German Grammar

 ich lerne german

du lernst german

er lernt german

wir lernen german

ihr lernt german

sie lernen german

i learn german

you learn german

he learns german

we learn german

you learn german

they learn german

                         |   Singular             |  Plural |

-----------------------------------------------------

Nominativ        |     du/Du-             |Wie heißt du

Akkusativ        |    dich/Dich-         | ich liebe dich

Dativ                |    dir/Dir-             | Wie geht es dir?

Genitiv             |     deiner/Deiner- | zu deiner Information

Imagine you are in Dubai airtport as officer then ask these questions to passenger from India to Germany

wo - where

wo + hin(towards) - wohin - where are you going (germany) - hin und zuruck ( towards and back)

wo + her - where do you come from ( India)

Certainly! German word order can be a bit more rigid than English, but once you understand the basic rules, it becomes more manageable. Here are some key points about word order in German grammar:

1. Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) Word Order: The most common word order in German sentences is SVO, which is similar to English. In a simple statement, the subject usually comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object. For example: "Ich lese ein Buch" (I am reading a book).

2. Verb Position: In main clauses (independent sentences), the conjugated verb is always the second element in the sentence, regardless of whether the subject or another element comes first. The verb's position is a fundamental rule in German word order.

3. Time Expressions and Adverbs: When a sentence begins with a time expression or an adverb, the word order changes. The verb will come first, followed by the subject, and then the other elements. For example: "Morgen gehe ich ins Kino" (Tomorrow, I am going to the cinema).

4. Subordinate Clauses: In subordinate clauses (dependent sentences), the verb is usually placed at the end of the clause. The word order in the subordinate clause can vary more, but the conjugated verb remains at the end.

5. Questions: In yes-no questions, the verb comes first, followed by the subject and then the rest of the elements. For example: "Kommst du morgen?" (Are you coming tomorrow?). In questions with question words (who, what, where, when, etc.), the question word comes first, then the verb, followed by the subject and the rest of the sentence. For example: "Was machst du heute?" (What are you doing today?).

6. Separable Verbs: In sentences with separable verbs (verbs with a prefix that can be separated), the prefix is usually separated from the main verb and placed at the end of the clause. For example: "Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf" (I get up at 7 o'clock).

7. Coordinating Conjunctions: When connecting two independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions (und - and, aber - but, oder - or, etc.), the verb remains in the second position in each clause. For example: "Ich lese ein Buch, und er spielt Gitarre" (I am reading a book, and he is playing the guitar).

Of course! Let's dive deeper into German word order and explore additional aspects that are important to understand:

1. Inversion in Questions: In yes-no questions, where there is no question word, the verb is placed before the subject. The subject remains in its regular position. For example:

   • Statement: "Du spielst Fußball." (You play football.)
   • Question: "Spielst du Fußball?" (Do you play football?)

2. Position of Adverbs and Time Expressions: Adverbs and time expressions can be placed at different positions in a sentence, depending on their focus. Generally, time expressions come at the beginning of a sentence, while other adverbs usually come after the conjugated verb. For example:

   • Time Expression: "Heute gehe ich einkaufen." (Today, I am going shopping.)
   • Adverb: "Ich gehe oft einkaufen." (I often go shopping.)

3. Subordinating Conjunctions: In subordinate clauses, the verb is placed at the end, and the conjugated verb is also moved to the end of the clause. Conjunctions like "weil" (because), "dass" (that), "obwohl" (although), etc., introduce subordinate clauses. For example:

   • Main Clause: "Ich bleibe zu Hause." (I am staying at home.)
   • Subordinate Clause: "Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es regnet." (I am staying at home because it is raining.)

4. Relative Clauses: Relative clauses provide additional information about a noun, and they are introduced by relative pronouns like "der," "die," "das" (who, which, that). The verb is placed at the end of the relative clause. For example:

   • Main Clause: "Das ist das Buch." (That is the book.)
   • Relative Clause: "Das ist das Buch, das ich gestern gekauft habe." (That is the book that I bought yesterday.)

5. Coordinating Conjunctions: When two independent clauses are connected by coordinating conjunctions like "und" (and), "aber" (but), "oder" (or), etc., the verb remains in the second position in each clause. For example:

   • Clause 1: "Ich lese ein Buch." (I am reading a book.)
   • Clause 2: "Er spielt Gitarre." (He is playing the guitar.)
   • Connected: "Ich lese ein Buch, und er spielt Gitarre." (I am reading a book, and he is playing the guitar.)

6. Passive Voice: In the passive voice, the auxiliary verb "werden" is used together with the past participle of the main verb. The subject (the receiver of the action) comes before the conjugated form of "werden." For example:

   • Active Voice: "Der Lehrer erklärt den Stoff." (The teacher explains the material.)
   • Passive Voice: "Der Stoff wird vom Lehrer erklärt." (The material is explained by the teacher.)

Certainly! Let's continue exploring additional aspects of word order in German grammar:

1. Inverted Word Order for Emphasis: In German, you can invert the word order for emphasis. This means that you can start a sentence with an element other than the subject, which puts that element in the first position and makes it stand out. The conjugated verb remains in the second position. For example:

   • Normal Word Order: "Das Buch habe ich gelesen." (I have read the book.)
   • Inverted Word Order for Emphasis: "Gelesen habe ich das Buch." (I have READ the book.)

2. Position of Pronouns: Pronouns, like personal pronouns (ich, du, er, etc.) and object pronouns (mich, dich, ihm, etc.), have specific positions in a sentence. In general, pronouns come before the conjugated verb, but after the inverted word order element. For example:

   • Normal Word Order: "Ich sehe ihn." (I see him.)
   • Inverted Word Order for Emphasis: "Ihn sehe ich." (It's HIM I see.)

3. Position of Adverbial Clauses: Adverbial clauses, which provide additional information about the main clause, usually come after the main clause. The conjugated verb is placed at the end of the adverbial clause. For example:

   • Main Clause: "Ich gehe ins Kino." (I am going to the cinema.)
   • Adverbial Clause: "Ich gehe ins Kino, weil der Film gut ist." (I am going to the cinema because the movie is good.)

4. Conjunctions and Word Order: Some conjunctions, like "weil" (because), "wenn" (if/when), and "ob" (whether), can affect the word order in a sentence. When these conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause, the word order changes, and the conjugated verb is placed at the end of the clause. For example:

   • Main Clause: "Er kommt später." (He is coming later.)
   • Subordinate Clause: "Er kommt später, weil er im Stau steckt." (He is coming later because he is stuck in traffic.)

5. Position of Infinitive Clauses: Infinitive clauses, which contain infinitive verbs, often come at the end of a sentence after the conjugated verb. For example:

   • Main Clause: "Ich möchte tanzen." (I want to dance.)
   • Infinitive Clause: "Ich möchte tanzen lernen." (I want to learn to dance.)

6. Word Order in Imperative Sentences: In imperative sentences (commands), the verb comes first. However, if you're using pronouns in the imperative, they come before the verb. For example:

   • Imperative: "Komm hier!" (Come here!)
   • Imperative with Pronoun: "Komm her!" (Come here!)

Certainly! Let's continue exploring more aspects of word order in German grammar:

1. Multiple Verbs in a Sentence: In German, sentences can have multiple verbs, especially when using modal verbs or constructing complex sentences. The conjugated verb remains in the second position, and the infinitive or past participle form of the additional verb(s) is placed at the end of the sentence. For example:

   • Modal Verb: "Ich möchte Deutsch lernen." (I would like to learn German.)
   • Complex Sentence: "Ich habe angefangen, Deutsch zu lernen." (I have started to learn German.)

2. Indirect Questions: In indirect questions, the word order follows the rules of statements, not questions. The word order becomes SVO, not VSO. For example:

   • Direct Question: "Wo ist der Bahnhof?" (Where is the train station?)
   • Indirect Question: "Ich frage mich, wo der Bahnhof ist." (I wonder where the train station is.)

3. Separated Prefix Verbs: When using separable prefix verbs, the prefix is separated from the main verb and is placed at the end of the clause. For example:

   • Regular Verb: "Sie stellt die Lampe an." (She turns on the lamp.)
   • Separable Prefix Verb: "Sie stellt die Lampe an" (Sie macht das Licht an). (She switches on the lamp.)

4. Adjective Endings and Word Order: In German, adjectives have different endings depending on the gender, case, and definiteness of the noun they modify. When adjectives are placed before the noun (attributive position), the endings must be adjusted accordingly. For example:

   • "Der große Hund" (The big dog)
   • "Ein großer Hund" (A big dog)

5. Comparisons: In comparative sentences, the word order remains the same as in regular sentences. The comparative adjectives "größer" (bigger), "kleiner" (smaller), etc., are used. For example:

   • "Der Baum ist größer als das Haus." (The tree is bigger than the house.)

6. Conditional Sentences: In conditional sentences, the word order follows the standard pattern. However, the conjunction "wenn" (if) introduces the condition, and the word "dann" (then) can be omitted. For example:

   • "Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause." (If it rains, I will stay at home.)

7. Time Expressions with Present Perfect: In sentences with the present perfect tense, time expressions are typically placed at the end of the sentence. For example:

   • "Ich habe gestern Deutsch gelernt." (I learned German yesterday.)