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ROADMAP · A1 · Basic communication in daily life

Ja/Nein-Fragen und Satzstellung

A1Yes/No questions
Kommst du morgen?

Are you coming tomorrow?

EXPLANATION

In a yes/no question, the conjugated verb comes first. In a statement, it stays in position 2. This is the key difference in German word order at A1.

Yes/no questions in German start with the conjugated verb: Kommst du?, Hast du Zeit? In statements, the verb usually stays in position 2: Du kommst heute. The voice usually rises at the end of a yes/no question, and the key word order point is that the verb is in position 1. With separable verbs, the prefix goes to the end: Rufst du mich an? With modal verbs, the modal is first and the infinitive stays at the end: Kannst du kommen? A positive answer is usually ja; after a negative question, doch gives a positive correction.

STRUCTURE

conjugated verb + subject + rest

Use this pattern for a yes/no question.

  • Kommst du morgen?Are you coming tomorrow?
  • Hast du einen Stift?Do you have a pen?
  • Sind wir schon fertig?Are we already finished?
subject + conjugated verb + rest

Use this pattern for a statement.

  • Du kommst morgen.You are coming tomorrow.
  • Wir sind schon da.We are already here.
  • Er hat heute keine Zeit.He has no time today.
finite verb first + subject + object/other parts + separable prefix or infinitive at the end

Separable verbs and modal verbs keep their second part at the end.

  • Rufst du mich an?Are you calling me?
  • Kannst du heute kommen?Can you come today?
  • Musst du schon gehen?Do you have to leave already?

OVERVIEW

Word order in statements and yes/no questions

TypeOrderExampleMeaningNote
statementsubject + verb + restDu kommst heute.You are coming today.finite verb in position 2
yes/no questionverb + subject + restKommst du heute?Are you coming today?rising intonation; verb in position 1
separable verb questionverb + subject + object + prefixRufst du mich an?Are you calling me?prefix at the end
modal verb questionmodal + subject + rest + infinitiveKannst du kommen?Can you come?infinitive at the end

COMMON MISTAKES

  • Kommst heute du?

    Kommst du heute?

    A yes/no question starts with the conjugated verb, and the subject must come directly after it.

  • Du heute kommst.

    Du kommst heute.

    In a statement, the finite verb is in position 2, not at the end.

  • Rufst du an mich?

    Rufst du mich an?

    With a separable verb, the prefix stays at the end in questions too.

  • Ich doch komme.

    Doch, ich komme.

    Doch answers a negative question positively. Ja is possible in some contexts, but here doch is the natural correction.

USAGE NOTES

  • A yes/no question often sounds more clearly like a question when the voice rises at the end.
  • The verb comes first even with haben and sein: Hast du…?, Bist du…?
  • With a modal verb, only the modal moves to position 1; the main verb stays at the end.
  • A negative question can expect agreement or correction. In that situation, doch is the important word to know.

RELATED

PersonalpronomenSubject pronounsA1Präsens — regelmäßige VerbenPresent tense regular verbsA1ModalverbenModal verbsA1Trennbare VerbenSeparable verbsA1
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