Verb second: German word order that works
German sentences move around the verb. Once you accept that the verb holds position two, whole paragraphs become predictable.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods as appropriate
Key learning points
- • Position two, always
- • Inversion in practice
- • Weil sends the verb to the end
- • Time, manner, place
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 24 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 24
Visual introductionPicture this
Verb second: German word order that works
German sentences move around the verb. Once you accept that the verb holds position two, whole paragraphs become predictable.
In a nutshell
Use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods as appropriate
What you already know
Part 2 of 24
Before we start
What you already know
You should already know present-tense endings for regular German verbs and common subject pronouns.
Key words
Part 3 of 24
Key words
Words you'll need today
- Verbzweit
- verb-second — the finite verb takes the second position
- Inversion
- swapping subject and verb when something else comes first
- Zeitangabe
- a time expression such as heute or am Montag
- weil
- because — sends the verb to the end
- Wortstellung
- word order
Reset break
Part 4 of 24
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 5 of 24
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Verb in position two
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 24
Learn
Position two, always
Ich spiele Fussball. The subject is first and the verb second. Position counts in blocks, not words: Am Montag spiele ich Fussball — the whole time phrase is block one, so the verb still comes second and the subject follows it.
Explore the idea
Part 7 of 24
Learn
Inversion in practice
Whenever you begin with time, place or an opinion phrase, the subject moves behind the verb. Heute gehe ich ins Kino. Meiner Meinung nach ist Deutsch nützlich. Getting this right is the fastest way to sound German rather than translated.
Reset break
Part 8 of 24
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 9 of 24
Quick check
Part 10 of 24
Learning cycle
Part 11 of 24
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Inversion, weil and time-manner-place
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Reset break
Part 12 of 24
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 24
Learn
Weil sends the verb to the end
Ich lerne Deutsch, weil es nützlich ist. After weil, dass or obwohl the finite verb goes last, and a comma marks the join. Learn one model sentence and reuse its shape.
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 24
Learn
Time, manner, place
When several details follow the verb, order them time, manner, place: Ich fahre am Samstag mit dem Bus in die Stadt. English prefers the reverse, which is why direct translation sounds wrong.
Quick check
Part 15 of 24
Reset break
Part 16 of 24
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 17 of 24
Common mix-ups
Part 18 of 24
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- A time phrase at the start does not count as the subject — you must invert.
- Weil is not the same as denn: denn keeps normal word order.
- Position two means the second element, not the second word.
Challenge round
Part 19 of 24
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 20 of 24
Pause
That's sitting 5 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 21 of 24
Game · Recall cards
Correct sentence?
Card 1 of 4
Exit quiz
Part 22 of 24
Exit quiz
Show what you've learned
6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.
1. Verb-second means the verb is the...
2. Denn is followed by...
3. 'Am Montag ___ ich Tennis.'
4. Obwohl means...
5. 'mit dem Bus' is which element?
6. Inversion is triggered by starting with...
Mastery quiz
Part 23 of 24
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Verb second: German word order that works
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Correct sentence?
2. After weil the verb goes...
3. Correct order of details?
4. 'Ich lerne Deutsch, weil es nützlich ...'
Lesson round-up
Part 24 of 24
Lesson round-up
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Ask LunaPart 1 of 24 · Watch & discover