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
- Find the conjugated verb (e.g., feierst, bist, habe).
- Decide the sentence type:
- Statement
- Yes/No question
- W-question
- Place the verb:
- Statement: verb in position 2
- Yes/No question: verb in position 1
- W-question: verb in position 2
- 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).
