German Word Order: Sentence Structure in German

"Der Junge" is the subject and is placed in the first position. "geht" is the verb, and "im Park" is an accusative object. You could also say:

• In den Park geht der Junge. The boy goes in the park.

You can see that the English translation is exactly the same, but there is a slight difference. In the second example, the focus is on "in den Park" rather than "der Junge." The first example sentence is more common, with the focus on the boy, while the second focuses on the park. In both sentences, the verb remains in the second position.

Examples:

1. Die Kinder fahren nach Hause. The children go home.
2. Der Student kocht für seine Freundin. The student cooks for his girlfriend.
3. Die Jugendlichen gehen ins Kino. The teenagers are going to the cinema.
4. Die Freunde spielen Fußball. The friends are playing football.
5. Das Mädchen hört Musik. The girl is listening to music.
6. Ich sehe den Vogel. I see the bird. 

The German word order of a subordinate clause (Dependent Clause) 

In a subordinate sentence the verb stands always at the last position. It does not matter which kind of subordinate clause is used (e.g causal clauses or final clauses).

• Der Junge geht in den Park, wenn das Wetter schön ist. The boy goes in the park if the weather is nice.

The word order of the first sentence is the same as in a regular main sentence, with the verb remaining in the second position. In the second sentence, which is a subordinate clause, the verb "ist" is found at the end.

Examples:

1. Die Kinder gehen in das Schwimmbad, weil das Wetter sehr gut ist. The children go to the swimming pool because the weather is very good.
2. Die Studentin hilft ihrem Freund, weil sie ihn mag. The student helps her boyfriend because she likes him.
3. Die Jungen gehen ins Kino, wenn es einen guten Film im Kino gibt. The boys go to the cinema when there is a good film in the cinema.
4. Die Männer spielen Fußball, wenn es nicht regnet. The men play football when it does not rain.

German Word order of a main sentence after a Subordinate Clause 

The sentence structure becomes more complicated when you start with a subordinate clause and then continue with a main sentence. In this case, the verb comes first in the main clause.

• Wenn das Wetter schön ist, geht der Junge in den Park. If the weather is nice, then the boy goes in the park.

The 1^st sentence is the subordinate sentence in which the predicate is placed at the end of the sentence. In case that we 1^st use a subordinate sentence then the verb comes at the 1^st and not at the 2^nd position in the main sentence.

Examples:

1. Da die Sonne scheint, gehen die Kinder in den Park. Since the sun is shining, the children go to the park
2. Wenn es regnet, spielen die Jungen kein Volleyball. When it rains, the boys don't play volleyball.
3. Obwohl der Junge viel für die Klausur glernt hat, hat er eine schlechte Note bekommen. Although the boy has learned a lot for the exam, he has received a bad grade.

German Sentence Structure of a Question Sentence

When forming a question, you often use a question word like "was" (what) or "wann" (when). In this case, the verb also appears in the second position.

• Wann kommt Peter? When does Peter come?

If you do not use any question verb then the predicate is put at the beginning of the sentence:

• Gehen wir gleich nach Hause? Are we going home soon?

Examples:

1. Wie geht es dir? How are you?
2. Was machst du? What are you doing?
3. Gehst du in das Kino? Are you going to the cinema?
4. Magst du Sport? Do you like sports?

You can read more about, how to form questions in German: here. 
 

German Word order with Modal Verbs
 

When using a modal verb, it acts as the main verb (predicate) and is typically placed in the second position in a main sentence. In a subordinate clause, however, it appears at the end of the sentence.

• Die Jugendlichen sollen um 22 Uhr nach Hause gehen. The teenagers should go home at 10pm.

In a main sentence, the infinitive (in this case, "gehen") appears at the end, while the predicate (in this case, "sollen") occupies the second position.

Examples:

1. Das Mädchen kann sehr gut Geige spielen. The girl is very good at playing the violin
2. Die Jugendlichen dürfen nicht rauchen. The young people are not allowed to smoke.
3. Der Junge spielt oft Fußball, weil er sehr gut Fußball spielen kann. The boy often plays football because he is very good at playing football.

You can get more detailed information about the modal verbs in German: here. 

German Word order with an Imperative Sentence

When forming an imperative sentence, the verb is placed in the first position. The subject is only used in the formal "Sie" (you) form; all other forms of the German imperative do not require a subject.

Examples

1. Geh nach Hause! Go home!
2. Geht nach Hause! Go home! (plural)
3. Gehen Sie nach Hause! Go home! (formal)
4. Gehen wir nach Hause! Lass uns nach Hause gehen! Let us go home!

If you like to read more about the imperative, you can find more information: here. 

German Sentence Structure of Dative and Accusative Objects

When you have a sentence with a dative object, then normally the dative stands before the accusative. 

• Der Junge gibt der Frau ein Geschenk. The boy gives the woman a present.

In this sentence you can see that the dative comes before the accusative case. 

If you use pronouns, then the accusative come normally before the dative. 

• Der Junge gibt es ihr. The boy gives it to her.

In this example, the accusative precedes the dative because of the pronouns.

Sentence Structure when Using "And"

"Und" can be used as an enumeration or to connect sentences with each other. You follow the same word order of the sentence the and is refering to. 

2 Main Clauses

Example:

• Der Junge geht in den Park und er isst dort ein Eis.  The boy goes to the park and eats an ice cream there.

Here "and" connects two main clauses. 

Mainclause + 2 Dependent Clauses

Example:

• Der Junge geht in den Park, weil das Wetter schön ist und die Sonne heute sehr stark scheint. The boy goes to the park because the weather is nice and the sun is shining brightly today.

The and sentence follows in this example the pattern of a subordinate clause. 

Dependent Clause + 2 Main Clauses

Example:

• Da das Wetter schön ist, geht der Junge in den Park und dort isst er ein Eis. As the weather is nice, the boy goes to the park and eats an ice cream.

The structure in this example is quite tricky and often misunderstood. Many students mistakenly think that the verb in the “and” clause should also be in the first position. However, the verb stands in the second position because the sentence connects a subordinate clause (1) with two main clauses (2 and 3). Since the last two clauses are main clauses, you follow the normal word order, meaning the verb is placed in the second position.