Die Wortstellung – Word Order
Word order (also called syntax) in German is usually driven by the placement of the verb. The verb in German can be in the second position (most common), initial position (verb first), and clause-final position.
The finite verb in second position
a) general statements
The most basic word order in German, just like in English, is the subject–verb–direct object sequence. However, the basic word order rule for German sentences is: the finite verb (the conjugated verb) is in second position. Look at the following sentences.
| Die Studenten lernen gern Deutsch mit Freunden. | The students like to learn German with friends. |
| Deutsch lernen die Studenten gern mit Freunden. | The students like to learn German with friends. |
| Mit Freunden lernen die Studenten gern Deutsch. | The students like to learn German with friends. |
As you can see, the finite verb (the conjugated verb) is in second place in each sentence. This is the most common, basic position for conjugated verbs.
b) questions with question-words
In the presence of question words (wer, wann, wo, wie, etc.), the finite verb still stays in second position and the subject moves into position three.
| der Student | Wo wohnt er? | Where does he live? |
| die Studentin | Wo wohnt sie? | Where does she live? |
The finite verb in first position
The finite verb can be in the first position in yes/no questions, and in commands (the imperative).
a) yes/no questions
The finite verb moves to the beginning of the yes-no questions:
| der Student | Ist das der Student aus Deutschland? | Is this the student from Germany? |
| das Buch | Brauchst du das Buch für Deutsch? | Do you need the book for German? |
