Correct construction of sentences in German online. Types of sentences in German

When learning German, it is very important to learn how to write sentences correctly. Unlike Russian, constructing a sentence in German obeys strict rules, non-compliance with which leads to loss or distortion of meaning. Thus, in a simple declarative sentence, the predicate always comes in second place. If you move it to the beginning, the sentence is transformed into an interrogative or imperative.

For example:

Sie commen. They are coming.
Kommen Sie? Will you come?
Kommen Sie! Come!

Wir gehen nach Hause. We are going home.
Gehen wir nach Hause? We are going home?
Gehen wir nach Hause! Let's go home!

Note!

Incentive sentences (2l.singular and 2l.pl.) have other differences from narrative sentences. Interrogative sentences can* differ only in the location of the verb.

2l. units
Du fährst nach Deutschland. You are going to Germany. (in a declarative sentence the predicate comes second)
Fährst du nach Deutschland? Are you going to Germany? (it differs from a declarative sentence only in the word order - the predicate is placed in 1st place)
Fahr nach Deutschland! Go to Germany! (subject is missing, verb form does not match).

2l. plural
Ihr fahrt nach Deutschland. You are traveling to Germany. (predicate - second)
Fahrt ihr nach Deutschland? Are you traveling to Germany? (differs from a declarative sentence only in word order - the predicate comes first)
Fahrt nach Deutschland! Go to Germany! (no subject)

* In terms of syntax, interrogative sentences in German can be of two types:

• No question word when the predicate is put in first place, and the subject is in second (we looked at examples of just such sentences above);
• With a question word, when the question word is in first place, followed by the predicate, and in third place is the subject.

Leben Sie in Dresden? Do you live in Dresden?
Wo leben Sie? Where do you live? (wo? - question word)

Read more about simple declarative, interrogative and incentive sentences in the article “German Grammar”.

Types of sentences in German

There are several types of sentences in German. Let's look at the diagram:

Offer

• Simple
• Undistributed
  without minor members (Ich lese. I read.)
• Common
  with minor members (Ich lese dieses Buch. I am reading this book.)
• Complex
• Compound

  1. Meine Freunde gehen ins Kino, aber ich
  bleibe zu Hause. My friends are going to
  cinema, but I stay at home.
  _____ ____ , aber _____ _____ .

  2. Es ist sehr kalt, darum gehe ich heute nicht
  spazieren. It's very cold, so I'm not going
  go for a walk today (I’m not going for a walk today).
  _____ _____ ,darum ______ _____.

• Complex
  

  Nachdem ich gegessen habe, trinke ich
  immer Kaffee. After eating I always drink
  coffee.

  Morgen gehen wir spazieren, wenn
  wir frei sind. Tomorrow we'll go
  go for a walk if we are free.

Complex are called sentences consisting of several independent simple sentences united by a common meaning. Such sentences are connected by a comma or a coordinating conjunction/conjunctive word ( und- And, aber- But, oder- or, denn- because). In most cases, conjunctions do not affect the word order in a sentence (see example 1 in the diagram). However, there are conjunctions/conjunctive words that affect the word order in a complex sentence. These include: darum- That's why, deshalb- That's why, trotztdem- Despite this, also- hence others (example 2 in the diagram).

Complex sentences in German- these are complex sentences consisting of two or more simple ones, one of which is the main one, and the rest are subordinate clauses. The main clause and subordinate clauses can be connected by subordinating conjunctions ( wenn- If, weil- because, als- like others), as well as adverbs and pronouns ( welcher- Which, warum- Why, wohin- Where, dass- that, etc.)

Teilen Sie bitte mit, wohin Sie gehen. Please tell me where you are going.
Ich hoffe, dass du commst. I hope you come.
Wenn das Wetter gut ist, be sucht er seine Oma. If the weather is good, he will visit his grandmother.

When learning German, you need to pay close attention to subordinate clauses and the order of words in them. This will help you better understand native speakers, whose speech for the most part consists of complex sentences. And if everything is quite simple with complex sentences, complex sentences often cause difficulties in learning.

Let's look at the order of words in a subordinate clause using an example:
Nachdemdie Mutter gegessen hat, trinkt sie germen Tee. After eating, mom willingly drinks tea.

Nachdem die Mutter gegessen hat - subordinate clause.

1. The union or allied word always comes first. In this case - nachdem.
2. At the end of the subordinate clause, the modified part of the predicate is placed (here - hat).
3. The unchangeable part of the predicate is always in the penultimate place (gegessen).

In addition, you need to remember the following features:

1. If there is a negation nicht in a subordinate clause, it always comes before the predicate.

Wenn die Mutter zu Mittag nicht gegessen hat, trinkt sie Tee. If mom hasn't had lunch, she drinks tea.

1. The reflexive pronoun appears in a subordinate clause before the subject noun, but after the subject if it is expressed by a pronoun.

Ich möchte wissen, wofür du dich interessirt. I want to know what you are interested in.
Ich möchte wissen, wofür sich mein Freund interessiert. I want to know what my friend is interested in.

Word order in subordinate clauses. Table

First of all, you need to indicate the conjunctions that form additional subordinate clauses and subordinate clauses of reason:

• ass- What
• ob- whether
• weil - because
• da- because

And now the fun begins. In the main clause everything is as usual, but in the subordinate clause the word order changes in a special way. The subject comes immediately after the conjunction, and the modified part of the predicate takes last place:

• Ich weiß, dass er in zwei Wochen nach Deutschland fahrt. - I know that he is going to Germany in two weeks.
• Ich möchte wissen, ob wir am Samstag Unterricht haben. - I would like to know if we have classes on Saturday.
• Sie kommt heute nicht, weil sie krank ist. - She won't come today because she's sick.

It looks even more original if a complex tense form, a construction with a modal verb, etc. appears in the sentence:

• Ich weiß, dass er vor zwei Wochen nach Deutschland gefahren ist. - I know that he left for Germany two weeks ago.
• Ich weiß nicht, ob sie das Auto gekauft haben. - I don't know if they bought the car.
• Sie lernt Englisch und Deutsch, weil sie zwei Fremdsprachen beherrschen will. - She studies English and German because she wants to speak two foreign languages.

If we compare this with the direct word order: “Er fährt...”, “Sie ist...”, “Sie will...”, then one can see a frame construction, where the frame is formed by the subject (at the beginning of the subordinate clause) and “ the predicate is opposite" (at the end).

The negation in a subordinate clause comes before the predicate or before the unchangeable part of the predicate - in a word, not in last place, because the last place is always “reserved” for the changeable part of the predicate:

• Ich habe gehört, dass er nach Deutschland nothing fährt. - I heard that he is not going to Germany.
• Ich habe nicht geantwortet, weil ich diese E-Mail nothing bekommen habe. - I didn't respond because I didn't receive this email.

Separable prefixes and components of verbs in subordinate clauses are not separated:

• Ich denke, dass ich mitgehe. - I think I'll go with you.
• Wir wissen nicht, ob er mitfährt. - We don't know if he's coming with us.
• Ich habe die Lampe ausgeschaltet, weil ich fernsehe. - I turned off the lamp because I'm watching TV.

The reflexive pronoun sich is used in a subordinate clause after subject, if the subject is expressed by a pronoun:

• Ich habe gehört, dass Sie sich mit diesen problemen beschäftigen. - I heard that you are working on these problems.

But if the subject of the subordinate clause is expressed by a noun, then sich usually stands before subject:

• Ich weiß, dass sich unser Freund mit diesen Problemen beschäftigt. - I know our friend is dealing with these issues.

Additional subordinate clauses can be introduced not only by the conjunction dass, but also by a question word:

Ich habe nicht gehört, was er gesagt hat. - I didn't hear what he said.

Ich weiß nicht, wann er commmt. - I don't know when he will come.

Können Sie erklären, warum Sie sich immer verspäten? - Can you explain why you are always late?

Wissen Sie, Herr Doktor, was ich heute Morgen geschossen habe? - Do you know, Mister Doctor, what I shot this morning?

Ja, das weiß ich. Ich habe ihn heute Mittag behandelt. - Yes I know. I examined him during the day.

Play a role in such proposals and pronominal adverbs. They are formed by joining wo(r)- or da(r)- to the corresponding preposition:

• Er fährt mit dem Bus. - Womit fährt er? - Er fährt damit. - He travels by bus. -What is he driving? – On it (= on the bus).
• Ich interessiere mich für Fremdsprachen. – Wofür interessieren Sie sich? - Ich interessiere mich dafür. - I am interested in foreign languages. - What are you interested in? - I'm interested in this.
• Sie warten auf den Zug. - Worauf warten sie? - Sie warten darauf. - They are waiting for the train. -What are they waiting for? - They are waiting for him (= the train).

Pronominal adverbs can introduce additional subordinate clauses:

• Er fragt, wovon ich das weiß. - He asks how I know this.
• Man hat mich gefragt, womit ich mich beschäftige. - They asked me what I do.

Union da - because usually introduces a subordinate clause if it comes before the main clause. That is, in this case, our entire argument begins with the conjunction da. The variable parts of the predicate in the main and subordinate clauses tend to each other and are located at the junction:

Da er ein junger Wissenschaftler ist, hat er ein Forschungsstipendium bekommen. - Since he is a young scientist, he received a research fellowship.

Da er dieses Stipendium bekommen hat, fahrt er nach Deutschland. - Since he received this scholarship, he goes to Germany.

Word order is one of the many obstacles that students will have to overcome. We hope this article will help you tame word order in German.

1. Learn which conjunctions change word order and which ones do not

Different types of conjunctions have different effects on the word order in a sentence. The natural (direct) word order is subject, predicate, object.

Der Student liest den Text vor.

Conjunctive conjunctions do not affect word order: und, denn, sondern, aber And oder.

Die Eltern gehen ins Kino und

Sie gehen unbeschwert ins Kino, denn die Oma sorgt für die Kinder.

Subordinating conjunctions ( während, bis, als, wenn, da, weil, ob, obwohl And dass) are confusing: they drop the predicate at the end of the sentence.

Ich schätze dich, weil du ein treuer Freund bist. (Cf. Du bist ein treuer Freund.)

2. Learn when to save a verb until the very end.

There are many situations in German where the verb must definitely come at the end of a sentence. This is one of the reasons why German is considered such a strange and difficult language.

Modal verbs

Modal verbs are a very common type of “auxiliary” verb, and in German you see them all the time: können, müssen, sollen, dürfen, etc. When you use a modal verb, the second verb is always in the infinitive form. at the end of the sentence. In German, the infinitive is usually easy to spot: almost every verb ends in “-en” in its initial form (there are a few verbs like sammeln – to gather and segeln – to sail, they are slightly different!) At first it doesn’t seem natural to you to put the infinitive at the end! Just imagine yourself picking it up, juggling it and placing it in the right place.

Darf ich dein Telefon benutzen?

NEVER! Darf ich benutzen dein Telefon?

Subordinate clauses

In German, in every subordinate clause (Nebensatz) the verb is placed at the end:

Ich sah, dass er seinem Sohn Geld gab.

If there are two verbs in the subordinate clause, then the first of them is sent to the end (if we use the exact linguistic term, then this is the conjugated part of the predicate, but I won’t be offended if you ignore this). The conjugated part of the predicate is “hat” in “hat…geschenkt”, or “ist” in “ist… geworden”, or “wird” in “wird…vorbeikommen”.

Sie sagte, dass ihr Klaus diese Blumen Geschenkt hat.

3. Learn how to invert word order

In declarative and main sentences, the conjugated part of the predicate always stands In second place.

Wir haben heute verschlafen.

Therefore, if, for example, you are planning to bring a circumstance forward in order to emphasize it, do not forget to leave the verb where it should be:

Heute haben wir verschlafen.

4. Learn how to put circumstances in the right order

The basic rule for German sentences is: subject, predicate, indirect object (dative case), direct object.

Er gibt einem Studenten das Buch.

The situation is much more complicated. If there are several of them, then they are arranged in the following order: time (when?), reason (why?), mode of action (how?), place (where?).

Er geht heute wegen der Klausur voller Furcht zur Universität.

• Time: heute (today)
• Reason: wegen der Klausur (due to written exam)
• Mode of action: voller Furcht (with great fear)
• Place: zur Universität (to the university)

Try to analyze long German sentences that you come across in newspapers or German videos on YouTube in order to get used to real examples correct use circumstances.

Of course, these are not all the features of German word order, but now you have a general idea. If you would like to delve deeper into this topic, then contact online for help.

In a German simple unextended sentence, the subject always comes first, the predicate always comes second:

Der Lehrer kommt. — The teacher is coming.

Die stunde beginnt. - Lesson begins.

If the predicate consists of a changeable (conjugated) part and an unchangeable (non-conjugated) part, then the changeable part is always in second place in the sentence, and the unchangeable part is in last place:

Der Morgen wird kalt. - The morning is getting cool.

If the predicate is expressed by a verb with a separable prefix, then this prefix is ​​at the end of the sentence:

Der Schüler mast das Fenster auf. — The student opens the window.

A sentence that, in addition to the main ones, also has secondary members of the sentence is called a simple extended sentence. In a German simple common sentence, the predicate or its variable part is, as in an uncommon sentence, in second place, and the unchangeable part is in last place, forming a frame within which the secondary members of the sentence or the subject with the secondary members of the sentence can be located. A separable prefix or an unchangeable part of the predicate can close the frame.

Der Herbst hat in diesem Jahr früher begonnen. — Autumn started earlier this year.

Das Konzert findet um 7 Uhr abends im Cafe statt. — The concert will take place at 7 pm in the cafe.

The subject can come before or after the predicate (or its inflected part). Depending on the place of the subject in a simple common sentence, direct and reverse word order are distinguished. In direct word order in German, the subject comes first. In reverse word order, some minor member of the sentence (adverbial or complement) comes first, and the subject comes after the predicate. This word order is called inversion. Inversion is used to place emphasis on a particular member of a sentence, placing it in first place.

Seit zehn Jahren steht der Koffer bei uns im Keller. — Already This suitcase has been sitting in our basement for ten years.

If the offer contains additions, then the order in which they are followed is subject to strict rules.

The object in the dative case precedes the object in the accusative case if they are expressed by nouns:

Ich schenke den Damen die Blumen. — I give the ladies flowers.

If one of the objects is expressed by a pronoun, then the pronoun appears immediately after the conjugated verb. A pronoun in the accusative case comes before a pronoun or noun in the dative case:

Ich schenke ihnen die Blumen. — I give them flowers.

Ich schenke sie den Damen. - I give them to the ladies.

Ich schenke sieihnen. - I give it to them.

With inversion, pronouns in the accusative and dative cases immediately follow the conjugated part of the predicate. In this case, the subject expressed by the noun moves to fourth place:

Zum Glück hat es ihm der Professor noch mal erklä rt. — Fortunately, the professor explained it to him again.

If the subject is expressed by a pronoun, then it remains in third place:

Zum Glück hat er es ihm noch mal erklä rt. — Luckily, he explained it to him again.

All of the above applies to reflexive pronouns:

Ich habe world die Hande gewaschen. — I washed my hands.

Ich habe sie world gewaschen. — I washed them.

Letzter Woche hat er sich gut erholt. — He had a good rest last week.

Letzter Woche hat sich mein Bruder gut erholt. — My brother had a good rest last week.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding the order of other parts of a sentence in German. But there are a number of rules that determine the word order of a common simple sentence, violation of which, however, is not considered a gross error.

Usually circumstances in a German sentence they are located relative to each other in the following order: temporary, causes, mode of action, places:

Sie ging heute früh wegen der Prüfung voller Furcht zur Schule. “She left for school early this morning full of fear.”

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For part of the article, we dealt with the word order in a regular declarative sentence. Well, let's move on and see what differences await us when forming an interrogative sentence.

In German, questions can be asked in four different ways:

1. General question.

2. Additional question.

3. An alternative question.

4. Combinations of questions.

Let's look at all four methods

1. General question , this is, simply put, any question without a question word.

As a hint, you can use the fact that such questions can be answered “yes” or “no”. But, as a rule, we ourselves rarely answer briefly, but try to give a more complete answer. If we have a question without a question word, the word order is quite simple:

If we are dealing with a compound predicate (see Word order in a sentence. Part 1), then the invariable part V1 is put in first place, and the invariable V2 remains at the end of the sentence.

If a sentence contains a negation of an action (expressed nothing), then nicht is put:

At the end (in the case of one verb)

Before V2(in the case of a compound predicate).

Conclusion: Forming a question has no effect on the position of denial!

Ich gehe nothing. - Gehst du nothing?

2. Additional question, as the name suggests, contains an addition, clarification, and more detailed information.

That is "who", "what", "why", "where" and so on. It's simple question with a question word, and it cannot be simply answered with “yes” or “no.”

For example, When will you come? What table is this?

They start with the letter W and are called W-words in German. The word order in the question is as follows: Question word --> 1st place, verb --> 2nd place, subject --> 3rd place, and then everything else.

If the sentence has a compound predicate, then the question word will come first, V1- on the second, the subject - on the third, and V2- at the end of the sentence.

For example: Wie kann ich heute arbeiten?

3. The third version of the question is an alternative question.

The questioner asks questions like this, for example:

You're coming, aren't you? This is a table, right? Will I go for a walk or not?

These questions are expressed through the union "or" - ODER. ODER can be used both in the middle of a sentence to connect questions, for example: Gehst du spazieren oder gehst du nicht? -Are you going for a walk or not? and at the end of the question, in which case ODER will be translated as “isn’t it?” At the same time, ODER does not affect the word order in the question in any way (it is separated from the question by a comma and comes at the end):

Gehst du spazieren, oder? - You're going for a walk, aren't you?

Ist das ein Tisch, oder? - This is a table, isn't it?

It is worth noting that this form of asking a question is very common in colloquial speech and is very easy to use.

• For clarity, let’s compare all three types of questions and their negations: