German word order can feel alien at first. It’s different from English, and if you’re used to English’s relatively flexible rules, you might wonder why German sometimes places verbs in what seems like the wrong spot. But don’t worry! While German word order takes some getting used to, it follows a clear logic. Trust in the process, and soon it will click. Let’s break it down step by step.
subject-verb-object (SVO)
Contrary to what most people think, Germans don’t always speak like Yoda. At its most basic, German uses the same structure as English: Subject – Verb – Object (SVO).
| Ich sehe den Hund. | I see the dog. |
| Der Frosch frisst die Fliege. | The frog eats the fly. |
| Meine Schwester macht einen Kuchen. | My sister is making a cake. |
All of these sentences follow the SVO structure. First comes the conjugated verb (also called the finite verb), then the subject and then the object, just as in English. If you’re forming simple sentences, this is the pattern to stick with. But German doesn’t stop there—it has additional rules to spice things up.
infinitives at the end of the sentence
Although German uses the SVO word order for simple sentences, things change when we introduce additional elements and verbs into a sentence.
You may have noticed that German sentences often end with a verb, which can seem a bit strange for speakers of other languages. Although the conjugated verb (the verb that matches the subject) is in the second position in the sentence, infinitive verbs come at the very end of the sentence.
The infinitive is just the base form of a verb, not linked to any subject in particular. This equates to the form in English with to, for example “to sleep” or “to eat”. Think of “he wants to sleep” – the sleeps has an -s on the end so that it matches the subject he – in other words the verb is conjugated. “To sleep” on the other hand is the infinitive verb and has no subject or time associated with it.
There are a number of scenarios in German in which this construction with the infinitive verb at the end of the sentence occurs:
| With modal verbs | Ich muss heute einkaufen. I have to go shopping today. Wir können das nicht machen. We can’t do that. Ich möchte etwas trinken. I would like to drink something. |
| Future tense | Wir werden nächste Woche nach Berlin fahren. We’re driving to Berlin next week. Der Vogel wird morgen fliegen. The bird will fly tomorrow. |
| With zu + infinitive constructions | Es ist wichtig, jeden Tag Deutsch zu lernen. It’s important to learn German every day. Es ist nicht erlaubt, hier zu rauchen. Smoking is not allowed here. |
These are the absolute basics of German word order, but as you will see, things can get a lot more exciting. Let’s start by taking a look at the V2 rule.