Emphasis
If you want to stress a point in German, you do it by changing the word order and beginning the sentence with what you want to stress.
The verb is still the second idea so you have to swap the verb and the subject round.
If you translate the sentences literally, you end up with some funny looking sentences, eg:
Gestern bin ich mit dem Rad zur Bibliothek gefahren. - Yesterday did I by bike to the library go.
Examples in use
Look at some of these sentences.
- Sechzehn Jahre alt bin ich. - I am 16.
This sounds as though someone does not believe that you are 16 and you want to confirm that you really are.
- Am Wochenende darf meine Freundin nicht ausgehen. - My girlfriend isn't allowed to go out at the weekend.
This suggests that she can go out some other time, but not at the weekend.
- Im Garten entspannen wir uns - We relax in the garden.
This stresses where you relax.
- Manchmal frühstücke ich mit meiner Familie draußen. - Sometimes I have breakfast with my family outside.
This stresses that you do it sometimes.
- Jeden Tag lese ich eine halbe Stunde im Bett. - Every day I read for half an hour in bed.
This stresses that you do it every day.
Question
Rewrite these sentences so that you stress the words that are in bold. What do they mean?
- Ich spiele am Mittwoch zusammen mit Thomas Tennis.
- Ich trinke nicht Kaffee.
- Wir sind letzten Sommer mit der Fähre nach Sylt gefahren.
- Du musst um 7 Uhr da sein.
- Sie wäre sehr genervt.
- Er wollte später mit ihr zur Grillparty kommen.
- Am Mittwoch spiele ich zusammen mit Thomas Tennis. - I'm playing tennis with Thomas on Wednesday.
- Kaffee trinke ich nicht - I don't drink coffee.
- Mit der Fähre sind wir letzten Sommer nach Sylt gefahren. - We went to Sylt by ferry last year.
- Um sieben Uhr musst du da sein. - You must be there at seven o'clock.
- Sehr genervt wäre sie. - She would be very irritated.
- Zur Grillparty wollte er mit ihr kommen. - He wanted to come with her to the barbecue.
You can also begin a sentence with a conjunction if that is what you want to emphasise.
If you do, the clause with the conjunction is the first idea and the main verb - the second idea - comes next.
Compare these sentences:
- Wir übernachten nicht im Hotel, weil es so teuer ist. - We are not staying in a hotel, because it is so expensive.
- Weil es so teuer ist, übernachten wir nicht im Hotel. - Because it is so expensive, we are not staying in a hotel.
The clause with the conjunction - weil es so teuer ist - is the first idea.
The main verb - übernachten - is the second idea.
Now wir must follow the verb.
- Ich gehe morgen arbeiten, obwohl ich lieber an die See fahre. - I'm going to work tomorrow, although I would rather go to the seaside.
- Obwohl ich lieber an die See fahre, gehe ich morgen arbeiten. - Although I would rather go to the seaside, I'm going to work tomorrow.
The clause with the conjunction - obwohl ich lieber an die See fahre - is the first idea.
The main verb - gehe - is the second idea.
Now ich must now follow the verb.
Question
Rewrite these sentences so that they begin with the conjunction.
- Wir sitzen im Schatten, weil es viel zu heiß ist.
- Sie weiß nicht, ob es möglich ist.
- Ich bin immer glücklich, wenn ich die ersten Narzissen sehe.
- Weil es viel zu heiß ist, sitzen wir im Schatten. - Because it's much too hot, we are sitting in the shade.
- Ob es möglich ist, weiß sie nicht. - Whether it's possible, she doesn't know.
- Wenn ich die ersten Narzissen sehe, bin ich immer glücklich. - When I see the first daffodils, I'm always happy.
What do you notice about the position of the verb in the questions above?
It is the second idea.
Did you know?
Ich habe Stress – I'm stressed.
Excessive smartphone usage after clocking off from work has been blamed as one of the main reasons for rising stress levels in the workplace in Germany. As a result, there is pressure for an anti-stress law to be passed in Germany, which would protect workers from being contacted via modern technology outside working hours.
Some companies already limit email correspondence to specific times of the day, but ministers are calling for a new law that will ensure that all employers follow suit.
