Language/German/Grammar/Subject-and-Verb

German Grammar → Basic Sentence Structures → Subject and Verb

As a beginner in German, starting with basic sentence structures is fundamental. In this lesson, you will learn how to form simple sentences with subject and verb. Understanding these concepts will serve as a foundation to build more complex sentences in the future.

Subject

In a basic sentence, the subject is the element that performs the action or that is being talked about. In German, the subject usually comes before the verb. For example:

• "Ich esse" (I eat)
• "Du trinkst" (You drink)
• "Er läuft" (He runs)
• "Sie schreibt" (She writes)
• "Es regnet" (It rains)
• "Wir sprechen Deutsch" (We speak German)
• "Ihr lernt schnell" (You learn quickly)
• "Sie spielen Tennis" (They play tennis)

As you can see in these examples, the subject is always in the nominative case. This is a concept that we will explore further in a future lesson.

Verb

The verb is the element that indicates the action or state of being. In German, it usually comes after the subject. However, in some cases, the verb can come first to express a particular emphasis or to form a question.

• "Ich trinke" (I drink)
• "Du isst den Apfel" (You eat the apple)
• "Er spielt Fußball" (He plays soccer)
• "Sie liest ein Buch" (She reads a book)
• "Es gibt viele Leute" (There are many people)
• "Wir lernen Deutsch" (We learn German)
• "Ihr habt Hunger" (You are hungry)
• "Sie sprechen Englisch" (They speak English)

Verb conjugation for regular verbs

Verbs in German can be classified into regular and irregular. Regular verbs follow a set pattern to form their different tenses and modes. In the present tense, for example, regular verbs follow this structure:

• Subject (nominative case) + Verb stem + conjugation ending

Here are some examples of present tense conjugation for regular verbs:

German	Pronunciation	English
Ich spiele	[ɪç ˈʃpiːlə]	I play
Du lernst	[du ˈlɛrnst]	You learn
Er schläft	[eːɐ̯ ˈʃlɛft]	He sleeps
Sie tanzt	[zi ˈtant͡sən]	She dances
Es regnet	[ɛs ˈʁɛɡnət]	It rains
Wir arbeiten	[vɪʁ aɐ̯ˈbaɪtn̩]	We work
Ihr sprecht	[iːɐ̯ ˈʃpʁɛçt]	You speak (informal plural)
Sie hören	[ziː ˈhøːrən]	They listen

As you can see, almost all regular verbs in the present tense end with the letters "-e" or "-st" for the second person singular (Du), and "-t" or "-en" for the third person singular (Er/Sie/Es).

Knowing the conjugation pattern for regular verbs will allow you to form simple sentences that express the action being performed by the subject.

Subject-verb agreement

In German, the form of the verb changes depending on the subject. That means that verbs are conjugated according to the number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third) of the subject. For example:

• "Ich spiele" (I play)
• "Du spielst" (You play)
• "Er/sie/es spielt" (He/she/it plays)
• "Wir spielen" (We play)
• "Ihr spielt" (You play - informal plural)
• "Sie spielen" (They play)

As you can see, in the first and third-person singular, the verb stem is different. Similarly, in the second-person singular and informal plural, the verb stem remains the same as the infinitive. In the first, second, and third-person plural, the verb conjugation ends in "-en".

Negation

To form a negative sentence in German, you have to use the word "nicht" (not) after the subject or after the first verb in the sentence. For example:

• "Ich spiele nicht" (I do not play)
• "Du isst den Apfel nicht" (You do not eat the apple)
• "Wir lernen nicht Deutsch" (We do not learn German)
• "Sie spricht nicht Englisch" (She does not speak English)

Word order

In a typical German sentence, the word order is as follows:

Subject (nominative case) + Verb + Object (accusative case)

However, this structure is not fixed, and the position of the object can change depending on the context or emphasis.

For example:

• "Ich trinke den Saft" (I drink the juice)
• "Den Saft trinke ich" (The juice, I drink)
• "Ich arbeite in der Firma" (I work at the company)
• "In der Firma arbeite ich" (At the company, I work)

As you can see, the word order changes to emphasize the object of the sentence or the place where the action takes place.

Exercises

Practice forming basic sentences with subject and verb by using the following vocabulary:

• Ich (I)
• Du (You)
• Er (He)
• Sie (She)
• Es (It)
• Wir (We)
• Ihr (You - informal plural)
• Sie (They)
• spielen (to play)
• lernen (to learn)
• essen (to eat)
• trinken (to drink)
• arbeiten (to work)
• sprechen (to speak)

1. Form sentences with the new vocabulary, following the subject-verb-object word order.
2. Practice negating the sentences using the word "nicht".

Sources

• German Language
• German Grammar

Table of Contents - German Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Basic Sentence Structures

• Subject and Verb
• Noun and Gender

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Greetings and Introduction

• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Introducing Yourself

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Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural Forms
• Cases: Nominative and Accusative

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Numbers, Dates and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Days of the Week and Months
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Conjugation

• Verb Forms
• Present Tense
• Separable Verbs

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Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Talking About Your Friends

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Prepositions

• Using Prepositions
• Two-Way Prepositions

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Food and Drinks

• Food and Meals
• Drinks and Beverages

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Germany and German-Speaking Countries

• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

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Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

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Travel and Transportation

• Booking a Trip
• Public Transportation

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Modal Verbs

• Expressing Abilities
• Talking About Obligations

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Shopping and Clothes

• Shopping for Clothes
• Buying Groceries

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Music and Entertainment

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Movies, TV and Literature

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Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms

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Health and Body

• Talking About Health
• Body Parts

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Time and Temporal Prepositions

• Using Time Expressions
• Temporal Prepositions