I. Theory
Word order in German does not always follow the subject-object-verb sequence that we find in English. It often depends on the type of clause (main or subordinate) as well as the number/tense of verbs present.II. V2
In a main clause (with the exception of yes/no questions), the conjugated verb must always remain in the second position. This is known as “V2.” In other words, if a sentence doesn’t begin with a subject, the verb still follows whatever information is starting the sentence. Such information can pertain to time, manner, place or even be an object. This information is often put first in the sentence as a way of stressing them.| Ich trinke Wein zum Abendessen. I drink wine with dinner. But: Zum Abendessen trinke ich Wein. With dinner, I drink wine. |
| Wir feiern morgen den Geburtstag meiner Mutter. We are celebrating my mother’s birthday tomorrow. But: Morgen feiern wir den Geburtstag meiner Mutter. Tomorrow, we are celebrating my mother’s birthday. |
Note: When starting a sentence with information that isn’t the subject, we often place a comma in English. Germans do not use a comma in this context.
III. V2 with Subordinate Clauses
Subordinate clauses are discussed in further detail in other lessons. However, the conjugated verb begins the main clause when it proceeds the subordinate clause, as this is still considered to be second position. In these instances, there is a comma separating the clauses.| Als ich in Berlin war, habe ich jeden Tag Döner gegessen. When I was in Berlin, I ate doner kebabs every day. But: Ich habe jeden Tag Döner gegessen, als ich in Berlin war. I ate doner kebabs every day when I was in Berlin. |
| Da wir kein Auto hatten, mussten wir mit dem Zug fahren. Since we didn’t have a car, we had to travel by train. But: Wir mussten mit dem Zug fahren, da wir kein Auto hatten. We had to travel by train, since we didn’t have a car. |
IV: Conclusion
Essentially, anytime an independent sentence begins with information other than the subject, a verb must follow. Below are some additional examples showing how this affects various compound tenses as well:| Heute sind wir nicht zum Strand gefahren, weil es regnet. Today, we didn’t go to the beach because it’s raining. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs sind viele Menschen in die USA geflüchtet. During the Second World War, many people fled to the USA. Wenn ich gewusst hätte, wieviel die Tickets kosten, wäre ich nicht ins Konzert gegangen. If I had known how much the tickets would cost, I wouldn’t have gone to the concert. |