German grammar describes word order with a simple map of fields. Once you can see the sentence bracket and the fields around it, even very long sentences become transparent.
The verb parts of a German clause form a sentence bracket (Satzklammer). The left bracket holds the finite verb (or, in subordinate clauses, the conjunction). The right bracket holds the rest of the verb: infinitives, participles, separable prefixes. The brackets divide the clause into three fields.
| Vorfeld | left bracket | Mittelfeld | right bracket | Nachfeld |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gestern | hat | Leila ihrer Mutter einen Brief | geschrieben | |
| Der Zug | kommt | heute später | an | |
| Hast | du heute Zeit | |||
| …, dass | sie morgen | kommen kann | ||
| Ich | habe | mehr | gegessen | als du |
The brackets can be empty: Ich lese. has nothing in the right bracket. The model still applies, because a longer version would show it: Ich habe gelesen.
The position of the finite verb defines three basic clause types:
The Vorfeld test tells you what a constituent is: whatever can stand alone before the finite verb is one phrase. Mit meiner Kollegin aus Pune can, so it is one unit: Mit meiner Kollegin aus Pune habe ich lange telefoniert.
The Mittelfeld holds most of the information: subject (if not in the Vorfeld), objects, adverbials and particles. Its order follows tendencies such as pronouns before nouns and known before new.
The Nachfeld is optional. It takes elements that would make the Mittelfeld heavy or that are added as an afterthought:
Plain noun objects do not normally go into the Nachfeld: Ich habe den Film gesehen, not Ich habe gesehen den Film.
For a long legal or academic sentence, first mark the two brackets of every clause. Then read the Vorfeld and the Mittelfeld as blocks. Nested clauses each have their own brackets: Dass das Gericht, das den Fall prüfte, anders entschieden hat, überraschte alle. Here the whole dass-clause sits in the Vorfeld of the main clause.
For writing, use the Nachfeld to keep sentences readable: move a long relative or infinitive clause behind the right bracket rather than leaving the reader waiting for the verb.
| Not quite | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gestern Abend ich bin ins Kino gegangen. | Gestern Abend bin ich ins Kino gegangen. | The Vorfeld holds only one element; the finite verb follows it immediately. |
| Ich habe gesehen den Film. | Ich habe den Film gesehen. | Noun objects stay in the Mittelfeld, inside the bracket. |
| Ich weiß, dass er hat keine Zeit. | Ich weiß, dass er keine Zeit hat. | In a dass-clause the finite verb goes into the right bracket at the end. |
1. In „Gestern hat Leila ihrer Mutter einen Brief geschrieben“, what is in the Vorfeld?
2. What occupies the right bracket in „Der Zug wird heute später ankommen“?
3. In the clause „…, dass sie morgen kommt“, what is in the left bracket?
4. Which sentence has a filled Nachfeld?
5. Which is a verb-first (V1) clause?
6. Gestern ___ wir lange im Park spazieren gegangen.
7. Which element does NOT normally go into the Nachfeld?
8. ___ hat die Sitzung länger gedauert, als geplant war.
Related grammar: Verb-second word order, Word order in the middle field (TeKaMoLo), Emphasis and word order, Correlates: es and das.
Back to the grammar reference or to the C2 lessons.
Original practice questions written by the Desi European Tales editorial team; they are not the official exam questions. Checked 1 November 2026.
Related: German grammar reference · German C2 lessons · Verb-second word order
