FormEs + Verb (passt zum Subjekt) + Subjekt …
Meaning and usage
When the subject is new information and nothing else should come first, es can fill the first position as a pure placeholder: Es kamen viele Gäste instead of Viele Gäste kamen. The real subject moves later, where new information goes, much like English there came, there were.
The verb agrees with the real subject, not with es: Es kamen einige Männer (plural), Es kam ein seltsamer Geruch aus der Küche (singular). This es disappears as soon as something else stands first: Gestern kamen viele Gäste. It is not the same as es gibt, where es is the real subject and stays.
Examples 5
Es kamen einige Männer und fällten den Baum.
Some men came and cut down the tree.
Es kamen mehr Zuschauer, als ich erwartet hatte.
There were more spectators than I had expected.
Es lagen nur drei Geschenke unter dem Weihnachtsbaum.
There were only three presents under the Christmas tree.
Es kam ein seltsamer Geruch aus der Küche.
There was a strange smell coming from the kitchen.
Es waren keine Kunden da; deswegen schlossen wir den Laden eher.
There were no customers, so we closed the shop early.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
Es gestern viele Leute zum Konzert.
Show answer
Correct answer: kamen
es only fills the first position; the subject is viele Leute, so the verb is plural: Es kamen viele Leute.
- kam is singular and would agree with es, which is only a placeholder.
- gekommen A participle cannot stand alone as the verb in second position.
- kommt is singular and present, but gestern needs the past.
In this topic: Word order for emphasis
- Den Film habe ich schon gesehen. an object first, the subject after the verb
- Es kamen viele Gäste. es as a placeholder in first position
- Gestern hat mich mein Bruder angerufen. an unstressed pronoun before a noun subject
- Er hat mehr gelesen als ich. the als part of a comparison comes after the verb
- Ich habe lange gewartet auf diesen Moment. moving a phrase past the verb bracket for weight
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.