2.22 Word order revisited — nicht, pronouns, and the middle field — Epoché
What you will be able to do Order the parts of the middle field — the stretch between the verb in second position and the end of the clause — with confidence. Put pronouns first, then the other parts, with time before manner before place: Ich bin gestern mit dem Bus zur Schule gefahren. Place nicht correctly: at the end of the middle field to negate the whole sentence, before a word to negate only that word. Use nicht … sondern and a fronted nicht to contrast: Nicht ich habe gelogen, sondern du. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Sie sind gestern sicher hier angekommen. [1] They arrived here safely yesterday. Bist du sicher, dass ich dich nicht nach Hause fahren soll? [2] Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home? Leg mir keine Worte in den Mund, die ich nicht gesagt habe! [3] Don't put words in my mouth that I haven't said. Das sind alles nur Worte. [4] Those are all just words. Er kommt heute aus Sydney zurück. [5] He comes back from Sydney today. Ihr braucht nicht zu schreien. Ich kann euch hören. [6] You don't have to shout. I can hear you. Warum tanzt sie nicht? [7] Why isn't she dancing? Prerequisites : 2.21 — you need the middle field and the order time, cause, manner, place from 2.10 Grammar , the position of nicht from 2.6 Grammar , and the order of two objects from 4.3 Cases . In the first phase you learned that German sentences have a frame: the finite verb in second position, the rest of the verb at the end, and a middle field between them. Since then, the middle field has filled up with objects in different cases, adverbs of time and place, particles and nicht . This lesson pulls those threads together. The rules are tendencies rather than laws, but one principle explains most of them: what is known and short comes early, what is new and important comes late. The order of the middle field Position What goes there Example 1 unstressed pronouns: nominative, accusative, dative es ihm 2 the subject, if it is a noun and not in first position Gestern hat mein Bruder … 3 modal particles doch, ja, mal 4 the dative noun meinem Bruder 5 time, cause, manner, place gestern, wegen des Regens, mit dem Bus, zur Schule 6 the accusative noun, if it is new information ein Buch 7 nicht , when it negates the whole clause before the final verb part end the rest of the verb: participle, infinitive, prefix gegeben, fahren, an Two refinements. A place or direction that completes the verb — nach Hause with gehen , zur Schule with fahren — stays at the very end of the middle field, after nicht . And any part can move to the first position for emphasis or to link with the previous sentence, after which the verb still comes second. In real sentences Pronouns first. German English Ich habe es ihm gesagt. [8] I told him that. Er hat mir gestern Abend alles erzählt. [9] Last night, he told me everything. Ich habe ihm ein Buch gegeben. [10] I gave him a book. Time, cause, manner, place. German English Ich bin gestern mit dem Bus zur Schule gefahren. [11] I went to school yesterday by bus. Ich bin wegen des Regens zu Hause geblieben. [12] I stayed at home because of the rain. Wir sind gestern nach Sydney gefahren. [13] We went to Sydney yesterday. nicht for the whole sentence. It goes as late as possible: at the end, or before the final verb part, before a predicate adjective, before a phrase of direction. German English Ich kenne ihn nicht. [14] I am not acquainted with him. Er kommt nicht. [15] He isn't coming. Ich habe ihn nicht gesehen. [16] I didn't see him. Ich bin nicht müde. [17] I am not tired. Ich gehe nicht nach Hause. [18] I'm not going home. Ich kann heute Abend nicht ins Kino gehen. [19] I can't go to the movies tonight. Er liest nicht gern. [20] He doesn't like to read. nicht for one part. When nicht stands directly before an element that would normally come earlier, it negates that element only, and often implies a contrast. German English Sie kommen nicht heute. [21] They are not coming today. Ich fahre nicht mit dem Bus. [22] I'm not taking the bus. Es schneit nicht, sondern es regnet. [23] It's not snowing. It's raining. Nicht ich habe gelogen, sondern du! [24] I didn't lie. You did. Sie kommen nicht heute suggests that they will come on another day. Ich fahre nicht mit dem Bus suggests that I will go some other way. How English does it English fixes the order of objects; German orders by information. English word order is rigid: subject, verb, objects, then adverbs, usually place before time: I went to school by bus yesterday . German reverses the order of the adverbials, time first and place last: gestern mit dem Bus zur Schule . The reason is the German principle of putting the most important new information at the end, just before the final verb. Place is usually the goal of the action, so it comes last. English negates with do ; German moves nicht . English puts not in one fixed place, after the first auxiliary: I didn't see him , I'm not going home . German has no do , and the position of nicht varies with what follows it. The practical rule is to place it as far right as it will go, but before anything that belongs closely to the verb: the participle, the infinitive, the separable prefix, the predicate adjective and the phrase of direction. Contrast is made by position in German, by stress in English. English can say I didn't lie, you did or stress I : I didn't lie . German can put nicht directly before the contrasted word, and often adds sondern , but rather : Nicht ich habe gelogen, sondern du. When you hear nicht earlier than you expected, listen for the contrast. Do not translate the English order. The most common error at this stage is to keep English order inside the German frame: Ich bin zur Schule mit dem Bus gestern gefahren . It is understood, but it sounds translated. Build the middle field from the left: pronouns, then the time, then how, then where, then the verb. New words Six w