![]() Of course, these examples are in English (<– always the right starting point for understanding German grammar!) … but how does sentence structure function in German? English and German sentence structure, comparedĪs the above examples demonstrate, English uses very rigid sentence structure to clearly convey meaning. ![]() Sometimes, we can shuffle the word order around to the point that the meaning no longer even makes sense, as in The bone gives the man the dog. The dog gives the man the bone)– the meaning of the sentence is also changed. We know exactly who is giving what and to whom.īut if we alter the sentence structure - that is, change the word order around (e.g. How you structure a sentence is vital because it impacts the MEANING you convey.Ĭheck out this sentence: The man gives the dog the bone. The first step in understanding German sentence structure (and being able to construct your own sentences!) is to understand the correct order of the SLOTS that any given sentence may use.Īnd, lucky for us, there is a STANDARD SENTENCE STRUCTURE (<– a default order to the ‘slots’) that is actually shared by both English and German!!!īefore we talk about that ^^ (and the sentence structure patterns that deviate from the norm), we need to make sure we’re on the same page about WHY correct sentence structure is important in the first place (<– and we’ll get pumped about some of the fancy word ordering you’ll learn to do in German - it’s fun!). On a meta-level, the most important words in any sentence (in English or German or otherwise) are NOUNS.Īs you know if you’ve read my guides on the German case system, I like to dissect German sentence structure by putting all nouns into what I call ‘slots’, which then also contain other types of words that get lumped together with nouns. If this were all we ever had to deal with, it would be a cinch! But, of course, sentences get longer and more complicated than this (<– especially in German!) and that’s when we need some more help. ![]() These are all sentences that are as basic as it gets: subject + verb. the FOUR sentence structure patterns German usesĪt the most rudimentary level, a complete sentence is comprised of a SUBJECT NOUN and its conjugated VERB - in other words, someone or something who/that is doing or being something.Ī man eats.how the German case system conveys meaning.why the position of German verbs is crucial.how sentence structure works in English vs.
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