FormAkkusativobjekt (Position 1) + Verb (Position 2) + Subjekt
Meaning and usage
German word order is flexible: almost any part of the sentence can move to position 1. When an accusative object stands there, the verb stays in position 2 and the subject follows it. In Den Film kenne ich, the ending -en on den shows that the film is the object and ich is the subject, even though ich comes second.
Speakers use this order to highlight or contrast the object, often when it has already been mentioned. The common mistake is keeping the subject first and reading the fronted noun phrase as the subject, or changing the case: learners say Der Film kenne ich, but the accusative den is required. Note that phrases like den ganzen Tag are time expressions, not objects, and follow their own rules.
Examples 6
Den Witz habe ich ja noch nie gehört!
I never heard that joke before.
Den Namen habe ich seit Jahren nicht gehört.
I haven't heard that name in years.
Den Fehler dürfen wir nicht noch einmal machen.
We must not make that mistake again.
Diesen Topf habe ich schon lange nicht mehr benutzt.
I haven't used this pot in a long time.
Den Film würde ich sehr gerne sehen.
I'd love to see this movie.
Diesen Film habe ich jetzt schon drei Mal gesehen.
This is the third time I've seen this movie.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
kenne ich schon lange, er wohnt nebenan.
Show answer
Correct answer: Den Nachbarn
ich is the subject of kenne, so the phrase in first position is the object, in the accusative. er in the second clause shows the neighbour is a man: Den Nachbarn kenne ich schon lange.
- Die Nachbarin is feminine, but the pronoun er later in the sentence refers to a male person.
- Dem Nachbarn is dative and cannot stand as the object of kennen.
- Der Nachbar is nominative, but the subject here is ich, so the fronted phrase must be accusative.
In this topic: The four cases
- den Mann, einen Mann masculine articles change in the accusative
- dem Kind ein Buch geben giving: the receiver is dative, the thing is accusative
- den Kindern, mit den Freunden dative plural: den plus noun with -n
- Wen? Wem? asking who with wen or wem
- Den Film kenne ich. Put an object first to highlight it
- Annas Buch, Toms Auto showing who something belongs to with a name
- das Auto von meinem Vater whose something is, with von + dative
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.