Warning! Structure first, Vocabularies Second

Of all the advice I will share, this is the most important instruction for anyone who is just starting to learn German, or who is already learning German!

There is a fundamental concept that you must keep in mind when approaching a new language: The level of flexibility vs. strictness in sentence structure.

This means that every language has its own rules regarding how a sentence must be structured.

🌍 The Flexible Friends: English and Spanish

Let's take English as an example:

English: Yesterday in the city center I went out with my friends, because we had planned things before.

As long as the verb follows the subject (most of the time), you have a lot of freedom to arrange the rest of the sentence.

It is similar in Spanish:

Spanish: Ayer (yo) salí con mis amigos al centro de la ciudad, porque lo habíamos planeado con antelación.

Spanish also allows speakers to rearrange elements (especially with the implied subject 'yo'), making it relatively fluid.

🇩🇪 The Uncompromising Structure: German

However, the same cannot be said for the German language.

If we were to strictly apply the structural rules of German to an English sentence, it might look like this:

German Structure in English: Yesterday I went with my friends to the city center because we had already planned that.

Although the word order sounds strange in English, this is exactly the structure that German prescribes.

Here is the sentence fully in German:

German: Gestern ging ich mit meinen Freunden ins Stadtzentrum, weil wir das schon geplant hatten.

🔨 The Important Rules of German Sentence Structure

To truly master German, you must first internalize these rules. Your vocabulary is useless if you put the words in the wrong order!

Rule 1: The Main Clause

THE VERB ALWAYS COMES IN SECOND POSITION, NO MATTER WHAT!

This is non-negotiable in a simple, independent sentence. If you move an element like time to the first position, the subject must move to the third position to keep the verb in its correct place.

Element Position	1st	2nd	3rd	Rest of the sentence
Normal sentence	Subject (I)	VERB (bought)	Object (a fish)	in the supermarket.
Auf Deutsch	Ich	kaufte	ein Fisch	im Supermarkt.
Time as 1st position sentence	Time (Last week)	VERB (bought)	Subject (I)	a fish in the supermarket.
Auf Deutsch	Letzte Woche	kaufte	ich	ein Fisch im Supermarkt.

AND IF MORE THAN 1 VERB, APPLY THE V2-VLast RULE!

This is ALSO non-negotiable in a simple, independent sentence. If you have more than 2 or 3 verbs in a sentence, there'll be one in the 2nd position and the other verb(s) brought to the end position of the sentence.

Element Position	1st	2nd	3rd	Rest of the elements	Last position
Normal sentence with present perfect	Subject (I)	VERB (have)	Object (a fish)	in the supermarket.	VERB-Last (bought)
Auf Deutsch	Ich	habe	ein Fisch	im Supermarkt	gekauft.
Normal sentence with modal verbs	Time (Last week)	VERB-2 (can)	Subject (I)	a fish in the supermarket.	VERB-Last (buy)
Auf Deutsch	Letzte Woche	kann	ich	ein Fisch im Supermarkt	kaufen.

Rule 2: The Subordinate Clause (Connecting Sentence)

Unless if you are connecting two sentences with connectors, The position of the verb in a subordinate clause that is connected to a main clause depends entirely on the connector you use.

Here are the three main types of connectors:

A. Coordinating Conjunctions (Verb in 2nd Position)

These connectors (such as and, but, or, for) keep the structure of the main clause intact, which means that the verb remains in the 2nd position in the second sentence.

• Example: I am going shopping, for I need milk.

  • (I am going shopping, because I need milk.)

B. Subordinating Conjunctions (Verb in LAST Position)

These are the known connectors (such as because, that, although, if) that introduce a subordinate clause. They force the conjugated verb to the end of the sentence.

• Example: I cannot come today, because I have to work.

  • (I cannot come today, because I have to work.)

C. Conjunctive Adverbs (Verb in 2nd Position - V2 Structure)

These adverbs (such as therefore, nevertheless, then) function like the time or place indicators from Rule 1. They come first, which means that the verb remains in the second position and the subject moves to the third position.

• Example: It has rained, therefore I stayed at home.

  • (It has rained, therefore I stayed at home.)

🎯 Application: Examples

Let’s take a look at the specific examples you wanted to see:

1. A sentence showing the verb in second position:

   • In the supermarket I bought a fish.

     • (In the supermarket I bought a fish.)

       
       

2. A sentence showing the time in first position and the verb in second position:

   • Last week I bought a fish.

     • (Last week I bought a fish.)

       
       

3. Connecting sentence with coordinating conjunction (and):

   • I drink coffee, and I eat bread.

     • (I drink coffee, and I eat bread.)

       
       

4. Connecting sentence with subordinating conjunction (because):

   • I am learning German, because it is fun for me.

     • (I am learning German, because it is fun for me.)

       
       

5. Connecting sentence with conjunctive adverb (therefore):

   • I was hungry, therefore I went to the kitchen.

     • (I was hungry, therefore I went to the kitchen.)

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🗾 The Strict Relatives: Japanese

To further illustrate the significance of 'rigidity' in a language, it is helpful to consider a language that is also rather inflexible, such as Japanese. Japanese follows a strict Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order and heavily relies on particles to define grammatical function. This means that the sentence structure is of utmost importance.

For example, the sentence "I went to the city center yesterday" is translated and structured as:

Japanese: 私は昨日 (wa watashi-wa kinō) | 街の中心に (machi-no chūshin-ni) | 行きました (ikimashita). (I, what, yesterday) | (to the city center) | (went.)

In Japanese, the verb must be the last word in the sentence. There is no flexibility to place the verb elsewhere, making it a strong example of a language that lies at the rigid end of the spectrum.

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🔑 The Most Important

Your path to fluent mastery of the German language depends on how well you respect the strict rules. Start by mastering the V2 principle and the effect of subordinating conjunctions. Only when you can confidently assemble the structure should you focus intensively on expanding your vocabulary.

For more information on German grammar rules, please take a look at the following points. Good luck and have fun!