Cheat sheet · verb second · the bracket · questions
German word order: cheat sheet
Position 2 is for the verb
| 1 | 2 · verb | 3 … |
|---|---|---|
| Joy | arbeitet | heute in der Klinik. |
| Heute | arbeitet | Joy in der Klinik. |
| In der Klinik | arbeitet | Joy heute. |
All three mean: Joy works at the clinic today. Position 1 can be one word or a whole group (“In der Klinik”, at the clinic). It still counts as one.
One pattern, many uses
| Type | Position 2 | middle … | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| modal verb | muss | morgen früh zum Arzttomorrow morning to the doctor | gehen |
| separable verb | rufe | dich heute Abendyou this evening | an |
| möchte + verb | möchte | einen Terminan appointment | machen |
| Perfekt (unit 7) | habe | gestern langelate yesterday | gearbeitet |
With “Ich” in front: I must go to the doctor tomorrow morning · I’ll call you this evening · I’d like to make an appointment · I worked late yesterday.
The W-words
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who | Wer ist das?Who is that? |
| was | what | Was machst du?What are you doing? |
| wo | where (at) | Wo wohnen Sie?Where do you live? |
| woher | where from | Woher kommst du?Where are you from? |
| wohin | where to | Wohin fährt der Bus?Where is the bus going? |
| wie | how | Wie heißen Sie?What is your name? |
| wann | when | Wann beginnt der Kurs?When does the course start? |
| warum | why | Warum lernst du Deutsch?Why are you learning German? |
| wie viel | how much | Wie viel kostet das?How much does that cost? |