Word order 1 (AQA GCSE German): Revision Notes
Word order 1
German sentence structure follows specific patterns that, once mastered, will make your German much more natural and fluent. Understanding these rules is essential for clear communication.
The fundamental rule: verb in second position
The most important rule in German word order is that the main verb typically occupies the second position in a sentence. This applies regardless of what comes first.
Critical Rule: In German, the main verb almost always goes in the second position of a sentence, no matter what element comes first. This is the foundation of German word order that you must master.
Basic sentence structure
In a standard German sentence, you'll find this pattern:
Position 1 → Position 2 → Position 3
- First element (subject or other)
- Main verb
- Rest of sentence
Basic Word Order Examples:
-
Er geht ins Kino. (He goes to the cinema.)
- Position 1: Er (subject)
- Position 2: geht (main verb)
- Position 3: ins Kino (rest)
-
Am Samstag geht er ins Kino. (On Saturday he goes to the cinema.)
- Position 1: Am Samstag (time expression)
- Position 2: geht (main verb)
- Position 3: er ins Kino (rest)
Important exception
Exception Alert: German sentences only begin with a verb when you're asking a yes/no question or giving a command:
- Magst du Fußball? (Do you like football?)
- Komm schnell mit! (Come with me quickly!)
Inversion rule
When you start a sentence with something other than the subject (like a time expression or phrase), you must swap the subject and verb around. This keeps the verb in its preferred second position.
The Inversion Principle: If anything other than the subject takes first position, the subject must move to third position, allowing the verb to maintain its second position.
Inversion Examples:
- Normal: Er geht am Samstag ins Kino.
- Inverted: Am Samstag geht er ins Kino.
Notice how Am Samstag moves to first position, forcing er (subject) to move after the verb geht.
Perfect tense word order
When using the perfect tense, German splits the verb into two parts. The auxiliary verb (haben or sein) goes in second position, whilst the past participle moves to the very end.
Position 1 → Position 2 → Position 3 → Position 4
- Subject/other
- haben/sein
- Middle content
- Past participle
Perfect Tense Structure:
-
Wir haben Handball gespielt. (We played handball.)
- Position 1: Wir (subject)
- Position 2: haben (auxiliary verb)
- Position 3: Handball (object)
- Position 4: gespielt (past participle)
-
Gestern haben wir Handball gespielt. (Yesterday we played handball.)
- Shows inversion: Gestern takes first position, so wir moves to third position
Future tense structure
The future tense follows a similar pattern to the perfect tense. The auxiliary verb werden takes second position, while the main verb's infinitive form goes at the end.
Position 1 → Position 2 → Position 3 → Position 4
- Subject/other
- werden
- Middle content
- Infinitive
Future Tense Examples:
- Ich werde im Restaurant essen. (I will eat in the restaurant.)
- Morgen werde ich im Restaurant essen. (Tomorrow I will eat in the restaurant.)
The pattern is identical to perfect tense, but with werden + infinitive instead of haben/sein + past participle.
Modal verbs
Modal Verb Behaviour: Modal verbs (such as müssen, wollen, sollen, können) behave similarly to the future tense. The modal verb sits in second position, sending the main verb's infinitive to the end of the sentence.
Modal Verb Example:
Ich muss nach Hause gehen. (I must go home.)
- muss (modal verb) in second position
- gehen (infinitive) at the end
Time-manner-place rule
When including multiple pieces of information about when, how, and where something happens, German follows the Time-Manner-Place (TMP) sequence.
The TMP Rule:
- Time: when something happens (heute, um drei Uhr)
- Manner: how something happens (zu Fuß, schnell)
- Place: where something happens (in die Stadt, nach Hause)
This sequence is fixed and must be followed in German sentences.
TMP Order Examples:
-
Er geht heute zu Fuß in die Stadt. (He's going to town on foot today.)
- Time: heute
- Manner: zu Fuß
- Place: in die Stadt
-
Heute geht er zu Fuß in die Stadt. (Today he's going to town on foot.)
- Notice the inversion when heute moves to first position
Negation with 'nicht'
The position of nicht (not) depends on what you're negating in the sentence. Understanding these placement rules is crucial for natural-sounding German.
Nicht Placement Rules:
Nicht typically comes after:
- The main verb
- The direct object
- Time expressions
Nicht typically comes before:
- Adjectives at the end of sentences
- Infinitives at the end of sentences
- Past participles at the end of sentences
- Separable prefixes at the end of sentences
- Prepositional phrases
Nicht Position Examples:
- Er ist nicht intelligent. (He is not intelligent.) - before adjective
- Ich werde nicht heiraten. (I will not get married.) - before infinitive
- Wir haben nicht gegessen. (We have not eaten.) - before past participle
- Er kommt nicht mit. (He's not coming with us.) - before separable prefix
- Ich verstehe nicht. (I don't understand.) - after main verb when nothing follows
Useful vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| ins Kino | to the cinema |
| nach Hause | home/homewards |
| zu Fuß | on foot |
| schnell | quickly |
| heute | today |
| gestern | yesterday |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| intelligent | intelligent |
| heiraten | to marry |
| verstehen | to understand |
Practice translation exercises
Test your understanding of German word order with these exercises:
German to English:
- Am Wochenende fahre ich mit dem Zug nach Berlin.
- Wir haben gestern nicht Fußball gespielt.
English to German: 3. Tomorrow I will go to university. 4. He must always do many household tasks.
Answers:
- At the weekend I'm travelling to Berlin by train.
- We didn't play football yesterday.
- Morgen werde ich auf die Uni gehen.
- Er muss immer viele Hausaufgaben machen.
Key Points to Remember:
- The verb wants to be in second position in most German sentences
- When you start with something other than the subject, swap the subject and verb around
- In perfect and future tenses, the second part of the verb goes to the end
- Follow Time-Manner-Place order when giving multiple details
- Nicht positioning depends on what you're negating - practice makes perfect!