Einfacher Hauptsatz
Einfacher Hauptsatz translates to a simple main clause in German. It’s a basic sentence structure where the elements follow a straightforward order: subject + verb + object.
Structure
- Subject (S) — who or what is performing the action.
- Verb (V) — the action being done.
- Object (O) — the object of the action (optional).
- Ich trinke Wasser (I drink water.)
- Der Hund schläft (The dog sleeps)
In simple main clauses, the verb is always in the second position, and the other elements can be rearranged if you want to emphasize something else.
- Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin (Tomorrow I will go to Berlin)
TeKaMoLo
(TeKaMoLo) is a mnemonic used in German grammar to help remember the order of adverbial phrases in a sentence. It stands for:
- T: Temporal (time) - When?
- K: Kausal (cause) - Why?
- M: Modal (manner) - How?
- Lo: Lokal (place) - Where?
When constructing sentences, adverbials should generally follow this order. For example:
- Ich gehe heute (T) wegen des schlechten Wetters (K) schnell (M) nach Hause (Lo).
Conjugated verb as position 2
| Scenario | Position 1 | Position 2 | Teil | |
| modal verbs | Ich | will | heute | einkaufen |
| separable verbs | Ich | kaufe | Obst und gemute | ein |
| sein + Adj. | Das Wetter | ist | heute Nachmittag | wunderbar |
| verb+ verb | Wir | gehen | heute Nachmittag | schwimmen |
| noun - verb combination | Heute Abend | spiele | ich mit meiner Freund | Tennis |
| perfect | Ich | habe | schon Getränke | eingekauft |
Fragesatz
Fragesatz refers to question sentences in German. There are several types of questions, each with its own rules for structure.
Ja-Nein Fragen
These are questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no." The verb is placed at the first position.
- Kommst du morgen? (Are you coming tomorrow?)
- Hast du Zeit? (Do you have time?)
W-Fragen
These questions start with question words (W-Wörter) like wer (who), was (what), wo (where), wann (when), warum (why), etc. The verb remains in the second position, but the question word comes before it.
- Wie spät ist es? (What time is it?)
- Woher wohnst du? (Where do you kome from?)
- Warum bist du traurig? (Why are you sad?)
Entscheidungsfragen
These are questions offering a choice between multiple options. They are structured like Ja/Nein-Fragen but include conjunctions like oder (or).
- Trinkst du Kaffee oder Tee? (Do you drink coffee or tea?)
- Fahren wir mit dem Zug oder mit dem Auto? (Are we traveling by train or by car?)