Grammar · A1
Verb second: Heute trinkt Otti Tee
In a German statement the verb always comes second. If you start with a time or a place, the subject (who does it) moves behind the verb.
Place two
In a statement the verb is always the second element: Otti trinkt Tee. An element is a part of the sentence, not a single word: Frida und Lotte (three words, one element) trinken Tee.
The subject is the person or thing that does something: Otti, Frida und Lotte. In the simplest sentence it comes first, then the verb, then the rest.
| Position 1 | Position 2 (verb) | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Otti | trinkt | Tee |
| Frida und Lotte | trinken | Tee |
| Der Bus | fährt | zum Bahnhof |
Time or place first
A sentence can also start with something else, often a time (heute, am Montag) or a place (in Berlin). The verb stays in place two, so the subject moves behind it: Heute trinkt Otti Tee.
Never put the subject between the first element and the verb: not Heute Otti trinkt Tee. It is the most common mistake, so say the right sentence out loud a few times.
The meaning stays the same. What comes first is what matters most, or what links to the sentence before.
| Position 1 | Position 2 (verb) | Subject | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heute | trinkt | Otti | Tee |
| Am Montag | arbeitet | Emil | bis sechs |
| Im Park | spielen | die Kinder | Fußball |
| Morgen | haben | wir | frei |
-
Im Grunewald ist Kalle zu Hause.
Kalle is at home in the Grunewald.
The tinted words form a set phrase: zu Hause sein
Und, aber, oder don't count
Und (and), aber (but) and oder (or) join two sentences and don't take a place of their own. After them you count from one again: Otti trinkt Tee, aber Bruno trinkt Kaffee.
So the second sentence can also start with a time: Ich arbeite bis fünf und dann koche ich.
| Position 0 | Position 1 | Position 2 (verb) | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| aber | Bruno | trinkt | Kaffee |
| und | dann | koche | ich |
| oder | wir | gehen | ins Kino |
-
Lotte liest und Frida fährt Fahrrad.
Lotte is reading and Frida is riding her bike.
The tinted words form a set phrase: Fahrrad fahren
-
Ich habe Hunger, aber Bruno kocht noch.
I'm hungry, but Bruno is still cooking.
The tinted words form a set phrase: Hunger haben
Fill the Gaps
-
Am Sonntag ___ lange.
On Sundays I sleep late.
-
Morgen ___ nach Potsdam.
Tomorrow Frida is going to Potsdam.
-
In der Küche ___ eine Suppe.
Bruno is making soup in the kitchen.
-
Um sieben ___ Kaffee.
At seven we have coffee.
-
Heute Abend ___ ins Kino.
This evening we're going to the cinema.
-
Frida fährt Fahrrad, aber ___ zu Fuß.
Frida rides her bike, but Lotte walks.
-
In Berlin ___ viele Parks.
There are lots of parks in Berlin.
-
Im Sommer ___ oft am See.
In summer Kalle is often at the lake.
You meet it in: Otti plans the week, Otti writes the date, Otti's day, Kalle at the lake, Otti and the weather, Otti through the year, The friends plan the weekend