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Understanding Word Order in German Sentences

German word order generally follows a logical structure. The standard sentence structure in German is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). However, German also uses verb-second (V2) and verb-final word order, depending on the sentence type.

Basic Word Order (SVO)

In simple sentences, the structure is straightforward:

• Subject + Verb + Object
  Example: Ich esse einen Apfel. (I eat an apple.)

Here, Ich (I) is the subject, esse (eat) is the verb, and einen Apfel (an apple) is the object.

Verb-Second Rule (V2)

In declarative sentences, the verb must always be the second element in the sentence, regardless of what comes first. This means the subject can be moved to a different position:

• Heute esse ich einen Apfel. (Today, I eat an apple.)

Here, "Heute" (Today) comes first, but the verb esse remains in the second position.

Word Order in Questions

In yes/no questions, the verb comes first:

• Hast du einen Apfel? (Do you have an apple?)

In "wh-" questions (questions with who, what, where, etc.), the question word comes first, followed by the verb:

• Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)

Word Order in Subordinate Clauses

In subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like weil (because) or dass (that), the verb moves to the end of the clause:

• Ich esse einen Apfel, weil ich Hunger habe.
  (I eat an apple because I am hungry.)

Here, habe (have) is the verb, and it is placed at the end of the clause.