Posted by When it comes to sentence formation in German, I like to first of all make my expression in English quickly in my head. This is one way I have been able to maintain the order of making a perfect german sentence. Of course, this is first possible because I know the English rules as well as that of German and also believe them to be closely related, I can easily translate from one to the other, paying attention to the mild variations in their rules. I’ll show you how!
What is a sentence?
According to the Cambridge dictionary, a sentence is a group of words, that usually contains a verb and expresses a thought in the form of a statement, question, instruction or exclamation which connotes the different types of sentences; statement sentence, imperative sentence, question, interjectory sentence and infinitive sentence.
A sentence can also be defined as the combination of words which makes perfect sense or can be understood. It always begins with a capital letter and ends with either a full-stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark depending on its type and purpose. It may be simple, compound or even complex based on its length and bulk i.e the total number of the different parts of speech used in its formation.
How to form a simple statement sentence in German
A simple german sentence consists of a conjugated verb, a subject and/or an object which are termed grammatical cases. The subject is the action performer while the object is the action receiver. They both revolve around the verb which is the action in the sentence in the order S+V+O. This order can of course be reversed to O+V+S in a flexed sentence.
Picturing a sentence as the human body, the subject would be considered as the skeleton, the verb as the brain box while the object would be the muscles. To further understand how to relate the subject, verb and object to each other, it is important that you prioritize the verb and then identify its doer and receiver.
The object of a sentence is divided into three; the direct object, the indirect object and the conditional object. The direct object is also called the Accusative while the indirect object is called the Dative. The conditional object is either of both which originates from using their respective prepositions in the sentence.
In German, the indirect object is usually placed before the direct object and conditional object in the order; Indirect object + direct object + prepositional/ conditional object (I+D+P) except the direct object is in a pronoun form then the order becomes D+I+P.
Types of statement sentence in German
All statements sentences in German are either one of two types;
- A Hauptsatz or main clause
- A Nebensatz or dependent clause
A Hauptsatz is a simple sentence that has the ability to stand alone. The Nebensatz on the other hand can not stand on its own. It typically relies on the information stated in the main sentence/ clause.
How to form the ‚Hauptsatz’
To form the Hauptsatz, the conjugated verb should be left in the second position in both of the standard SVO and flexed order as illustrated below.
| Standard oder | Flexed order | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ich kaufe einen Apfel. | Einen Apfel kaufe ich. | I am buying an apple. |
| 2. Ich kaufe heute einen Apfel. | Heute kaufe ich einen Apfel. | I am buying an apple today. |
How to form the ‚Nebensatz’
A “Nebensatz” on the other hand is one in which the conjugated verb is placed at the end of the sentence in the order F+S+O+V for normal verbs and F+O+S+V for reflexive verbs. This Nebensatz can only be formed due to the presence of certain factors such as;
- A Subordinate conjunction; forms a subordinate clause.
- A relative pronoun; forms a relative clause.
- An Interrogative pronoun; forms an indirect question.
| Nebensatz Factor | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Subordinate conjunction | 1. Ich werde später das Auto kaufen, wenn ich genug Geld habe. | I will buy the car later, when I have enough money. |
| Relative pronoun | 2. Ich habe jetzt das Auto gekauft, das ich seit letztem Jahr kaufen wollte. | I have now bought the car that I wanted to buy since last year. |
| Interrogative Pronoun | 3. Ich möchte wissen, wem dieser Hund gehört. | I would like to know to whom this dog belongs. |
How to form compound and complex sentences
A compound sentence is the combination of a Hauptsatz and a Nebensatz as one sentence while a complex sentence is formed by the combination of several compound sentence. Both sentences are always punctuated with a comma.
| Word order | Compound sentence | Complex sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Standard order | 1. Ich kaufe heute Äpfel, damit ich einen Apfelkuchen backen kann. | Ich kaufe heute einen Äpfel, damit ich einen Apfelkuchen backen kann, wenn ich zu Hause bin. |
| Flexed order | 2. Damit ich einen Apfelkuchen backen kann, kaufe ich heute Äpfel. | Damit ich einen Apfelkuchen backen kann, wenn ich zu Hause bin, kaufe ich heute Äpfel. |