V2 · Satzklammer · Cases · TeKaMoLo

German Sentence Word-Order Analyzer

Inspect any German sentence clause by clause: spot the Position-2 verb, Vorfeld inversion, split verb brackets (Satzklammer), preposition cases (Akk / Dat / Wechsel / Gen), and TeKaMoLo adverb ordering.

Enter or paste a German sentence

Sample Sentences:

Clauses: 2

German Prepositions & Case Triggers

Quick lookup of accusative, dative, two-way (Wechselpräpositionen), and genitive prepositions.

Always Accusative (Akkusativ)

durch(through)für(for)gegen(against / around)ohne(without)um(around / at (time))bis(until / up to)entlang(along)

Always Dative (Dativ)

aus(out of / from)außer(except for / besides)bei(at / near / with)gegenüber(opposite / across from)mit(with / by)nach(after / toward / according to)seit(since / for (time))von(from / of / by)zu(to / at)

Two-Way (Akk = Motion / Dat = Location)

an(on / at (vertical/border))auf(on / onto (horizontal))hinter(behind)in(in / into)neben(next to / beside)über(over / above / about)unter(under / among)vor(in front of / before / ago)zwischen(between)

Genitive (Formal / Written)

wegen(because of)während(during)trotz(despite / in spite of)statt(instead of)anstatt(instead of)aufgrund(due to / based on)außerhalb(outside of)innerhalb(within / inside)oberhalb(above)unterhalb(below)infolge(as a result of)anlässlich(on the occasion of)

German Word-Order & Syntax FAQ

What does German V2 (Verb-Second) word order mean?

In a standard German main clause (Hauptsatz), the conjugated finite verb MUST occupy the second grammatical slot — not necessarily the second word! If a time phrase ("Morgen") or a subordinate clause moves into Position 1 (Vorfeld), the subject moves right behind the verb ("Morgen gehe ich…") so the verb stays in Position 2.

What is the German Satzklammer (sentence bracket)?

Whenever a German clause has a two-part verb construction — a modal verb + infinitive (kann sehen), Perfekt auxiliary + Partizip II (habe gekauft), Futur I (werde fahren), or a separable-prefix verb (stehe … auf) — the conjugated verb sits in Position 2 and the second piece locks onto the very end of the clause, enclosing the rest of the sentence inside a bracket.

Which conjunctions do NOT push the verb to the end?

Coordinating conjunctions — summarized by ADUSO (aber, denn, und, sondern, oder) — occupy Position 0 outside the clause count, so normal V2 word order continues right after them. Subordinating conjunctions (weil, dass, obwohl, wenn, als, ob, damit) send the finite verb to the very end.

What is TeKaMoLo in German adverb order?

TeKaMoLo stands for Temporal (when?) → Kausal (why?) → Modal (how?) → Lokal (where/where to?). When stacking middle-field adverbs or phrases, German speakers naturally arrange them in that order: "Ich fahre heute (Te) wegen der Arbeit (Ka) mit dem Zug (Mo) nach Berlin (Lo)."