German Language Grammar

Word Order. German word order is more flexible than English word order. The German sentence can start with almost any element, including adverbs, adjectives, direct objects, indirect objects, prepositional objects etc. General rule: the conjugated verb MUST be in 2. position. If an element other than the subject (or a conjunction) starts the sentence, the subject must move behind the verb. Standard sentence: Die Kinder essen gern Schokoladeeis. Subject verb adv. Direct object Alternatives: Gern essen die Kinder Schokoladeeis. Adv. Verb subject direct object Schokoladeeis essen die Kinder gern. Direct object verb subject adv.