Learn German /Verb placement
German grammar can be very different from English grammar. This includes the order of words in a sentence.
In German, the verb is always the second idea in a sentence. In English, this is only true in simple sentences, eg 'Ich wohne in England' - I live in England.If we add some more information at the start of the sentence you can see how the languages differ:- Im Winter, wohne ich in England -> In the winter, I live in England.
- Meiner Meinung nach essen wir zu viel Fett -> In my opinion, we eat too much fat.
- Vor der Schule spielt Dan Fußball -> Before school, Dan plays football.
Future and perfect tense verbs
| First idea | Second idea | Third/fourth etc | Translations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ich | spiele | Tennis | I play tennis |
| Ich | spiele | jeden Tag vor der Schule Tennis | I play tennis every day before school |
| Jeden Tag vor der Schule | spiele | ich Tennis | Every day before school I play tennis |
| Ich | werde | Tennis spielen* | I am going to play tennis |
| Am Montag | werde | ich Tennis spielen* | On Monday I am going to play tennis |
| Ich | habe | Tennis gespielt** | I played tennis |
| Letztes Wochenende | habe | ich Tennis gespielt** | Last weekend I played tennis |
| Meiner Meinung nach | ist | Tennis super | In my opinion tennis is great |
| Während der Woche | spiele | ich Tennis | During the week I play tennis |
| Bevor ich um 9 Uhr in die Schule gehe, | spiele | ich Tennis | Before I go to school at 9 o'clock I play tennis |
Common mistakes made by English speakers
- Not keeping the verb in second position.
- Remembering to move the verb, but putting it at the front.
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