Word order: the verb in second position, and questions
Learn the golden rule of the German sentence, the conjugated verb in second position, and how to ask yes/no questions and questions with wer, was, wo, wann, wie and warum.
The sentence · Beginner · 20 min · 40 exercises · Goethe A1, High school, College
In an English statement, the subject comes before the verb: „I learn German“, „Today I learn German“. German builds its sentences around a different rule: it is the verb that has a fixed seat. If you remember one thing about German word order, it should be this lesson, because every main clause you will ever say follows it.
The conjugated verb is in second position
In a statement, the conjugated verb is always the second element. Position 1 can hold the subject (Ich lerne heute Deutsch), but it can also hold a time word, a place or another element that you want to stress. When something else takes position 1, the verb stays in position 2 and the subject moves right after the verb: Heute lerne ich Deutsch. Position 1 is one element, not one word: In Wien or Herr und Frau Kaya count as one.
The verb stays, the subject moves
| Position 1 | Position 2: verb | Subject (if not first) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ich | lerne | (already first) | heute Deutsch. |
| Heute | lerne | ich | Deutsch. |
| Deutsch | lerne | ich | heute. |
| Morgen | fahren | wir | nach Berlin. |
| In Wien | ist | das Wetter | schön. |
Statements
- Wir spielen heute Tennis.We are playing tennis today.subject first, verb second
- Heute spielen wir Tennis.Today we are playing tennis.time first, verb second, subject third
- Jetzt habe ich Hunger.Now I am hungry.never Jetzt ich habe
- Morgen fährt Leon nach Hamburg.Tomorrow Leon is going to Hamburg.
- In Zürich wohnt Familie Meier.The Meier family lives in Zurich.a place in position 1
- Vielleicht kommt Anna morgen.Maybe Anna is coming tomorrow.
Yes/no questions: the verb comes first
To ask a question that can be answered with ja or nein, put the conjugated verb in position 1 and the subject right after it: Du kommst aus Deutschland becomes Kommst du aus Deutschland? German has no helping verb like „do“ or „does“: „Do you speak English?“ is simply Sprichst du Englisch?, and „Is Mr. Becker a teacher?“ is Ist Herr Becker Lehrer?
W-questions: question word, then verb
Questions that ask for information start with a question word. Almost all of them begin with w, so they are called W-Fragen. The question word takes position 1, the verb stays in position 2 and the subject follows: Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?), Wann kommt das Taxi? (When is the taxi coming?). Three words translate „where“: wo for a location, woher for an origin (from where), wohin for a destination (to where).
Statement
- verb in position 2
- Du wohnst in Bern.
- Jetzt wohnst du in Bern.
Yes/no question
- verb in position 1
- no word for do
- Wohnst du in Bern?
W-question
- question word, then verb
- Wo wohnst du?
- Wann kommst du?
The question words
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who | Wer ist das? |
| was | what | Was machst du heute? |
| wo | where (location) | Wo wohnt ihr? |
| woher | where from | Woher kommen Sie? |
| wohin | where to | Wohin gehst du? |
| wann | when | Wann kommt das Taxi? |
| wie | how | Wie heißt du? |
| warum | why | Warum lernst du Deutsch? |
Questions
- Kommst du aus Deutschland?Do you come from Germany?verb first, no word for do
- Sprechen Sie Englisch?Do you speak English? (formal)
- Hat Julia heute Zeit?Does Julia have time today?
- Woher kommt ihr?Where do you (all) come from?origin: woher
- Wohin fährt Sophie morgen?Where is Sophie going tomorrow?destination: wohin
- Wie alt bist du?How old are you?wie alt is one element in position 1
Und, aber, oder, denn: position zero
The connecting words und (and), aber (but), oder (or) and denn (because) join two main clauses and do not count as a position. After them, the word order starts again as if nothing were there: Ich koche und Lea liest ein Buch. Tom kommt aus Bonn, aber er wohnt in Graz. Ich bleibe zu Hause, denn ich bin müde. The verb is still the second element of its own clause: aber (0) er (1) wohnt (2).
Picture the sentence as a row of chairs. The verb owns chair number 2 and never gives it up. Only one guest can sit on chair 1: the subject, a time, a place or a question word. If the subject loses chair 1, it sits down right behind the verb. For a yes/no question, chair 1 stays empty and the verb opens the sentence.
English speakers tend to keep the English order after a time word: „Today I learn“ becomes Heute ich lerne, which is wrong. Say Heute lerne ich Deutsch: verb second, subject third. Do not look for a German „do“ in questions: Wo wohnst du?, not Wo tust du wohnen? And watch a false friend: wer means who, while where is wo.
The exercises of this lesson
40 corrected exercises in three sessions (discovery, practice, challenge): multiple choice (5), fill in the gap (11), find the mistake (5), word order (1), rewrite (5), translation (6), gap text (3), matching (2), sorting (2). Every answer is corrected immediately, with the rule that applies.