Lesson 1 of your German course
B1.2 · Grammar · ~15 minutes
German verbs are obsessed with position. In a main clause, the finite verb always occupies the second slot — the second grammatical unit, not the second word. This is called the Verb-Second (V2) rule and it affects every sentence you speak or write in German.
In English, the subject almost always comes first. German doesn't care. You can put a time expression, a location, a reason, or an adverb in front — but the moment you do, the subject has to step aside and the verb takes slot two.
These are the exact constructions you've been writing — and the correction each time:
| What you wrote | What it should be | Front element |
|---|---|---|
| Heute ich werde Code-Review machen | Heute werde ich Code-Review machen | Heute (time) |
| Am Freitag ich hat gearbeitet | Am Freitag habe ich gearbeitet | Am Freitag (time) |
| Danach ich werde weiter | Danach werde ich weiter | Danach (sequence) |
| Weiss ich nicht was... | Ich weiß nicht, was... | Subject first → no inversion needed |
Notice the last row: when the subject is already in front, there is no inversion. The rule only triggers when something other than the subject occupies slot one.
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Time | Heute, Gestern, Am Freitag, Um 9 Uhr, Letzte Woche |
| Sequence | Dann, Danach, Zuerst, Anschließend, Zuletzt |
| Contrast / addition | Trotzdem, Also, Außerdem, Dennoch |
| Reason phrase | Deshalb, Daher, Deswegen |
| Location | In Heitersheim, Im Büro, Zu Hause |
| Object moved to front | Das Ticket habe ich gestern geschlossen. |
After you write a sentence, hold up one finger for the first unit. Ask: is this the verb? If no — your next word must be the verb, and the subject comes after it. Count on your fingers if needed. This catches the error every time before it leaves your head.
All sentences are grounded in your actual life. Eight questions. Immediate feedback after each answer.
German for English Speakers: Sentence Structure — covers V2, subordinate clause word order, and compound verbs in one page. Then Your Daily German: Word Order Explained for deeper coverage (subscription).