The verb is always number two.
Something comes first.
The verb comes second.
The rest follows.
A second verb waits at the end.
In a German statement the conjugated verb always takes position two. Position one can be the subject, but also a time, a place or an object. If something else stands first, the subject moves right behind the verb.
| Position 1 | Verb | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | fahre | morgen nach Hamburg. |
| Morgen | fahre | ich nach Hamburg. |
| Nach Hamburg | fahre | ich morgen. |
When a sentence has two verb parts, they form a bracket. The conjugated part stands second; the other part goes to the very end. This happens with modal verbs, separable verbs and the perfect.
Look closer
Am Samstag kann ich leider nicht kommen.
Unfortunately I can't come on Saturday.للأسف لا أستطيع المجيء يوم السبت.Am Samstag
Position one: a time.
kann
Position two: the conjugated verb, here a modal.
ich
The subject moves behind the verb.
leider nicht
The middle of the bracket.
kommen.
The infinitive closes the bracket at the end.
Time usually comes before place: Ich fahre morgen nach Hamburg, not nach Hamburg morgen.
Heute Abend sehe ich fern.Tonight I'm watching TV.هذا المساء سأشاهد التلفاز.
Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen.I watched a film yesterday.شاهدت فيلمًا أمس.
Everything in this article
The bracket
| modal | Ich muss heute arbeiten. |
|---|---|
| separable | Ich rufe dich morgen an. |
| perfect | Ich habe gestern Fußball gespielt. |
und, aber, oder, denn don't count
These words join two sentences without taking position one: Ich bin müde, aber ich komme mit. See und, aber, oder, denn.
Questions
See questions: a question word takes position one; a yes/no question puts the verb first.
Words in this article
Practise it
This topic belongs to step 7, step 8 of the learn path.