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Word Order (Wortstellung)

German word order is flexible compared to English, but it follows clear rules. The most important concept: the verb must be in the second position in main clauses (V2 rule). Everything else builds around this.

1. The V2 Rule (Verb in Second Position)

In a main clause (a normal statement), the conjugated verb always comes in the second "idea" or slot.

What comes in the first slot doesn't matter. If the subject isn't in the first slot, it must move to the third slot, right after the verb. This is called inversion.

  • Position 1: Subject

    • Ich (1) gehe (2) heute ins Kino.
    • (I am going to the cinema today.)

  • Position 1: Time (Inversion)

    • Heute (1) gehe (2) ich ins Kino.
    • (Today I am going to the cinema.)

  • Position 1: Place (Inversion)

    • Ins Kino (1) gehe (2) ich heute.
    • (To the cinema I am going today.)

👉 Common Pitfall: ❌ Heute ich gehe... This is the #1 mistake. It must be Heute gehe ich...

2. Sentence Brackets (Satzklammer)

If the verb has two parts (e.g., perfect tense, modal verbs, separable verbs), the conjugated part stays in Position 2, and the second part (infinitive, past participle) moves to the very end.

This creates a "bracket" or Satzklammer around the rest of the sentence.

  • Perfect Tense:
    • Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen. (I saw a film yesterday.)
  • Modal Verb:
    • Er will morgen nach Berlin fahren. (He wants to drive to Berlin tomorrow.)
  • Separable Verb:
    • Sie steht jeden Tag um 7 Uhr auf. (She gets up at 7 a.m. every day.)

3. Order of Adverbs (TEKAMOLO)

When you have several adverbs or pieces of information, German has a default order, remembered by the acronym TEKAMOLO.

  1. Te = Temporal (When? - heute, morgen, um 10 Uhr)
  2. Ka = Kausal (Why? - wegen des Wetters, aus Liebe)
  3. Mo = Modal (How? - schnell, mit dem Auto, gern)

  4. Lo = Lokal (Where? - hier, in die Schule, nach Berlin)

  5. Ich fahre heute (Te) mit dem Zug (Mo) nach Berlin (Lo). (I'm going today by train to Berlin.)

  6. Er ist gestern (Te) wegen des Streiks (Ka) mit dem Taxi (Mo) zur Arbeit (Lo) gefahren. (He went yesterday because of the strike by taxi to work.)

4. Order of Objects (Dative & Accusative)

When a sentence has both a dative and an accusative object, their order depends on whether they are nouns or pronouns.

  • Rule 1: Two Nouns Dative object comes before the Accusative object.

    • Ich gebe dem Mann (Dat) das Buch (Akk).
    • (I give the man the book.)

  • Rule 2: One Pronoun The Pronoun always comes before the Noun.

    • Ich gebe ihm (Dat) das Buch (Akk). (I give him the book.)
    • Ich gebe es (Akk) dem Mann (Dat). (I give it to the man.)

  • Rule 3: Two Pronouns Accusative object comes before the Dative object.

    • Ich gebe es (Akk) ihm (Dat).
    • (I give it to him.)

Quick Summary

  • Main Clause: The conjugated verb is always in Position 2.
  • Inversion: If Position 1 is not the subject, the subject moves after the verb.
  • Satzklammer: Second verb parts (participles, infinitives) go to the very end.
  • Adverbs: The default order is TEKAMOLO (Time–Cause–MManner–Place).
  • Objects:
    • Nouns: Dative > Accusative
    • Pronouns: Accusative > Dative
    • (And all pronouns come before all nouns)