Main Clause: Can stand alone as a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought and does not depend on another clause to make sense.
- Ich lerne Deutsch → Main clause
- The conjugated verb is always in position 2
Subordinate Clause:
- Cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It provides additional information and must be attached to a main clause to make sense.
- They are connected with the main clause with the help of subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns or question words.
- ..., wenn ich nach Hause komme. → Subordinate clause
- The conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause.
Why This Matters: Knowing whether you're in a main clause or subordinate clause tells you exactly where the verb must go.
Main Clause Examples
Position 1 | Position 2 | Middle Field | End |
Ich | lerne | Deutsch. | — |
Heute | gehe | ich ins Kino. | — |
Der Mann | hat | gestern ein Buch | gekauft. |
Morgen | werde | ich nach Hause | fahren. |
Position 2 means the second element, not necessarily the second word! The first position can be a single word (Ich, Heute) or an entire phrase (Der alte Mann, Nach dem Essen).
Subordinate Clause Examples
Conjunction | Subject | Middle Field | Verb (End) |
..., weil | ich | müde | bin. |
..., dass | er | nach Berlin | fährt. |
..., obwohl | sie | krank | ist. |
..., wenn | du | Zeit | hast. |
Combining Main and Subordinate Clauses
The subordinate clause can come after or before the main clause.
The subordinate clause is always separated from main clause by a comma.
Subordinate Clause After the Main Clause
This is the most common structure. The main clause comes first, followed by a comma and the subordinate clause:
- Ich bleibe zu Hause, weil es regnet.
- Wir gehen ins Kino, wenn du Zeit hast.
Subordinate Clause Before the Main Clause
When the subordinate clause comes first, it occupies position 1 of the entire sentence. This means the verb of the main clause must come immediately after (in position 2):
Verb-Verb Pattern: When a subordinate clause comes first, you get two verbs next to each other.
- Weil es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
- Wenn ich Zeit habe, gehe ich ins Kino.
Verb Position with Multiple Verbs
When a clause contains more than one verb (such as in perfect tense, future tense, or with modal verbs), the verb order also differs between main and subordinate clauses.
In Main Clauses
The conjugated verb stays in position 2, while other verb forms (infinitives, participles) go to the end:
- Ich habe gestern ein Buch gekauft.
- Er wird morgen nach Berlin fahren.
- Sie kann sehr gut Deutsch sprechen.
In Subordinate Clauses
All verbs move to the end, with the conjugated verb coming last:
- ..., weil ich gestern ein Buch gekauft habe.
- ..., dass er morgen nach Berlin fahren wird.
- ..., obwohl sie sehr gut Deutsch sprechen kann.
Handling Multiple Verbs:
- Main clause: Conjugated verb in position 2 → other verbs at end
- Subordinate clause: Other verbs first → conjugated verb last