The verb in second position

Where is the verb after “Heute”?

Take a look

Ich trinke Kaffee.I drink coffee.
Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.Tomorrow I am going to Berlin.
Spielst du Fußball?Do you play football?
Am Montag arbeitet sie nicht.On Monday she doesn't work.

The rule

In a simple German statement, the changed verb takes the second position. The first position may contain one word or a whole phrase: Heute scheint die Sonne. Am Wochenende gehe ich ins Kino. If you begin with Heute, put the verb next, then the person or thing. Count parts of the sentence rather than individual words. This helps you check your own word order.

Remember: In a statement, the changed verb comes second.

Goes with lesson 1, 5, 11 of the course.

What differs for you

English usually keeps the subject before the verb after a time phrase. German moves the conjugated verb into second position: in “Heute scheint die Sonne”, “Heute” comes first and “scheint” follows before the subject. The German rule counts sentence parts, not just words. When you begin with a time or place, look for the verb immediately afterward.

The forms

The verb in second position

Position 1	Position 2 (Verb)	Rest
Ich	trinke	heute Kaffee.
Heute	trinke	ich Kaffee.
Kaffee	trinke	ich heute.
Am Morgen	trinkt	sie Tee.

Common mistakes

*Heute die Sonne scheint. → Heute scheint die Sonne.
*Am Wochenende ich gehe ins Kino. → Am Wochenende gehe ich ins Kino.

Quick check

Deutsch / ich / lerne
Put the words in the correct order.
Answer
Ich lerne Deutsch. — Subject + verb + object
morgen / gehe / ich / ins Kino
Put the words in the correct order.
Answer
Morgen gehe ich ins Kino. — Time expression in position 1, verb in position 2
Ich morgen komme.
Correct the word order.
Answer
Ich komme morgen. — The verb must be in position 2
Welcher Satz hat die richtige Wortstellung?
Which sentence is correct?
1. Heute es regnet.
2. Heute regnet es.
3. Es heute regnet.
4. Regnet heute es.
Answer
Heute regnet es. — Verb in position 2
wohnst / wo / du
Put the words in the correct order.
Answer
Wo wohnst du? — Question-word question: question word + verb + subject
Am Wochenende ___ wir Tennis. (to play)
Put the verb in the correct place.
Answer
spielen — Verb in position 2, after the time expression

The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →

Terms

Main clause: A group of words that makes a complete statement on its own: I will come tomorrow.
Statement: A sentence that tells someone something: It is raining today.
Word order: The order of words in a sentence: Today I am coming.
Predicate: The part that says what happens or what something is like: The child sleeps.

BeforePresent tense: regular verbs AfterPersonal pronouns

Sentence structure

Nicht and kein A1What does “nicht” do in these sentences?→Asking questions A1Why does one question start with “Wo” and another with “Kann”?→In, auf, unter: place or direction A2Why is it “in die Schule” but “in einem Büro”?→Join sentences with weil and dass A2Where is ist after weil in “Sie ist traurig, weil er weg ist”?→Relative clauses B1Relative clauses give additional information about a noun.→Infinitive constructions B1Infinitive constructions with 'zu' replace subordinate clauses.→

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