Syntax

Main clauses

Hauptsätze

Main clauses are sentences that are independent and contain at least the subject and predicate (more parts of the sentence are also possible), e.g. Julia duscht. (Julia is taking a shower).

In main clauses, the verb always comes second. The subject is most often in the first place, but there may also be another part of the sentence, e.g. an object or a description of a place / time.

Construction of the main clauses

Word order

Individual parts of a sentence in German must take the correct position in the sentence. Sentences most often consist of a subject, a predicate (verb), and an object. If there are more parts in the sentence, we put them in the appropriate positions according to the list below:

  • (1) First place: most often the subject (Subjekt), sometimes a different part of sentence, e.g. object (Objekt) or place / time description (Ort / Zeit).
  • (2) Second place: predicate or auxiliary verb (Verb)
  • (3) Personal pronoun (describing the direct object Personalpronomen für das direkte Objekt)
  • (4) Personal pronoun (describing the indirect object Personalpronomen für das indirekte Objekt)
  • (5) Subject (if not in the first place)
  • (6) Indirect object (indirektes Objekt)
  • (7) Time description (Zeit)
  • (8) Place description (Ort)
  • (9) Direct object (direktes Objekt)
  • (10) Preposition / Adverb (Präposition / Adverb)
  • (11) Infinitive (Infinitiv)
  • Translation
  • The man is giving the woman a gift.
  • Explanation
  • A simple main clause consisting of a subject, predicate, and indirect and direct object.
  • Translation
  • The man gave the woman a gift.
  • Explanation
  • This sentence is practically the same as the first one, but in the past tense (Perfekt). Parts of the sentence: subject, predicate (auxiliary verb), indirect object, direct object, and infinitive.
  • Translation
  • The man gave the woman in the restaurant yesterday a gift for her birthday.
  • Explanation
  • In this sentence, you can see that the individual parts of the sentence appear in the place specified according to the list above.
  • Translation
  • The man gave it to the woman in the restaurant yesterday for her birthday.
  • Explanation
  • The word gift (ein Geschenk) has been replaced by the personal pronoun es 👉 The man gave it (the gift) to the woman ...
  • Translation
  • The man gave it to her yesterday in the restaurant for her birthday.
  • Explanation
  • The word gift (ein Geschenk) has been replaced by the personal pronoun es, and the word woman (der Frau) by the personal pronoun ihr 👉 The man gave it (the gift) to her (the woman) ...
  • Note that when using pronouns, the order of the objects and pronouns is reversed: instead of (der Frau ein Geschenk) we have (es [=ein Geschenk] ihr [=der Frau])
  • Translation
  • The man gave a gift to the woman for her birthday yesterday in the restaurant.
  • Explanation
  • In this sentence, the indirect object (der Frau) is in the first place instead of the subject.
  • Translation
  • The man gave the woman in the restaurant yesterday a gift for her birthday.
  • Explanation
  • In this sentence, the direct object (ein Geschenk) is in the first place instead of the subject.
  • Translation
  • Yesterday the man gave a gift to the woman for her birthday in the restaurant.
  • Explanation
  • In this sentence, the description of time (gestern) is in the first place instead of the subject.
  • Translation
  • In the restaurant yesterday, the man gave the woman a gift for her birthday.
  • Explanation
  • In this sentence, the description of the place (in dem Restaurant) is in the first place instead of the subject.