped too early. It goes after the time phrase, at the very end.
Das Konzert fängt um acht an. ✓: The stem fängt is second and the prefix an closes the clause.
Das Konzert anfängt um acht.: In a main clause a separable verb splits. Only fängt takes second place; an goes to the end.
5 / 10
Complete the sentence.
Ich gehe heute nicht aus, weil ich ___.
Answer
lernen müssen: Right order, but the modal is not conjugated. With ich it is muss.
lernen muss ✓: After weil the conjugated modal goes last, after the infinitive.
muss lernen: Main-clause order inside a weil clause. The conjugated verb muss belongs at the very end.
6 / 10
Which sentence says "We’re taking a taxi, because it’s raining hard"?
Answer
Wir nehmen ein Taxi, denn es stark regnet.: This is weil order. Denn does not send the verb to the end; with weil this would be right.
Wir nehmen ein Taxi, denn regnet es stark.: Denn does not count as the first element, so it does not push the subject behind the verb.
Wir nehmen ein Taxi, denn es regnet stark. ✓: Denn is coordinating and stands outside the clause, so the clause keeps normal order: es first, regnet second.
7 / 10
Which question means "When are you going home?"
Answer
Wann du fährst nach Hause?: This keeps statement order after the question word. In a direct question the verb comes right after wann.
Fährst du wann nach Hause?: Verb first is for yes/no questions. With a question word, the question word goes first.
Wann fährst du nach Hause? ✓: The question word wann is the first element, so the verb fährst is second and the subject follows.
8 / 10
Build the sentence, starting with the wenn clause.
“When I get home, I’ll call you.”
Answer
Wenn ich nach Hause komme, rufe ich dich an
Wenn ich nach Hause komme, rufe ich dich an: verb last in the wenn clause, then verb, comma, verb, and the prefix at the end.
9 / 10
Build the sentence, starting with the subject, in the default TeKaMoLo order.
“We’re going to Munich by train on Friday.”
Answer
Wir fahren am Freitag mit dem Zug nach München
Wir fahren am Freitag mit dem Zug nach München: time, manner, place.
10 / 10
Rewrite the sentence so that it starts with Morgen.
Ich besuche morgen meine Oma.
Answer
Morgen besuche ich meine Oma.
Morgen takes first place, the verb besuche stays second, and ich moves behind it: Morgen besuche ich meine Oma.
German word order in Epsylo
Rules like these stick fastest on sentences you actually need. When Epsylo breaks down a German sentence, each word is coloured by its grammatical role and explained, with its dictionary form, and a dependency tree shows which words belong together. A participle at the end of the clause points back to its auxiliary in second place, and a verb at the end of a weil clause is marked as part of that clause, so you can see where each part of the verb sits and why.
Questions
- Where does the verb go in a German sentence?
- In a main clause the conjugated verb is the second element. In yes/no questions and commands it comes first. In subordinate clauses after dass, weil, wenn or ob it goes to the end. A second verb part (an infinitive, a past participle or a separable prefix) goes to the end of the clause.
- Why does the subject come after the verb in some German sentences?
- Because only one element may stand before the verb in a main clause. If a time phrase, an object or a whole subordinate clause takes first place, the subject moves to just after the verb: "Heute habe ich frei", not "Heute ich habe frei".
- What is the German sentence bracket?
- When a verb has two parts, the conjugated part sits second and the other part goes to the end, so the two enclose the rest of the clause: "Ich habe heute ein Buch gekauft." Grammars call it the Satzklammer.
- Does denn send the verb to the end like weil?
- No. Weil and denn both mean because, but weil is subordinating and sends the verb to the end ("…, weil ich müde bin"), while denn is coordinating and leaves normal order ("…, denn ich bin müde"). In casual speech you will also hear weil with verb second; in writing, put the verb last.
- What does TeKaMoLo mean?
- It is the usual order of adverbials in the middle of a German clause: time (temporal), reason (kausal), manner (modal), place (lokal). It is a default rather than a strict rule.
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