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German Syntax (Satzbau)

Syntax is the "architecture" of a sentence—the rules for how to put words in the correct order.

While English has a relatively fixed word order (Subject-Verb-Object), German syntax is more flexible and more rigid at the same time. It's flexible because cases (Nominative, Accusative, etc.) tell you a noun's job, not its position.

However, it's very rigid about one thing: the position of the verb. Understanding where the verb goes is the #1 rule of German sentence structure.

There are three main patterns for the verb:

  1. Verb-Second (V2): The conjugated verb is the second element in a main clause.
  2. Verb-First (V1): The conjugated verb is the first element in a yes/no question or command.
  3. Verb-Final: The conjugated verb moves to the very end of a subordinate clause.

In This Section

  • Word Order (Wortstellung) An overview of the "V2" (Verb-Second) rule, inversion, and the "TEKAMOLO" rule for ordering information (Time, Cause, Manner, Place).

  • Main Clauses (Hauptsätze) A detailed look at simple sentences and the V2 rule, including the "verb bracket" (Satzklammer) for modal verbs or the perfect tense.

  • Conjunctions (Konjunktionen) The "glue" of the language. Learn the crucial difference between ADUSO (which don't change word order) and subordinating conjunctions (which send the verb to the end).

  • Subordinating Clauses (Nebensätze) How to build dependent clauses using conjunctions like weil (because) and dass (that), forcing the verb to the end (V-Final).

  • Questions (Fragesätze) How to form both yes/no questions (V1) and "W-questions" (like Wer?, Was?, Wann?).

  • Negation (Verneinung) The complete guide to using nicht (not) and kein (not a / no) correctly.