Position of the verb in the sentence

The core rule: where is the verb?

In German, the conjugated verb (the “finite” verb: komme, kommst, habe, bist) has a very stable position.

• Statement (Aussagesatz): verb = position 2
• Yes/No question (Ja/Nein-Frage): verb = position 1
• W-question (W-Frage): question word = position 1, verb = position 2

Statements: “verb in position 2” (not “subject in position 1”)

Many learners think German is always “Subject–Verb…”. Often yes, but the real rule is:

In a statement, the verb is always in slot 2. Slot 1 can be different things.

Slot 1	Slot 2 (verb)	Then…
Subject	komme	…the rest
Time / place / other info	komme	…then the subject comes after the verb

• Ich komme aus Spanien.
• Heute komme ich nach Spanien.

Typical mistake: putting the verb in position 3 after an extra word.

• Heute ich komme nach Spanien. ❌
• Heute komme ich nach Spanien. ✅

Yes/No questions: “verb first”

In a yes/no question, German starts with the conjugated verb.

• Kommst du aus Spanien?
• Bist du schon 30 Jahre alt?

Watch out: don’t put du before the verb in yes/no questions.

• Du bist schon 30 Jahre alt? (This is more like surprised spoken intonation, not the standard question form.)
• Bist du schon 30 Jahre alt? ✅

W-questions: “question word first, verb second”

A W-question starts with the question word (woher, wie, wann, warum, was…).

Then the verb comes immediately after it.

• Woher kommst du?
• Wie alt bist du?

Typical mistake: leaving the verb too late.

• Wie alt du bist? ❌
• Wie alt bist du? ✅

A practical “slot” method you can self-check in 10 seconds

1. Find the conjugated verb (e.g., feierst, bist, habe).
2. Decide the sentence type:
   • Statement
   • Yes/No question
   • W-question
3. Place the verb:
   • Statement: verb in position 2
   • Yes/No question: verb in position 1
   • W-question: verb in position 2
4. Check: is there exactly one element before the verb in a statement?

Mini examples with “today / on Monday” (very common in real conversations)

Time words often go to slot 1. Then the verb stays in slot 2.

• Heute feierst du deinen Geburtstag.
• Am Montag habe ich Geburtstag.

Pattern you can reuse:

• Heute / Morgen / Am Montag / Im April + Verb + Subject + …

What you should pay attention to (common learner traps)

• Don’t confuse “position 2” with “second word”.

  “Wie alt” counts as one first element. Then the verb is still position 2.

• In statements, you cannot keep the subject before the verb when something else is in slot 1.

  Not: Heute ich habe… → Yes: Heute habe ich…

• Focus on the conjugated verb only.

  At A1, you mainly need this with simple present (kommst) and sein/haben (bist/habe).