Simple Guide To German Sentence Structure: Basic German Word Order With Examples
When you start learning German, you soon realize that the German sentence structure is completely different from what you’re used to in other languages.
Die deutsche Wortstellung (German word order) can be a bit of a head-scratcher. If you’re more of a visual learner, we’ve got you covered! In this video, Spring German teacher Denisa explains everything you need to know about German sentence structure, so you can speak like a true German:
At first glance, the German sentence structure might not make much sense. In this blog post, we’ll break down these German sentences and explain the correct sentence structure in simple terms.
There are some rules you have to follow, but we’ll share a top tip with you, so you don’t have to worry about these German grammar rules.
1. Basic German sentence structure
Okay, let’s start with something we already know:
The language you’re so interested in has cases. And the four German cases are:
- nominative
- accusative
- dative
- genitive
Why is this important? Because the German cases determine who or what is affected in the sentence you’re constructing. It can even be impacted directly or indirectly, and that also has its effect on the German sentence structure.

Thanks to this, German has a bit of room when it comes to word order. You can shuffle words around sometimes to emphasize certain parts of your sentence.
That said, German word order is still important. Native German speakers will still appreciate your efforts in learning their language. But if you’re truly looking to sound more natural, then you have to know the basics of German sentence structure.
Here’s a quick recap of… well, what is what in a German sentence:
- The subject is the doer in the sentence. It’s often a personal pronoun like ich (I), du (you [singular informal]), er (he), or wir (we). The subject always takes the Nominative case.
- The verb is the action word – even if it’s something not very active, like sein (to be) or mögen (to like).
- The direct object is what’s being acted upon – whatever gets heard, liked, written, eaten, etc. It’s always in accusative in German.
- The indirect object is the receiver of the direct object. In German, it’s always in the dative case.
2. Forming basic German sentences
In German, simple declarative sentences follow the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, similar to English. The conjugated verb must be in the second position.
S | V | O |
---|---|---|
Der Hund | bellt | – (The dog barks.) |
Meine Schwester | studiert | Medizin (My sister studies medicine.) |
Wir | fahren | – (We’re driving to Berlin tomorrow.) [Time: morgen] [Place: nach Berlin] |
Note: When an element other than the subject starts the sentence for emphasis, the subject and verb invert:
Time | V | S | Place | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Morgen | fahren | wir | nach Berlin | Tomorrow, we’re driving to Berlin. |
3. Mastering German sentences with direct objects
Direct objects in German are in the accusative case and typically follow the verb in simple sentences.
S | V | O (accusative) | NEG | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | trinke | Wasser | I drink water. | |
Sie | kauft | ein neues Auto | She’s buying a new car. | |
Wir | verstehen | den Text | nicht. | We don’t understand the text. |
Remember that some verbs always take the accusative case:
S | V | O (acc) | English |
---|---|---|---|
Ich | sehe | dich. | I see you. |
4. Building basic German sentences with indirect objects
When a sentence has both a direct and an indirect object, the indirect object (in the dative case) usually precedes the direct object.
S | V | IO (dative) | DO (accusative) | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | schicke | meiner Mutter | einen Brief. | I’m sending my mother a letter. |
Er | gibt | dem Hund | einen Knochen. | He gives the dog a bone. |
Some verbs always take the dative case:
S | V | IO (dative) | English |
---|---|---|---|
Das Buch | gehört | mir. | The book belongs to me. |
5. Order in German negation sentences
The negation word “nicht” typically comes after the conjugated verb and before the object, or at the end of the sentence. “Kein” is used to negate nouns without articles.
S | V | NEG | O | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | spreche | nicht | Spanisch. | I don’t speak Spanish. |
Wir | haben | kein | Geld. | We don’t have any money. |
6. Basic German word order for complex sentences with separable verbs
In sentences with separable verbs, the prefix is separated from the verb stem and moves to the end of the clause in simple tenses.
S | V | O (accusative) | Separated prefix | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | rufe | meinen Bruder | an. | I call my brother. |
Sie | fängt | (time: morgen) eine neue Arbeit | an. | She starts a new job tomorrow. |
In perfect tenses, the prefix attaches to the participle:
S | V | O (accusative) | Past participle | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | habe | meinen Bruder | angerufen. | I called my brother |
7. Learn German sentences with verbs and adverbs
Adverbs in German often come after the verb but before the object. A common order is Time-Manner-Place, but this can be flexible for emphasis.
S | V | Time/Frequency | Manner/Time | Place | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ich | arbeite | heute | fleißig | im Büro. | I work diligently in the office today. |
Sie | liest | oft | abends | im Bett. | She often reads in bed in the evenings. |
8. Sentences with conjunctions in German
German sentence structure can be different based on the type of conjunction used and whether you’re forming a statement or a question.
So, for coordinating conjunctions, you have to maintain the standard S-V-O order in each clause.
The most common coordinating German conjunctions are:
German | English |
---|---|
aber | but |
und | and |
denn | because |
sondern | rather |
oder | or |
doch | however, but |
Take a look at these examples here:
Subject | Verb | Object | Coordinating Conjunction | Subject | Verb | Object | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thomas | spielt | Fußball, | aber | seine Schwester | bevorzugt | Tennis. | Thomas plays soccer, but his sister prefers tennis. |
Der Chef | schreibt | E-Mails | und | er | führt | Telefongespräche. | The boss writes emails and he conducts phone calls. |
When beginning a sentence with a subordinating conjunction, the word order changes.
Some common subordinating conjunctions are:
German | English |
---|---|
solange | as long as |
sobald | as soon as |
da | because |
bis | until |
wann | when (in questions) |
ehe | before |
während | during, while |
wenn | when, if |
dass | that |
And to see all of this in action:
Subordinating Conjunction | Subject | Object | Verb | Verb | Subject | Object | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wenn | er | – | anruft, | antworte | ich | – | When he calls, I answer. |
Da | wir | Zeit | haben, | besuchen | wir | das Museum. | Because we have time, we visit the museum. |
Sobald | der Film | – | beginnt, | schalten | wir | das Handy aus. | As soon as the movie starts, we turn off the cell phone. |
9. Questions in German
The German sentence structure for question depends on the type of question:
Yes/No questions in German language
For yes/no questions in German, you place the German verb first.
Like this:
Verb | Subject | Object | English |
---|---|---|---|
Sprichst | du | Deutsch? | Do you speak German? |
Kauft | er | ein Auto? | Is he buying a car? |
W-questions word order in German
Start with the question word, followed by any objects, then the verb and subject.
Question Word | Object(s) | Verb | Subject | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Was | – | liest | du? | What are you reading? |
Wie oft | Sport | treibt | sie? | How often does she exercise? |
Welches | Instrument | spielt | er? | Which instrument does he play? |
10. Mastering German sentence structure with Conversation Based Chunking
So, there you have it!
German sentence structure might seem like a tough nut to crack at first, but don’t let those long words and complicated rules scare you off.
Use Conversation Based Chunking to unlock the secrets!
Instead of drowning yourself in a sea of German grammar rules and exceptions, why not listen to and read real-life conversations and learn chunks of language as they’re actually used?
This way, you’re not just memorizing dry rules – you’re picking up natural patterns and expressions that Germans use every day.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your German skills be. But with Conversation Based Chunking, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you start forming sentences that actually sound, well, German!
You’ll be stringing together words like a pro, placing your verbs in the right spots, and even tackling those tricky subordinate clauses without breaking a sweat.
So, ditch the textbook (okay, maybe not entirely) and start listening to German conversations, watching German shows, or chatting with German speakers. Before you know it, you’ll be constructing sentences that would make even Goethe proud. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea!
Tschüss und viel Glück! (That’s “bye and good luck” for you newbies out there!)