Word Order in German

This section explains Word Order in The Perfect Tense in German. The perfect tense (Perfekt) is used to describe actions or events that have been completed in the past. It is formed using the auxiliary verb (haben or sein) and a past participle. The word order in the perfect tense is different from the present tense, and it's important to understand how to correctly arrange the words in a sentence.

Basic Word Order in the Perfect Tense

In the perfect tense, the word order generally follows this structure:

1. First: The subject of the sentence (e.g., ich, du, wir, sie).
2. Then: The auxiliary verb (haben or sein), which is always the second element in a main clause.
3. Next: The past participle of the main verb, which is placed at the end of the sentence.
   • Ich habe das Buch gelesen.
     (I have read the book.)
     • Ich (subject) comes first.
     • habe (auxiliary verb) is in second position.
     • gelesen (past participle) comes at the end.
   • Er hat das Fenster nicht geöffnet.
     (He has not opened the window.)
     • Er (subject) comes first.
     • hat (auxiliary verb) is in second position.
     • nicht (negation) comes before the past participle.
     • geöffnet (past participle) comes at the end.
   • Hast du den Film gesehen?
     (Have you seen the film?)
     • Hast (auxiliary verb) is at the beginning.
     • du (subject) follows.
     • gesehen (past participle) comes at the end.
   • Wann bist du nach Hause gekommen?
     (When did you come home?)
     • Wann (question word) is at the beginning.
     • bist (auxiliary verb) is second.
     • du (subject) follows.
     • gekommen (past participle) comes at the end.
   • Ich habe den Brief geschrieben.
     (I have written the letter.)
   • Verbs of movement (e.g., gehen - to go, fahren - to travel)
   • Verbs indicating a change of state (e.g., werden - to become, aufwachen - to wake up)
   • Ich bin nach Hause gegangen.
     (I have gone home.)
   • Sie ist früh aufgestanden.
     (She has gotten up early.)

This word order is similar to the way sentences are formed in the present tense, except that the past participle goes at the end, and the auxiliary verb is in second position.

Examples of Word Order in the Perfect Tense:

Positive Statements:

In this sentence:

Negative Statements:

The word order in negative sentences is the same, except for the placement of "nicht" (not), which usually comes before the past participle.

Questions (with auxiliary verb):

In questions where the subject is pronoun or noun, the auxiliary verb comes first, followed by the subject and then the past participle at the end.

Questions (with question words):

In this example, the question word (wann) comes first, followed by the auxiliary verb (bist), the subject (du), and the past participle (gekommen).

Word Order with "Sein" and "Haben"

The word order in sentences using the auxiliary verbs "haben" (to have) and "sein" (to be) is the same, but it's important to note when to use each auxiliary verb:

Use "haben" with most verbs in the perfect tense, including regular verbs, transitive verbs (those that take a direct object), and reflexive verbs.

Use "sein" with:

Inversion in Main Clauses

When a sentence is in the form of a statement, the subject comes first, but when a time expression or adverbial phrase (e.g., "in the morning", "yesterday") is placed at the beginning of the sentence, there is an inversion, and the verb (either auxiliary or past participle) comes in second position.

Example with inversion:

• Gestern habe ich ein Buch gelesen.
  (Yesterday, I read a book.)
  • Wir haben einen Film gesehen.
    (We have seen a film.)
  • Sie hat den Kuchen nicht gegessen.
    (She has not eaten the cake.)
  • Hast du das Bild gemalt?
    (Have you painted the picture?)
  • Wo bist du gewesen?
    (Where have you been?)
  • Er hat gestern viel gearbeitet.
    (He has worked a lot yesterday.)
  • Wir haben die Hausaufgaben nicht gemacht.
    (We have not done the homework.)
  • Hat sie den Bus verpasst?
    (Has she missed the bus?)
  • Warum bist du so spät nach Hause gekommen?
    (Why have you come home so late?)
  • Letzte Woche sind wir nach Paris gefahren.
    (Last week, we went to Paris.)

Here, Gestern (yesterday) comes at the beginning, so the auxiliary verb (habe) comes second, and the past participle (gelesen) comes at the end.

Foundation Tier Examples:

Positive Sentence:

Negative Sentence:

Question:

Question with a Question Word:

Higher Tier Examples:

Positive Sentence:

Negative Sentence:

Question:

Question with a Question Word:

Sentence with Time Expression (Inversion):

Summary:

• In the perfect tense, the word order is:
  • Subject
  • Auxiliary verb (haben or sein)
  • Past participle (at the end).
• Negative sentences place "nicht" before the past participle.
• Questions begin with the auxiliary verb or question word, followed by the subject, then the past participle.
• In sentences that begin with time expressions or adverbs, there is inversion, meaning the verb comes second and the past participle stays at the end.