A2 · Word order · about 4 minutes
The first position (Vorfeld)
Morgen fahre ich. Nach Berlin fahre ich morgen.
Exactly one element goes in front of the verb — and which one you choose is a decision, not a formality.
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“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 2 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need1
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- oftoften
Understand
RememberOne thing before the verb, never two.
- Signal words
- heute
- morgen
- dann
- deshalb
- in
- weil
- wenn
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in German.
| subject first | Ich fahre morgen. |
| time first | Morgen fahre ich. |
| place first | In Berlin wohnt sie. |
| object first | Den Film kenne ich. |
| subordinate clause first | Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir hier. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Exactly one element stands before the finite verb.
Heute Abend kommen sie.They are coming this evening.
Whatever goes first, the verb stays in second position, and a subject that is not first follows it.
Morgen fahre ich weg.I am going away tomorrow.
A whole subordinate clause counts as one element.
Weil es regnet, bleiben wir hier.Because it is raining, we are staying here.
The first position marks what the sentence is about.
Den Wein hat er mitgebracht.The wine is what he brought.
Example sentences
Gestern war ich im Kino.Yesterday I was at the cinema.
In Hamburg regnet es oft.It often rains in Hamburg.
Das Buch habe ich schon gelesen.I have already read that book.
8 more example sentences
Deshalb komme ich später.That is why I am coming later.
Als ich ankam, war alles vorbei.When I arrived, it was all over.
Am Wochenende bleiben wir zu Hause.At the weekend we are staying at home.
Diesen Film kenne ich nicht.I do not know this film.
Zum Glück war niemand verletzt.Luckily nobody was hurt.
Nach dem Essen gehen wir spazieren.After the meal we are going for a walk.
Ihm habe ich nichts gesagt.Him I told nothing.
Trotzdem hat es funktioniert.It worked all the same.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
When an object takes the first position, it keeps its accusative. English speakers read the first noun as the subject and give it the nominative, but German reads the ending, not the position. The verb settles it: habe agrees with ich, so ich is the subject and the film has to be den Film.
Quick check
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Practise
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Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A German main clause has the finite verb in second position, and exactly one element in front of it. That element does not have to be the subject: it can be a time, a place, an object, a whole subordinate clause, almost anything. What it cannot be is two things.
Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin, Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin and Nach Berlin fahre ich morgen are all correct and all say the same thing with different emphasis. Whatever stands first is the thing the sentence is about; the rest follows behind the verb.
This is the freedom German buys with its case endings. Because den Mann is marked as an object wherever it stands, it can go first without confusing anybody: Den Mann kenne ich nicht. English, having no such marking, keeps the subject in front and can front an object only in a marked style ("That man I do not know").
A closer look
What "one element" means
An element can be long. Der Mann mit dem blauen Mantel is one element; so is am nächsten Montag um halb neun; so is an entire subordinate clause. Length has nothing to do with it — what counts is whether the words form a single unit answering a single question.
The test is to replace it. If the whole stretch can be swapped for one word — er, dann, dort — it is one element and may stand first. If two swaps are needed, it is two elements and one of them must move behind the verb.
Exceptions and special cases2
Exception
When the sentence begins with und, aber, oder, denn or sondern
then those words do not count as the first position.
Aber ich komme trotzdem.But I am coming anyway.
Why? The five coordinating conjunctions stand outside the clause they join.
Exception
When the first position is deliberately left empty
then the sentence is a question or a command.
Kommst du mit? Komm mit!Are you coming? Come along!
Why? A yes-or-no question and an imperative start with the verb itself.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
Es holds the position open
When nothing wants to stand first, German inserts es as a placeholder: Es kamen viele Gäste. The moment anything else moves in, the es disappears: Gestern kamen viele Gäste. That disappearance proves the rule — the position must be filled, and by exactly one thing.
Worth knowing
Emphasis without stress
English marks emphasis with the voice: "I saw HIM". German can do that too and more often uses position: Ihn habe ich gesehen. The word order is doing what intonation does in English, which is why German written dialogue can be so expressive without italics.
The verbs on this page, in every form: kommen · sein · haben · regnen · bleiben · fahren · lesen