I’m finding German classes rather hard going. There’s so much grammar! I find it really hard to remember all the bits when I’m putting a sentence together.
One of the things I find hardest is the word order.
In German the verb is always the second element of the sentence:
- I work as a tour guide.
- Tomorrow work I as a tour guide.
If it’s a phrasal verb (a verb with a preposition, like wash up, switch on, turn off) the verb is still in second place, but the proposition goes to the end.
- I wash the dishes after lunch up.
- Always switch I the light on.
Mark Twain said that one German writer put the entire history of the 30 Years War between the two parts of a verb.
But if there are two verbs, the second one goes to the end:
- I want tomorrow to Santa Cruz to go.
- Yesterday have I a waltz danced.
Unless you’ve got a subordinate clause. Then the verb goes to the end of it.
- Since I new socks need, I want tomorrow to Santa Cruz to go.
And if there are two verbs in the subordinate clause, they’re both at the end, but the round way wrong compared to English
- Yesterday have I a waltz danced, because I to exercise wanted
Oh my poor, aching brain!
Sometimes I think I’ll never get it, but of course it’s just a matter of enough practice. In this case hours and hours of practice. And it must be just as hard for Germans to learn English or Spanish word order.
